The data collected from these five monetary valuation questions show that there is a large pent-up desire for easy and independent travel, and that subjects thought accessible transit would help them make more money and also save money on assistance. Using the more conservative approach (the benefit placed on these scenarios by the entire subject group), these estimated benefits of using RIAS to gain more independence access to travel are summarized as:
It must be made perfectly clear that reporting these data in no way means that
the vision-impaired individuals should pay extra to enable their independent use
of public transit through accessible signs and environmental cues. Providing
access for all is an equity issue, and these data are offered only to inform about
the magnitude of the benefits that this population places on achieving
this illusive goal.
This population should not have to pay individually for their own signage, but
it is enlightening that most of these people value independence so highly that
they offered to pay for something that is provided at no direct cost to individual
members of the general public. These costs are spread throughout the total
population by way of taxes and/or are folded into the prices of products and services.
Limiting signage to that which specifically excludes a class of people
who cannot use them (blind people who cannot read them) also is a civil rights
issue.
These financial tradeoff questions also indicate that planners and social agencies
might be putting their resources into programs that do not provide access to transportation,
as has been mandated by the ADA since 1990. It is interesting to note that
several respondents reported that they would be willing to abandon their discount
transit fare and pay full price if they had access to RIAS. They felt that
the discount was more to placate them, when all they really wanted was increased
access to transit. This was especially true of those who had good jobs.
It wasn’t a discount they wanted or needed, but, rather, to be treated
as equals and to have the same access as the general public.
The monetary benefits examined in this section demand further public policy consideration
and analysis to determine if providing better access to transportation would increase
tax and transportation revenues while promoting meaningful employment opportunities.
Such improvements would lead to dignity and self-worth, in contrast to the current
system of subsidized unemployment, which, to some, is a restricted and unfulfilling
life. The benefits of environmental signage for the blind and the cost
of not providing these cues are more fully examined in the next chapter
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