(upbeat music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 Newsroom.

New bus and train routes in Seattle are excellent news for some, but transit access can also be unsafe for deaf and blind passengers.

Take the folks commuting to The Lighthouse for the Blind, for example.

The nonprofit provides services to the blind and deaf blind community.

In 2023, the Judkins Park Station will become the closest light rail station to the organization.

But on one entrance, there's a train track that must be crossed to access the station platform.

The lack of an accessible pedestrian signal, or APS, of the station's west access point could become a problem for riders.

These signals vibrate and chirp when it's safe to cross.

However, there has been a push to make stations more accessible by creating a consistent system for tactile indicators, which include mats with grooves that could guide riders who are blind or deaf blind.

I'm Starla Sampaco.

Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.

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