TAMPA, Fla — The hustle of traffic is synonymous with Tampa Bay—so much so that most of us probably tune it out.
But on the corner of South Boulevard and West Platt Street, we met Christopher Dukes as he learned to turn that symphony of chaos into a lesson for safely crossing the street—by listening to the flow of traffic.
While that method is a safe way to cross the street for those who are visually impaired, according to the folks with Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision, accessible crosswalks that use audio cues (also known as "accessible pedestrian signals") could make things so much easier for thousands of people.
It's an ease that would help Dukes adjust to a new normal after he started losing his sight in 2015.
"It kind of just feels like, like if you were to give a human being some fins and throw 'em in the water. Like, it's just like you're trying to balance two realities that one kinda has to make way for the other for it to be functional. And it just feels really awkward," he said.
To learn more, ABC Action News contacted representatives for the City of Tampa.
According to them, there are about a dozen city, county, and state-owned accessible pedestrian signals in the area. Though they are largely clustered in Westshore, Channelside and South Tampa.
It's accessibility technology that an instructor with Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision, Dianne Luce, said she hopes to see spread across the region—to help those dealing with impairment now and those who will in the future.
"When we're planning communities for people with disabilities, I would urge those people who are making those decisions don't think of them as 'The other people,' you know, 'We're planning for them.' Think of it as planning for yourself because you never know what tomorrow might bring," she said.
The City of Tampa also told ABC Action News that if someone wants an accessible pedestrian signal at a specific intersection, they can actually request one from whatever entity or entities own that particular roadway (i.e. city, state or county).
After that a study would be done to make sure installation is possible at that location.
