Don't Let Blind Ways Become Mere Decoration - 翻译中...

Walking on the streets, people often overlook the many yellow guiding bricks called blind way. blind way is a type of barrier-free facility in cities aimed at providing convenience and safety for visually impaired individuals, emphasizing practicality, safety, and humanization. However, the phenomenon of blind way being occupied by obstacles such as bicycles, billboards, and phone booths is common in many places, leading some netizens to joke that "there is everything on the blind way except for blind people!"

The Importance of blind way for the Visually Impaired

A comment by a netizen highlights the difficulty of blind people's lives: often unable to find their way home, a 3-minute journey may take half an hour. Why do we rarely see blind people walking alone outside? The dilemma of blind way could be a significant reason. The unreasonable design and reckless occupation of blind way greatly hinder the ability of the visually impaired group to "pass through without obstacles". It should be noted that barrier-free travel is not a minority demand. For visually impaired individuals, being able to walk outside safely and unhindered is the most urgent and fundamental demand. The needs of such a large group of people cannot be selectively ignored.

Do not let blind way become a decoration

Whether it is safe for people to go out and participate in activities largely depends on whether public infrastructure such as blind way is reasonable and complete. Some blind way bends and twists, while others are too close to telephone poles and tree stumps. On the Internet, in discussions about the convenience of modern life, some netizens replied that they wanted to take their father out in a wheelchair but encountered a series of "obstacles": going to the mall to shop, the elevator and the fence and pillars at the mall entrance made it impossible for the wheelchair to enter, and the tourist attractions did not have ramps for disabled people, making the experience extremely poor and regrettable.

Despite their desire to socialize normally, the lack of support facilities makes it difficult for them to "walk with ease." In addition to the blind way tactile indicator being occupied, other public facilities that serve disabled people also need to be improved. In some areas, large public places do not have dedicated steps or guardrails for disabled people, and there are no warning signs. Some guardrail handrails suddenly break in the middle, which can easily cause blind people to fall. The shortage of guide dogs and low social acceptance are also significant issues that trouble blind people when travelling. Perhaps we should reflect on whether the most basic urban barrier-free facilities are truly functioning to protect the rights of visually impaired individuals to freely travel, in addition to measures such as setting up emergency assistance stations and developing electronic voice navigation apps.

The development of a city should be both warm and fast. Blind way is also an essential basic element for improving urban functions. The happiness index of disabled individuals reflects to some extent the inclusiveness and civilization of a city. We should truly stand in the shoes of disabled people to solve practical problems and let the dividends of modern society's rapid development benefit everyone.