Ridiculous headline of the day!

[Keshav Bhat]

Really can't win for losing:

Hybrid Cars Pose Risk to Blind, Visually Impaired

In continuing coverage from a previous edition of First Look, HealthDay reported, "Because they can be nearly silent, hybrid cars pose a serious threat of injury and death to blind and visually impaired people," according to the American Council of the Blind (ACB).

The council's executive director, Melanie Brunson, explained, "Traditionally, people who are blind or visually impaired learn to rely on their hearing and tactile cues to provide them with information about their environment, which they can use to navigate safely across streets and through...parking lots. In so doing, the sound of traffic is their primary focus." But, without any "sound cues, a blind or visually impaired person is at serious risk." That is because "[t]raffic sounds provide information about such things as the position of vehicles, their direction of travel, their rate of acceleration, and the speed at which they are likely to move."

The ACB is now "pushing the auto industry and government officials to develop ways to reduce this danger." Just "[l]ast week, the U.S. Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration held its first public meeting on the issue."

Keshav

 

[Aaron Buthod]

Auto makers can install Save-A-Deer whistle animal alert accessories to all hybrids. This will solve 2 problems.

 

[Aarlan Aceto]

Actually, this is a bit of a problem. WHen I was in Italy, I was nearly run over by an electric motorino that I never heard. I was just not paying attn, since I can see, but with a visually impaired individual, it may become a problem

 

[Eugene Allen Gus Guthrie]

Actually, this is a bit of a problem. WHen I was in Italy, I was nearly run over by an electric motorino that I never heard. I was just not paying attn, since I can see, but with a visually impaired individual, it may become a problem

Hmmmm???????? Time for some VT to increase peripheral awareness

 

[Sean Claffie]

Actually, this is a bit of a problem. WHen I was in Italy, I was nearly run over by an electric motorino that I never heard. I was just not paying attn, since I can see, but with a visually impaired individual, it may become a problem

In Italy, I found the further south one went, the greater the likelihood one had of getting mowed down by a Vespa, even with no senses impaired.

 

[Frank Pirozzolo]

Why is this rediculous? Battery driven cars are virtually silent. I've been around them myself and have often thought...gee...if you weren't being visually observant, you could get hit by one of those things. Especially in a place like Manhattan, with all the other traffic noise, you would never hear one of these hybrids in front of you.

Of course a blind person would have a problem.

 

[Stephen McDaniel]

Off topic a bit, but having to do with the ridiculous amount of political correctness when it comes to the disabled. For all of you who have ever built a practice, finish out or ground-up, do you remember the ridiculous amount of unnecessary work and cost that went into conforming with the Americans with Disabilities ACT?

I've finished out one shell and am in the process of building and finishing out a second building. Some examples:

1) Every inch of the practice has to be wheel chair accessible, and all rooms must conform to a certain wheel chair turning radius. It's not good enough that they could just back out of the room, they must be able to do a total 380 degree turn. The amount of wasted "empty" commercial space in the design of hallways and rooms must literally cost businesses billions of dollars every year.

2) In my town, we must provide a two tiered drinking fountain (one high and one low). I asked someone in code enforcement today if I could install spring water coolers (the tap around here sucks, and drinking fountains are expensive). he said I could install the spring water cooler and that could replace the upper fountain but I would still need to install the lower fountain. I asked him if they were concerned the handicapped would not be able to reach the cooler. His reply "Maybe you'd run out of water...". To that I very sheepishly replied "..well....I guess I'd be out of water for everyone then, right?" He was not amused...I backed away slowly.

3) Every single sink in the entire practice has to be wheel chair accessible. The amount of wasted potential storeage space is astronomical. Why can't I have one exam room specifically designed for wheel chair accessibility??? In 5 years of practice I can count on two hands how many patients in wheel chairs have been in. Never had more than one at a time.

4) The mirrors in the restroom have to be low enough so that someone in a wheel chair can see themself. What the hell are they doing in the restroom? NO offense, but they can groom themselves when they get home.

5) The reception desk and check out counters have to be low enough to accommodate wheel chairs. I have not yet figured out why we need accessibility at the reception desk, which is nothing more than a greeting area, and paperwork hand-off. Just as easy to say hello, walk around the counter and hand the clip board to the patient. Would save a couple of thousand dollars.

6) I was negotiating on purchasing an old building a year ago. It was an old 2 story house recently zoned commercial. I was considering using the downstairs for clinic and optical, and the upstairs for storeage and office space. The city would have required an elevator put it, just in case someone in a wheel chair needed to go upstairs. The cost of the elevator was more than the value of the building.

I was talking with someone the other day who designs Optometry office. His comment was that the ADA requires something like 25% of the build out cost to go towards complying with ADA. Totally amazing.
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[Paul Farkas]

To placate our opera buffs (if any left)...

How about each electric vehicle being required to emit it's own "ringtone."
The visualy impaired could not only hear the car coming, but would know who it is!

I call dibs on Ride Of The Valkries from Apocalypse Now!

Although this famous ride was featured in "Apocalypse Now" it is from Act III of the Richard Wagner opera "Die Walkure".

 

[Eugene Allen Gus Guthrie]

Off topic a bit, but having to do with the ridiculous amount of political correctness when it comes to the disabled. For all of you who have ever built a practice, finish out or ground-up, do you remember the ridiculous amount of unnecessary work and cost that went into conforming with the Americans with Disabilities ACT?

I've finished out one shell and am in the process of building and finishing out a second building. Some examples:

1) Every inch of the practice has to be wheel chair accessible, and all rooms must conform to a certain wheel chair turning radius. It's not good enough that they could just back out of the room, they must be able to do a total 380 degree turn. The amount of wasted "empty" commercial space in the design of hallways and rooms must literally cost businesses billions of dollars every year.

2) In my town, we must provide a two tiered drinking fountain (one high and one low). I asked someone in code enforcement today if I could install spring water coolers (the tap around here sucks, and drinking fountains are expensive). he said I could install the spring water cooler and that could replace the upper fountain but I would still need to install the lower fountain. I asked him if they were concerned the handicapped would not be able to reach the cooler. His reply "Maybe you'd run out of water...". To that I very sheepishly replied "..well....I guess I'd be out of water for everyone then, right?" He was not amused...I backed away slowly.

3) Every single sink in the entire practice has to be wheel chair accessible. The amount of wasted potential storeage space is astronomical. Why can't I have one exam room specifically designed for wheel chair accessibility??? In 5 years of practice I can count on two hands how many patients in wheel chairs have been in. Never had more than one at a time.

4) The mirrors in the restroom have to be low enough so that someone in a wheel chair can see themself. What the hell are they doing in the restroom? NO offense, but they can groom themselves when they get home.

5) The reception desk and check out counters have to be low enough to accommodate wheel chairs. I have not yet figured out why we need accessibility at the reception desk, which is nothing more than a greeting area, and paperwork hand-off. Just as easy to say hello, walk around the counter and hand the clip board to the patient. Would save a couple of thousand dollars.

6) I was negotiating on purchasing an old building a year ago. It was an old 2 story house recently zoned commercial. I was considering using the downstairs for clinic and optical, and the upstairs for storeage and office space. The city would have required an elevator put it, just in case someone in a wheel chair needed to go upstairs. The cost of the elevator was more than the value of the building.

I was talking with someone the other day who designs Optometry office. His comment was that the ADA requires something like 25% of the build out cost to go towards complying with ADA. Totally amazing.
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Stephen you the big dog now!!!! And you have big dog problems. When I start the development and building of my specialty clinic I will have the same problems.
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[Sean Claffie]

How about each electric vehicle being required to emit it's own "ringtone."
The visualy impaired could not only hear the car coming, but would know who it is!

I call dibs on Ride Of The Valkries from Apocalypse Now!

My cell phone ringtone.

 

[Paul Farkas]

If it makes you feel any better...

I was talking with someone the other day who designs Optometry office. His comment was that the ADA requires something like 25% of the build out cost to go towards complying with ADA. Totally amazing.
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My act of defiance is to use the handicap stall whenever possible in public places. Higher seats and own sink so I avoid mixing with the washroom masses.

 

[Eugene Allen Gus Guthrie]

My act of defiance is to use the handicap stall whenever possible in public places. Higher seats and own sink so I avoid mixing with the washroom masses.

Me too!

Well actually I am handicapped, I am 6 ft 5 and weigh in at 230lbs. I can not fit in those "regular" stalls.

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[Aaron Buthod]

Imagine if the AOA had the power that the disabled had to pass legislation to protect us from discrimination by medical insurance carriers against ODs, to give us State Board Reciprocity, to encourage vision plans to stay out of medical insurance , to look into the problem of O.D. oversupply/new schools....ah but thats another rant for other threads....

We need the those disabled lawyers working for us!
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[Eugene Allen Gus Guthrie]

Imagine if the AOA had the power that the disabled had to pass legislation to protect us from discrimination by medical insurance carriers against ODs, to give us State Board Reciprocity, to encourage vision plans to stay out of medical insurance , to look into the problem of O.D. oversupply/new schools....ah but thats another rant for other threads....

We need the those disabled lawyers working for us!
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I wonder if the AOA just changed its letterhead to ADA if things would actually get done.

 

[Stephen McDaniel]

Off topic a bit, but having to do with the ridiculous amount of political correctness when it comes to the disabled. For all of you who have ever built a practice, finish out or ground-up, do you remember the ridiculous amount of unnecessary work and cost that went into conforming with the Americans with Disabilities ACT?

I've finished out one shell and am in the process of building and finishing out a second building. Some examples:

1) Every inch of the practice has to be wheel chair accessible, and all rooms must conform to a certain wheel chair turning radius. It's not good enough that they could just back out of the room, they must be able to do a total 380 degree turn. The amount of wasted "empty" commercial space in the design of hallways and rooms must literally cost businesses billions of dollars every year.

2) In my town, we must provide a two tiered drinking fountain (one high and one low). I asked someone in code enforcement today if I could install spring water coolers (the tap around here sucks, and drinking fountains are expensive). he said I could install the spring water cooler and that could replace the upper fountain but I would still need to install the lower fountain. I asked him if they were concerned the handicapped would not be able to reach the cooler. His reply "Maybe you'd run out of water...". To that I very sheepishly replied "..well....I guess I'd be out of water for everyone then, right?" He was not amused...I backed away slowly.

3) Every single sink in the entire practice has to be wheel chair accessible. The amount of wasted potential storeage space is astronomical. Why can't I have one exam room specifically designed for wheel chair accessibility??? In 5 years of practice I can count on two hands how many patients in wheel chairs have been in. Never had more than one at a time.

4) The mirrors in the restroom have to be low enough so that someone in a wheel chair can see themself. What the hell are they doing in the restroom? NO offense, but they can groom themselves when they get home.

5) The reception desk and check out counters have to be low enough to accommodate wheel chairs. I have not yet figured out why we need accessibility at the reception desk, which is nothing more than a greeting area, and paperwork hand-off. Just as easy to say hello, walk around the counter and hand the clip board to the patient. Would save a couple of thousand dollars.

6) I was negotiating on purchasing an old building a year ago. It was an old 2 story house recently zoned commercial. I was considering using the downstairs for clinic and optical, and the upstairs for storeage and office space. The city would have required an elevator put it, just in case someone in a wheel chair needed to go upstairs. The cost of the elevator was more than the value of the building.

I was talking with someone the other day who designs Optometry office. His comment was that the ADA requires something like 25% of the build out cost to go towards complying with ADA. Totally amazing.
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The ridiculous ADA compliance issue of the day:

We're building window displays, boxed out for mannequins, seasonal scenery etc. We had designed little doors between the back of the frame displays and the windows so the little merchandising/marketing displays could be implemented.

Guess what? Not ADA compliant. Somebody can't drive their little wheel chair in there, so no-can-do.

If I was really jaded, I'd make it a point to never hire someone with a physical handicap.