Comment from Saurerburger, COMS, Dona

Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments about the proposed accessibility guidelines. I am an orientation and mobility specialist who has taught hundreds of people who are blind or deaf-blind to travel independently, and also participated in research regarding street crossings and yielding behavior. I will make my comments brief: APS: The requirement to have APS at signalized crossings is critically needed -- it has become more and more difficult for blind people to determine when the walk signal is on without access to the information provided to sighted pedestrians. Signals at multilane roundabouts: It has also become increasingly difficult for blind pedestrians to determine when there is a gap in traffic long enough to cross, especially at busy roundabouts where the sound of traffic in the circle masks the sound of vehicles approaching the crossing. With multiple threats being a danger, signals or an equivalent are necessary. Thank you -- Dona