LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas District of the Institute of Transportation Engineers hosted its annual spring meeting in Lubbock on April 12 at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center. Members participated in a workshop that is presented by Texas Tech’s Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Sensory Disabilities.
Participants wore blindfolds and low-vision simulators and then took to the streets by the Overton Hotel to experience navigating busy urban areas with a visual impairment.
With the guidance of the Sowell faculty and staff, participants navigated sidewalks and both controlled and uncontrolled pedestrian crossings, they also analyzed complex intersections.
The workshop is designed to facilitate communication between mobility specialist and traffic engineers to design streets and intersections that are more accessible and safer to all pedestrians, including those with visual impairments.
