WHEREAS, Many myths and misconceptions exist about the abilities of blind persons to travel independently and safely; and
WHEREAS, these myths and misconceptions are held by both blind and sighted persons; and
WHEREAS, one such misconception is that audible traffic signals are helpful to blind persons, but in reality, such signals create safety hazards worse than those they are meant to alleviate, because
(1) the sound of the signal may block out the sound of traffic approaching the intersection, which may be dangerous if this traffic runs against the signal;
(2) persons using audible signals may become dependent on them and therefore become less capable of crossing intersections with non-audible signals alone when necessary; and
(3) audible traffic signals foster the false notion that blind persons require costly modifications to the environment in order to participate in our society; and
WHEREAS, at the request of misguided blind individuals, the Maryland State Highway Administration approved funds for the installation of an audible traffic signal at the intersection of Main and Water Streets in Frostburg; and
WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland is the largest organization of blind consumers in Maryland, and represents the mainstream of progressive thinking on blindness: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in Convention assembled this fourth day of October, 1987, in the City of Frostburg, Maryland, that this organization opposes the further installation of audible traffic signals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly recommends that the Maryland State Highway Administration deny all future requests for funding the installation of audible traffic signals.