Self-Study Guide: Preparing Visually Impaired Students
to Assess and Cross Streets with No Stop Sign or Traffic Signal
Outline
Section 1: Introduction to Situations of Uncertainty
Page 2: How can we cross at streets and lanes with no stop sign or traffic signal?
Page 3: Crossable Gaps
Page 4: Dedicated to the memory of Dick and Lorraine Evensen . . . The history of realization
Page 5: Cars too fast? Too close?
Page 6: Safe to cross when quiet?
Page 7: "Situations of Uncertainty" -- Yikes!
Page 8: "Situations of Uncertainty" / "Situations of Confidence" -- What are they?
Page 9: Research -- are there really Situations of Uncertainty? If so, why?
Page 10: Research -- What did we learn from sitting in lawnchairs?
Page 11: So how can we recognize Situations of Uncertainty?
Page 12: Uncertainty Prediction Challenge
Page 13: So how can we recognize Situations of Uncertainty?
Page 14: Strategies that can assure enough time for crossing these streets?
Page 15: Study Questions
Page 16: What is "Quiet"? -- Varies between and within communities
Page 17: What is "Quiet"? -- Effect of changes in ambient sound
Page 18: What is "Quiet"? -- Effect of slight increase of ambient sound
Page 19: Situations of Uncertainty . . . does it really matter?
Page 20: Another Tragedy -- Can We Learn any Lessons?
Page 21: Commitment to Prepare Students
Page 22: Review
Section 2: Teaching students to recognize Situations of Uncertainty
Page 1: How would you teach someone to recognize Situations of Uncertainty?
Crossing time
Page 2: Determining the Width of Streets by Listening to Traffic
Page 3: Determining the Width of Streets by Listening to Traffic
Page 4: Understand ("internally/cognitively" understand) crossing time
Procedure to Develop Judgment of the Detection of Traffic
Page 5: Procedure to Develop Judgment of the Detection of Traffic
Page 6: Timing Method for Assessing Detection of Vehicles (TMAD)
Page 7: "Worst-case cars" -- Vehicles with shortest detection-to-arrival times
Page 8: "Worst-case cars" -- Ensuring that they are considered in the assessment
Page 9: Site selection
Page 10: Checklists
Page 11: Study Questions
Section 3: You are in a [shudder] Situation of Uncertainty -- What Now?
Assess the risk of crossing
Page 1: Assess the risk of crossing
Page 2: Who has the right of way here? -- pedestrian / white cane laws
Page 3: How likely is it that am I going to be surprised by an unexpected vehicle?
Page 4: How likely is it that the unexpected vehicle will hit me?
Page 4a: How likely is it that I will be seriously injured or killed?
Page 5: Assess the Risk of the Crossing: Putting it all together!
Making a decision
Page 6: Is the crossing safe enough?
Page 7: Decide whether the risk is acceptable - considerations
Page 8: Decide whether the risk is acceptable
Consider alternatives
Page 9: Consider alternatives when the risk of crossing is not acceptable/preferable
Page 10: Alternatives When Crossing is Too Risky
Page 11: Alternatives: Environmental Modifications to Improve Crossings with No Traffic Control
Page 12: Review
Section 4:Teaching students to determine when there is a crossable gap in traffic
Page 1: Determine when it is "clear to cross" USING HEARING
Page 2: Determine when it is "clear to cross" USING VISION
Page 3: Scanning or glancing left/right efficiently -- challenges with eye conditions
Page 4: Training to scan or glance left/right efficiently
Page 5: When you hear/(see) traffic at a distance
Page 6: Determining Gaps in Approaching Traffic (was "TMASD")
Page 7: How to determine how many seconds is "X" seconds?
Page 8: Alternative for determining crossing gap
Page 9: Scanning / glancing to determine if there is a crossable gap
Page 10: Determine when it is "clear to cross" by looking OR listening
Page 11: Teaching students to choose and use vision or hearing to detect vehicles
Page 12: Review
Section 5:Applications! Vignettes, Frequently Asked Questions, and Workshop Suggestions
This section has everything on one main page, including a link to workshop activities.
The topics are:
VIGNETTES
Vignette 1Lesson: Understanding crossing time Vignette 2Lesson: Safety vs. certainty Vignette 3Lesson: Considering risks Vignette 4Two lessons: Using vision and hearing Vignette 5Sample lesson Vignette 6What is "quiet" and why does it matter? Teaching a student with a cognitive disability Vignette 7Teaching hypothetical / abstract concepts to a concrete learner Vignette 8Freaky findings
FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONSabout teaching at crossings with no stop sign or traffic signal
Strategies for crossing: Are strategies such as crossing with a parallel car, or timing receding cars, safe and reliable for knowing when it's clear to cross these streets?
When to teach these skills: Do you teach these skills early in O&M training, or are they for advanced students, or interspersed within other curriculum topics?
Length of training: How long does it usually take to teach the skills and concepts needed for these crossings?
Background: How did you get interested in this issue, and how did you figure out how to teach these concepts and skills?
Curriculum / liability: Are these skills and concepts in our curriculum? Won't I be at risk for liability if I teach something that isn't accepted as standard practice?
This offers suggestions for hands-on, feet-in-the-street practice applying what you've learned -- you might give yourself a workshop, following the exercises that participants did in this workshop!
The workshop covers teaching students to: