December 14, 2011—Lighthouse International Supports Introduction 626
Lighthouse International joined Mayor Bloomberg at a bill signing ceremony for Introduction 626. The bill, sponsored by Council Member James Vacca, requires the New York City Department of Transportation to consult with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities when undergoing major transportation projects. This will ensure that the needs of people with a visual impairment are incorporated into major street redesigns and installations of pedestrian plazas and bike lanes.
Picture from left to right:
Karen Gourgey, Chair, PASS Coalition, Lester Marks, Lighthouse International, New York City Council Member, James Vacca and New York City Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg
Photo credit: Spencer T. Tucker
October 11, 2011 - Lighthouse International Hosted NYC Comptroller’s Disability Forum
For the second straight year, Lighthouse International hosted New York City Comptroller John Liu’s Disability Awareness event.
The event was attended by over 200 people, and honored several advocates for their advocacy work on behalf people with a disability.
October 5, 2011: Lighthouse Teams with Vision 2020 for Congressional Briefing
Vision 2020/USA has teamed up with Lighthouse International and eight other sponsoring organizations for our third vision related congressional briefing in Washington D.C. this fall. The briefing, to be held on World Sight Day, will discuss groundbreaking, cost-effective health interventions that have prevented vision loss, such as vitamin A supplementation and cataract surgery. The briefing will take place on October 13 from 12-1:15 p.m. in House Rayburn B-340. Please RSVP to Dina Beaumont at dinabeau@aol.com.
September 29, 2011: PASS Coalition Helps New York City Improve Travel Safety
The PASS (Pedestrians for Accessible and Safe Streets) Coalition, of which Lighthouse International is a member, joined the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, the Speaker of the New York City Council and several Council Members at the corner of 7th Avenue and 23rd Street to announce the city’s effort to improve the safety of all New York City streets, and for its plans to increase markedly the number of APS’s installed throughout the five boroughs.
Dr. Karen Gourgey, Chair of the PASS Coalition states, “Those of us who are blind or visually impaired value the pedestrian-friendly and age-friendly initiatives of DOT; we want to assure that our particular needs are taken into account as these changes are made. APS installations such as these at 7th and 23rd are a big step in that direction.”
The intersection of 7th Avenue and West 23rd Street in Manhattan incorporates the needs of visually impaired pedestrians and should be looked at as a model for redesigns throughout the city. The major intersection renovation was initiated to reduce the hazards to crossing pedestrians at what was a very dangerous place for them. Original construction plans would have created challenges to the safety of blind, deaf/blind and vision impaired pedestrians, pedestrians who must depend on how things feel and sound rather than how they look. The Department of Transportation presented its plans for public comment. The PASS Coalition had its experts visit the intersection and identified potential design problems and also offered solutions such as the proper installation of detectable warning strips at curb ramps and crosswalk cut-throughs.
"The DOT's holistic approach to pedestrian accessibility at 23rd Street and 7th Avenue, including detectable warning surfaces at all corners and audible and vibrotactile signals for each crosswalk, represents the application of today's best practices. In the end, we are all better off when every citizen can be safe and secure on our sidewalks and streets", said Dr. Eugene Borquin, PASS member and orientation and mobility specialist.
PASS has also shared with the Department a list of other intersections citywide, in most immediate need of traffic signals which give WALK information audibly and tactually.
“Safety improvements for pedestrians with a visual impairment will also improve the safety of all New Yorkers. The installation of new APS’s signals is much needed and will improve safety at chosen intersections. I thank the DOT and Council Members James Vacca and Gale Brewer for hearing our concerns and implementing this plan,” said Lester Marks, Director of Government Affairs, and Lighthouse International.
The PASS Coalition was pleased to have played a valuable role at the 7th Avenue and West 23rd Street site. It looks forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Transportation toward the shared goal of safe and independent access to all city streets for people who are blind, deaf/blind or have low vision.
To learn more about the PASS Coalition, visit them on Facebook.
September 28, 2011: Lighthouse International and Cosponsors Host Congressional Briefing
Lighthouse International hosted a successful congressional briefings regarding diabetes and vision loss on September 13, 2011 in Washington D.C. The briefing, which was led by Mark G. Ackermann, President and CEO of Lighthouse International, featured greetings from United States Senator, John Boozman, and United States Congressman, Gene Green. The keynote was given by Neil Bressler, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology, Chief of Retina Division, The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The presentation centered on the growing number of people with the diabetes and consequences that uncontrolled diabetes has on vision loss. Dr. Bressler also the discussed the progress made by Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DHCR), which is supported by the National Eye Institute.
Cosponsoring the briefing were the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Diabetes Association, American Foundation for the Blind, American Optometric Association, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Prevent Blindness America, The Vision Council, and VisionServe Alliance. This briefing was the first of three briefings the vision community will host this fall.
View pictures from the congressional briefing below.
August 22, 2011: Lighthouse International Hosting Congressional Briefing on Diabetes and Vision Loss
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among Americans ages 20-74. With the surge of diabetes in the U.S., this problem is only expected to get worse. On September 13, 2011, Lighthouse International will host a congressional briefing in Washington D.C. on the link between diabetes and vision loss.
Cosponsors of the briefing will be the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Foundation for the Blind, American Optometric Association, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Prevent Blindness America, The Vision Council and the VisionServe Alliance. The featured speaker will be Dr. Neil Bressler, Professor of Ophthalmology, and Chief of Retina Division at The Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins Hospital.
This important briefing will serve to highlight and educate members of Congress about the diabetes epidemic and its link to vision loss, but it will also emphasize the important role of early detection and vision rehabilitation.
The briefing will be held at 12 p.m. on September 13 at the B-339 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C. Lunch will be served at this widely attended event. To RSVP, please e-mail Dina Beaumont at dinabeau@aol.com.
Read the invite to the congressional briefing (PDF).
Read about the upcoming vision community congressional briefings (DOC).
July 11, 2011: Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act Update
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will soon seek input on the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, which requires electric and hybrid vehicles to emit an alert or sound that allows blind and visually impaired pedestrians to detect their presence.
The bill, signed into law by President Obama earlier this year, seeks to resolve the problem created by electric and hybrid cars that do not produce the same level of sound that traditional cars produce. People with visual impairments are taught to listen for surges in traffic to determine when it is safe to cross a street and the increased prevalence of quiet cars poses significant safety risks. The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act is looking to establish an alert system that will notify pedestrians of the presence of hybrid and electric cars.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has published the proposed sounds that pedestrians would hear. Listen to the proposed sounds and check back within the next few weeks for updates on how you can provide feedback on these sounds.
May 13, 2011: Lighthouse International Hosted Forum on Pedestrian Safety
Lighthouse International hosted Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and the Manhattan Disability Task Force for their Spring Forum on "Pedestrian Safety in the Changing NYC Streetscape." The forum focused on New York City’s efforts to improve safety for pedestrians with a visual impairment. Featured on the panel was the Manhattan Borough Transportation Commissioner, Margaret Forgione, who emphasized the city’s commitment to work with the visually impaired community and specifically the Pedestrians for Accessible and Safe Streets (PASS) Coalition, of which Lighthouse International is a member.
View some of the pictures from the forum below.
March 22, 2011: Help Improve 9-1-1 Services for People with Disabilities
The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on October 8, 2010, requires smart phones, the internet and television programming to include audible and visual notifications so they are accessible to anyone with a hearing or vision loss. Under the new act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created an Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC), which is in charge of improving access to 9-1-1 services in the event of an emergency. The EAAC is currently seeking input from anyone with a disability, including vision loss, on how they can improve the 9-1-1 system. Please take a few moments to complete this survey on 9-1-1- accessibility issues.
March 21, 2011: Lighthouse International Advocates Against New York State Cuts to Early Intervention Services
Mark G. Ackermann, President and CEO of Lighthouse International, sent a letter to Sheldon Silver, speaker of the New York State Assembly, urging him to oppose cuts to the early intervention services proposed in New York State’s 2011-2012 budget. Early Intervention programs provide vital services to children with disabilities and directly correlate with increased mobility and independence later in life. These services for infants and toddlers include physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and vision services.
Help us send a strong message to Albany! Contact your state legislators and urge them to oppose cuts to early intervention services.
February 28, 2011 - Lighthouse International Co-Sponsoring Congressional Reception
Lighthouse International is joining the Congressional Vision Caucus, and host Prevent Blindness, in co-sponsoring a congressional reception on March 2, 2011. The reception will bring together a wide range of vision agencies including, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, The American Optometric Association, The Association of Maternal and Child Health Promotions, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, National Industries for the Blind, The National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, VisionServe Alliance, The Vision Council and Vision 2020 USA.
View the invitation to the Congressional Vision Caucus.
February 15, 2011 – Lighthouse International Advocates for Accessible Taxis
Lighthouse International sent letter to David Yassky, Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) regarding taxi accessibility for people with a visual impairment. As the TLC considers proposals for an accessible taxi of the future, it is important to include an accessible payment system when passengers are using a debit or credit card. This is even more important considering Access-A-Ride has started a pilot program in which riders are provided a pre-paid debit card to pay their taxi fare. Read the entire letter to the TLC.
January 24, 2011 – Lighthouse International Petitions Department of Justice for Website Accessibility
Lighthouse International submitted comments to the United States Department of Justice regarding its consideration of a proposal to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to include website accessibility. It’s imperative that websites meet the proper accessibility standards so everyone with a visual impairment can use them. Read the entire letter to the Department of Justice.
Read about our previous advocacy efforts.
