[accessibleimage] signs

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http://www.wisinfo.com/dailytribune/wrdtlocal/319416026718723.shtml

Wed, Oct 12, 2005*

Code dictates location of Braille signs


Ever wonder why something is done the way it is in the Wisconsin Rapids area, or what something is, or why it's there? Find out by submitting a question to "What's up with that?" The Daily Tribune will do its best to find the answer in this weekly column.

This week: JoAnn Weiler of Wisconsin Rapids wondered how people with visual impairments know where to find the Braille signs in public buildings.

Answer: Informational signs are located in the center of doors, said Wisconsin Rapids resident Norma Woollums, who has lost 90 percent of her vision and has been visually impaired all of her life.
Most of the signs are posted about four feet from the floor, she said.
The signs are part of the International Building Code as adopted by the state of Wisconsin, said Bruce McMiller, community development director for Wisconsin Rapids.

"What we call it is barrier-free requirements," McMiller said.

The signs are to be posted on the wall adjacent to the door handle.

"So if they reach out and find the door handle, they should find the sign," McMiller said.

Older buildings might not have the signs, depending on when they were built. The code went into effect in November 1994.

That works for Dave Sippl of the town of Grant.

Sippl has extremely limited vision.

"I can see a little bit within about 10 feet," he said. Because his sight has gradually declined through the years, he relies on memory to get him around, and the help of his wife.

"A lot of the buildings, in town here, I know where the layouts are, and can get around pretty well," he said.

Braille seems to be less common than in the past, Woollums said.

Instead, wording on signs will be raised or engraved, and people with visual impairments will trace the letters, she said.

"With the tactile letters, you can feel them because they are either sunk or raised," she said.

"It's easier, because most of the blind people today have had vision, and have had training in reading and writing, and therefore they can trace the letters with their fingers," she said.

Woollums attended the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Janesville as an adult.

"They do teach (Braille) there, but they don't teach it to the younger children anymore because of the tactile feel, which is easier to teach."
Send questions to Deb Cleworth at dcleworth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dcleworth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or at P.O. Box 8090, Wisconsin Rapids WI 54495. The Daily Tribune may not be able to answer all questions.


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