FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: C. Ward Bond
President, Talking Signs Inc.
812 North Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA
225 344-8212
ward@talkingsigns.com
Baton
Rouge - The
Federal Transit Administration has announced that Sound Transit of Seattle,
Washington has been selected to receive a grant for $2,000,000 to make Seattle the host city for the Remote Infrared Audible
Signage (RIAS) Model Accessibility Project (MAP). RIAS/Talking Signs®
technology, currently marketed by Talking Signs, Inc. of Baton Rouge, LA, provides orientation and wayfinding access for
people with visual, cognitive and learning disabilities. Talking Signs®
technology was first developed by Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute of
San Francisco.
Talking Signs®, is an orientation and wayfinding accessibility system
that allows blind travelers to locate and identify landmarks, signs, and places
of interest. It utilizes speech messages
stored in labeling transmitters which broadcast directional, repeating human
voice messages that are silent and invisible to the general public. However,
travelers unable to see or read print signs scan the environment with hand held
receivers and hear the messages to locate restrooms and other sites in
buildings; identify approaching buses, locate bus shelters, and hear 'walk' and
'wait' announcements at crosswalks.
Recently, Seattle Sound Transit participated in a pilot project with
King County Transit, ITS Oregon,
TriMet and the City of Portland
and AMTRAK investigating the value of RIAS/Talking Signs® technology in
providing orientation and wayfinding access for people who have visual
disabilities or otherwise have difficulty reading signs. Testimony of the subjects of the pilot project
was positive in every case. Marlaina
Lieberg, Chairman of the Access Committee of Sound Transit five years ago, was
responsible for promoting Sound Transit’s interest in making their system
accessible to sight disabled transit patrons.
RIAS technology has been implemented in projects across the United States and in Japan, Norway and Canada. The significance of the RIAS Model Accessibility
Project in Seattle is that this revolutionary accessible signage
technology has previously not been implemented before to provide a seamless
signage path for travel between buses, trams, trains and thorough transit
stations on a regional basis.
The RIAS MAP was mandated by Congress in the 2005 Federal Public
Transportation Act (SAFETEALU in DC language). It calls for a three-year
evaluation of the effects of RIAS on work life, education, community
integration and improvement of independence and quality of life for people who
have visual, cognitive and learning disabilities. The Secretary of
Transportation will make a report of the results to Congress in October, 2009.
Talking Signs, Inc. in partnership with Luminator of Plano, Texas, has
successfully installed the system on public transit buses in Lansing, Michigan and Colorado Springs, Colorado. One visually
disabled traveler in Colorado
Springs said:
“It was really remarkable. It cuts us
loose of all the strings of co-dependence.
Just knowing which bus is where, and you can zero in on the door, walk
on and find a seat. If I’m grumpy, or
have laryngitis, I don’t have to ask anyone for help.”
Polara Engineering of Fullerton, California will supply RIAS/Talking Signs® crosswalk audible
“walk” and “wait” systems. When the traveler approaches an intersection, the
RIAS receiver gives a message such as: “Traveling west on the 200 block of Grove Street approaching Larkin Street. Larkin
Street is two lanes one way south.” When
preparing to cross at the curb, users hear the street name and the “walk” and
“wait” message transmitted to the receiver from the pedestrian signal across
the street. Because the signal is
directional, users can properly orient themselves for effective street crossing
and instantly know when the pedestrian signal changes from “wait” to “walk”.
It is anticipated that the visually disabled population will be
increasing as baby boomers age. They
will rely more and more on public transportation as time goes by. Transit authorities across the country will
be looking at RIAS/Talking Signs® technology to provide a more independent
means for this segment of our society to use public transit. It is anticipated that transit agencies will
soon be including RIAS in their annual grant requests to FTA.
Jeff Moyer, who is blind, and serves as Vice President of Talking Signs,
Inc., reflected, "This technology is as important to those of us who are
blind or who can't read, as ramps and curb cuts are to individuals who use
wheel chairs. RIAS MAP will provide the first regional access to the public
transportation environment in history."
Congressman Richard Baker, (R-LA) was the sponsor of the legislation
along with co-sponsors in the House, Stephen LaTourette (R-OH) and Eleanor
Holmes-Norton (D-DC) and Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) in the Senate. Richard Baker said of the RIAS MAP this week:
“If the Federal Transit Administration brands the project as successful and
meaningful in three years, doors could be opened for much broader funding in
the next transportation bill.” The
devotion of the House and Senate sponsors and their staffs was responsible for
its inclusion in the Federal Transportation Act of 2005.
Revised:Tuesday, 26-Feb-2008 16:39:23 EST
Copyright © 2000 Talking Signs, Inc.
812 North Boulevard -- Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Voice: (800) 339-0117 (toll free)
FAX: (225) 344-2811
Webpage questions or comments
Email:
ward@talkingsigns.com
It's 03:50 AM EDT, Thursday, July 24