More pedestrian signals to help people with vision problems to be installed in Chicago

People who have poor vision or are blind will get some help crossing streets as Chicago upgrades some pedestrian signals.

Up to 100 accessible pedestrian signals that use tones or other nonvisual cues to communicate when pedestrians may walk will be installed over the next two years.

“We want to make Chicago the most inclusive city in the nation, period. No exceptions,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday at The Chicago Lighthouse, a social service agency that supports people with visual impairments.

The project’s announcement was made on the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Fifty signals will be added at intersections identified with the help of the visually impaired community. Another 50 signals will be installed as traffic signals are upgraded.

There are 10 intersections, most of them on the South Side, with accessible pedestrian signals.

Speaking at the Chicago Lighthouse, Lightfoot described the “hostility” her father faced in the 1950s as a deaf individual.

“Our family struggled personally, and I watched my father struggle,” Lightfoot said. “As a government, we have got to do much, much more to make sure everyone can realize a full life.”

“And today, we are one step closer.”