His work so far has been confined to studying of the blind in England. The yardstick he is using to evaluate the condition of the blind in the United Kingdom is the philosophy about blindness developed by the National Federation of the Blind in the United States. Here are some of his ruminations and conclusions. It is clear that Michael takes his Federationism seriously. A Beeping Nuisance Traveling the streets of London presents to the pedestrian numerous challenges, including roads which intersect to form all manner of geographical patterns save right angles, and sidewalks which are cluttered with signs, scaffolding, and every imaginable variety of refuse.
Blind travelers face an additional obstacle, the well-meaning English pedestrian.
This state of affairs, which is highly detrimental to one's mobility, to say nothing of one's self-respect, can be traced to a number of causes, none of which is more boisterously apparent than the audible traffic signal. Street corners of London are randomly dotted with these signals which emit a piercing beep when it is supposedly safe to cross a street. These signals, in theory, are designed for the convenience and protection of blind travelers. Although their obtrusiveness may lead one to the contrary opinion, it is important to realize that audible signals are by no means placed on every street corner in London. In fact, they are scattered throughout the city in such a whimsical pattern that any blind traveler actually depending upon them as a mobility aid would soon find himself cursing the lack of beeping signal at a busy intersection.