Revolutionary signs could soon be installed to help visually impaired people find their way around one of Shropshire’s most historical towns.South Shropshire district councillor Vivienne Parry is trying to secure funds to get special braille signs introduced to the streets of Ludlow.
It would make the town one of the first places in the country with the system. The signs would be a number of plates with braille and embossed lettering and be located at key sites in a town.
The signs would also have a phone number on that the user could dial to hear a message giving them their their location and a brief description and history of their immediate surroundings.
Mrs Parry, councillor for the Ludlow Sheet with Ludford ward, predicts that bringing the signs – which have already been trialled in London – to Ludlow would cost about £2,000.
She is now appealing for any businesses or organisations which would like to help make the signs a reality, to get in touch.
Councillor Parry is backing the Dogrose Trust, an organisation dedicated to supporting the blind and partially sighted, which has already seen this system piloted in other parts of Britain.
She first heard about the new signage system from conversations with Julia Ionides of the trust and Malcolm Marsh, access officer for the district council.
She said: “Although the signs will mainly be aimed at visitors to Ludlow, they will also be useful for local blind and partially sighted people.
“The signs have already been trialled in London and Portsmouth and have proved a great success. Like all things however there will be a cost and we estimate that for Ludlow this would be in the region of £2,000.
“My colleague Heather Kidd and I have contacted Tim King, the tourist officer at the district council, who has suggested that there could be money available from the ‘Better Welcome Funding’ scheme run by Advantage West Midlands.
“However, if there are any charitable organisations in the town that would like to help then please get in touch. It would be really great for the town to be one of the first with this facility.”
By Catherine Roche
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11 Comments
Sounds like a ridiculous waste of money. Have visually impaired residents and visitors actually been asked if they want this sort of signage?
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Perhaps if they did the road signs in braille as well that might help visually impaired drivers?
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Ummm, how will the visually impaired person know they are there? There are various braille signs round numorous public buildings in the county; not yet encountered a visually impaired person reading them, but seen a few walking by oblivious to braille signage put there for their convenience. Nice thought from the councillor, but I think the money could be better used. Removing trip hazards by mending a few paving slabs would be more useful to visually impaired people and the wider community alike.
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Good point Stevie: I think they would be better of wrapping sign posts in foam to help the visually impaired.
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Perhaps they will employ guides to direct the visually impaired people to the signs. Of course, if they do, preference will be given to applicants who have a disability !
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Seems like a waste of money to me.
Do gooders trying to be PC but missing the point and wasting OUR money.
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David: Not such a good idea, just imagine this visually impaired escorts on a Friday night trying to escort everyone to a sign that is blind drunk.
I think that the sign should emitt a bleeping sound that only blind-dogs can hear so that they can pull their owners towards the sign and relieve themslves on it while the blind person is reading it.
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Lucy: Are you suggesting that blind people should relive themselves on sign posts or their dogs?
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Blind dogs you muppet! Honestly *tut*
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what’s the point of this? cant the blind people just dial the number from their homes? why would they go sightseeing? or is there something about this that I am missing?
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Marco: You’re absolutley right!
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