New crossing to develop blind students' confidence

A pedestrian crossing has been put in at a college for teenagers who are blind or vision impaired to help students develop confidence in getting across roads.

New College Worcester (NCW) said the on-campus provision allowed students to operate in a "controlled setting before applying these skills in real-world situations".

It takes the form of a pelican crossing at the site where traffic is minimal.

NCW said the crossing was named in honour of the late Noel Duffy, a governor "whose work helped transform access to assistive technology for blind and partially sighted people".

College principal Rachel Perks said it was important to have the crossing so students could "learn and understand road safety in a safe space".

The crossing, she said, afforded them "confidence and security in their own abilities".

But she admitted the real-world crossing experience could be challenging.

"You have people who will walk before the green man appears or before the sound appears and that can be very confusing." Perks said.

Different weather could cause different experiences too for those learning, she added, so with "all of that... as well as understanding when it's safe to go", things could get "very daunting".

The college is a specialist residential school for people aged 11 to 19 who are blind or vision impaired.

The crossing was officially opened on the campus on Friday by Darren Harris, a former student at the college and paralympian in football and judo.

He is now an author, motivational speaker and mental skills coach.

The college said the project was delivered entirely through "the exceptional generosity and expertise of industry partners, all of whom donated their time, labour and equipment free".

When the green man lights up to show traffic should stop, a small metal cone under the control box starts spinning.

It has ridges on it and when people who cannot see the lights feel it spinning, they know they have the right of way.

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