[Blind-rollers] tips to help blind wheelchair users

[Becky Frankeberger]

WHEELS AND WHITE CANES TIPS FOR HELPING
BLIND WHEELCHAIR USERS
by Maureen Pranghofer
>From the Editor: Maureen Pranghofer writes and speaks on many subjects. She
is a
fairly recent graduate of BLIND, Inc., the adult rehabilitation center
established
and conducted by the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota. For
several years
now she has used a wheelchair, so when she began her travel training at
BLIND, she
and her instructor began by working out ways for her to move about safely.
Increasing
numbers of blind wheelchair users are learning that they too can be
independent and
confident travelers. This is what Maureen has to say on the subject:
Whether I'm traveling through the busy Minneapolis skyway system or crossing
a downtown
street, I get all kinds of reactions. These range from those people who
simply ignore
me as they would any other passing pedestrian to those who have public panic
attacks.
Daily I encounter people who want to help but don't have the foggiest idea
what they
should do. So, for the most part, they simply get in the way. There are
people who
outright pity me, those who are terrified that I'm going to run them down,
and those
who are simply overwhelmed.
The reason for this variety of reactions is that, for most people, a blind
person
using a motorized wheelchair is something new. And this newness is not just
prevalent
in the general public. Blind wheelchair users are an enigma among many in
the rehabilitation
field, among other blind people, and among other wheelchair users. I was
told, for
example, at an AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation) meeting
the topic
of which was "Blind Wheelchair Users" that "Totally blind wheelchair users
can not
travel independently." This, despite the fact that the presenters had seen
me independently
come into the room; park myself at a table; use the restroom; and go through
a buffet
line, needing assistance with carrying my plate and cutting food (because of
my physical
disability); but not needing assistance to travel.
A blind woman whom I met recently told me that she was checking out nursing
homes
because she would soon have to use a wheelchair and knew that "you can't do
it if
you are totally blind." Then there are the disabled people who tell me about
disability-training
simulations in which they have been blindfolded and "Just don't know how you
do it!"
So here are some tips which I have found helpful in traveling and which you
may want
to remember when you are with someone who is a blind wheelchair user.
1. Assume that travel is possible. One of the greatest things I have found
in being
an NFB member and going through my eleven-month adjustment-to-blindness
training
at BLIND, Inc., was that Russell Anderson, my travel instructor, and the
other staff
at BLIND, Inc., expected that "Of course you can travel." After becoming
totally
blind in an accident and finding that others had virtually no expectation
that I
could ever be independent, I had to learn to believe that I could do it.
Have high
expectations.
2. If you are guiding someone who is a blind wheelchair user, walk behind
the chair
and give oral directions. People tend to walk in front of me and have me
follow.
But in that position I can not always hear what is said; and if I have to
stop abruptly,
I could accidentally bump them. To avoid this, people tend to turn around to
face
me and walk backward. Of course this makes no sense because the directions
they give
must then be reversed, which causes much confusion.
3. When opening doors, stay behind the door if possible. Standing in front
of a door
one is holding open narrows the pathway for the wheelchair user. No
wheelchair user
wants to run over anyone's toes.
4. Suggest that the person use a long carbon fiber cane. Finding a cane
which worked
for me was probably my biggest challenge initially because the other canes I
tried
were too heavy for me to handle. I can easily maneuver this cane, and it
works well.
A cane slightly longer than one used by an ambulatory person of the same
height is
necessary because one needs distance in order to stop one's chair. My cane,
for example,
is sixty-three inches long, even though if I were standing, I would be only
four
feet six inches tall.
5. Remember that access for one person does not ensure access for all.
Wheelchair
users have a variety of disabilities which affect their travel. For example,
I can
not use my cane independently for more than half a block or so on certain
road surfaces
because the resistance of the cane's movement on the pavement causes me pain
and
fatigue, but this would not be an issue for others who do not have my
disability.
Some wheelchair users are able to open doors independently while others are
not.
In my case opening doors is difficult, so I make use of electronic power
doors, ask
passing pedestrians for help, and often use my cellular phone to summon
assistance
for getting in and out of places in both indoor and outdoor settings.
6. Do not panic if you see the cane encounter an object. This seems obvious.
But
I can't tell you how many times people seem to feel that, because I am in a
motorized
chair, I won't stop when I encounter an object with my cane. People often
seem to
believe that I will either destroy what I am about to run into or get hurt
myself.
Bumping objects with a cane when one is using a wheelchair is no different
from doing
so when one is walking.
7. Encourage the seated user to hold the cane vertically when approaching
curbs.
During the time I was learning to travel at BLIND, Inc., we discovered that
locating
curb cuts was easier when the cane was held in a more vertical position.
This technique
assists one to locate curb cuts and curb drop-offs quite accurately. This is
not
the case for locating up curbs after crossing streets or for traveling
parallel to
curbs.
8. Keeping to the perimeter in indoor settings with large open areas or
along the
sides of buildings is helpful. While it is not necessary to plaster oneself
against
a wall or building in order to travel, I have found that staying near these
landmarks
is useful. It is sometimes difficult to know whether one is traveling in a
straight
line when one has no direct contact with the ground. For example, I have
sometimes
traveled diagonally, while thinking I was going straight, or have even
turned without
realizing it. Sound cues help, of course, and one needs to learn to use
these just
as any other blind traveler does, but checking for a wall or building
occasionally
helps me to stay on course. It also ensures that one will not inadvertently
get too
close to the curb running parallel to the direction of travel.
9. Be aware of objects which the cane or chair may slide under. Like anyone
else
traveling with a long white cane, wheelchair users occasionally contact
objects that
are not detectable by cane. This is one time when sighted assistance or an
oral warning
is helpful to a person in a wheelchair because what might bump a standing
person
at waist level will hit the wheelchair user in the face or head.
10. Disabilities are not static. If you are helping someone who uses a
wheelchair,
the individual's ability to travel distances or on certain surfaces may vary
depending
on how he or she is feeling that day. Some days, for example, I have
traveled as
far as a mile and a half along a busy, pothole-ridden street in my
neighborhood which
has no sidewalk. On other days, going the block and a half to the corner bus
stop
is barely possible.
11. Do not push a motorized wheelchair unless it is taken out of gear. In
their efforts
to help me, many people dash up to me and want to push my chair. Motorized
chairs
are not made to be pushed unless the gears are disengaged, and attempts to
move them
will only produce frustration. If a chair must be moved manually, ask its
user how
to disengage the gears.
These tips will enable you to be genuinely helpful to any blind person you
meet who
happens to use a wheelchair as well. Good luck, and thanks for the
constructive assistance.
 

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