A Silent City Blog

Welcome back to Silent City. For this second short post, I would like to show you this photo I found in the City of Toronto digital archives.

The Blind Navigate Davisvile Station for the First Time
December 15, 1957

This photo shows blind persons getting around Davisville Station. The reason why this photo is so significant is that, prior tothe 1950s, The Blind did not take the subway for multiple reasons. One reason is safety. The blind may have coping mechanisms and techniques where they find solutions to get their way around, but at the end of the day, those with severe cases cannot see where they are going. Therefore, their getting hurt is quite possible.

This is why stations must have braille in the elevator and on the maps, so that the blind may have a guide on where to go. Without proper accessibility, they will feel unwelcome and lose their sense of independence as an individual.

It is the same thing with being deaf or having a different kind of disability. We all want to be included in society, which is why it is important to be accommodated.