Sidewalk inlays tell blind a curb is near

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, contractors were forced to change the way they made sidewalks.

Instead of a 5-inch drop off from a sidewalk to the street, the act required curb ramps so those in wheelchairs could roll, instead of bounce, into the street.

But the change wasn't so helpful for blind people. Studies have shown that the ramps are a problem for the visually impaired because they have a hard time telling where the sidewalk ends and where the street begins.

On Thursday, an idea was introduced to the city of Jackson that would alert visually impaired individuals to the change and also protect the city from potential litigation.

The new design is called a Detectable Warning Surface. It's something of a cross between a door mat and a giant, flat Lego piece. It's supersized-braille that can be read with shoe soles and walking canes.

"Going across parking lots can be challenging," said Chris Belle, a blind man from Cape Girar-deau. "Especially when there are high sound levels like construction. Any kind of tactile clue is a good thing."

Surface showcase

Representatives from Armor-Tile demonstrated to city officials how simple it is to install the devices. The plastics company installed, at no charge, two of the warning surfaces at the corner of Main Street and Court Street by city hall. The installation took about 15 minutes each.

Aaron McConachie, the pitchman for Armor-Tile, said the Detectable Warning Surface will one day be required for every wheelchair ramp, whether private or public.

Until 1994, all that was required were "tactile clues" to alert blind people that the surface had changed. From 1994 until 2001, the Access Board suspended those guidelines until new ones could be formed.

In 2002, the Access Board released warning-surface guidelines in draft form for public comment. The guidelines provide specific parameters for the surface so the visually impaired will recognize the uniformity.

It won't be long before the surfaces will be on every sidewalk corner in town. Kirby Dieterman, a distributor for Armor-Tile, said the metropolitan area of St. Louis already has about 400 of the mats on street corners and handicapped curb ramps.

The tiles come in various sizes and colors. The ones introduced in Jackson on Thursday were 2 feet by 4 feet. They can be glued on top of existing concrete or cast into the sidewalk as the concrete is forming.

The diamond-hard polymer tiles are expensive, however, at a cost of $230 apiece for the ones showcased in Jackson.

While the tiles at intersections will be a plus, Belle said a much-needed improvement is audible traffic lights, where a beep would indicate when it is safe to cross.

Even with a guide dog and an ear trained to pick up traffic patterns, Belle said there is always a bit of uncertainty when he steps onto a street.

"It's a horrible feeling when you step out and hear [screeching tires]," he said. "We are able-bodied people. We just need a little help."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635