[Blindtlk] Best places to live

Fri Nov 1 01:15:50 UTC 2013

I have to admit, if I were to leave Columbia South Carolina, for me,
convenience to my job and public transportation would be number one.  I
would try to find a state with a strong nfb presence maybe, but those are
just my personal preferences.  I guess like some of you have said, the right
small town would work okay.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
Silverman
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 8:07 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Best places to live

Hi all,

I agree with Julie. There isn't any one best place for a blind person to
live or even a set of criteria that all blind people universally consider.
While many of us agree that public transportation is a good thing, having a
hired driver may be considered the ultimate in convenience. If a town is
small enough to keep driver fares low, it might actually be preferable to
live in a small town and hire a driver than to live in a sprawling big city
with lots of traffic and long waits for buses, multiple bus transfers, etc.
Remember too that we all find ourselves in situations where using public
transit or walking are not feasible, such as if we have to carry groceries
or other unwieldy things.
Perhaps the worst place to live is a large spread-out city or town that has
poor public transit. Scottsdale where I grew up is one such example. Public
transit was bad, and cab fares were exhorbitantly high, so there wasn't a
good way to get around. Either small towns or big cities that actually have
good, reliable transit are much easier to handle.
I do think that blind youth often end up in a kind of catch-22 if they live
with their parents in rural areas or places with poor transit options, and
don't have an affordable living situation away from parents. They can't find
work in the rural area or can't get to a job site, but don't have the money
to move to a better area without getting a job. Add negative parental
attitudes about blindness on top of this and it can be a real disaster. I
have often wondered if vocational rehabilitation should provide for basic
housing costs in these cases just long enough so that these folks can move
out of their parents' homes and be in places that have the resources (both
material and psychological) to provide for employment or college entrance.

I am currently applying for jobs all over the country to begin after I
graduate next spring. My first priority is to find a place where my husband
and I can find meaningful work. A second priority is to be near family and
friends including my NFB friends and others in the blindness community. If
it turns out that multiple places are tied on those two criteria, then I'll
start to factor in things like weather, public transportation availability,
political culture etc. But those things aren't nearly as important to me as
the job options or the opportunities to stay socially connected. I would
never rule out a place to live just because of alleged blindness concerns.

Best,
Arielle

On 10/31/13, Judy Jones <jtj1 at cableone.net> wrote:
> Oh, yes, so true, I wouldn't even touch that part, just focusing on 
> the transportation.
>
> When I was there, though, the bus system covered not only Honolulu, 
> but went
>
> down into Pearl City and Kaneohe.  I could get off the bus a block 
> from my sister-in-law's house.  The only place then that was not bus 
> accessible was
>
> a small area on the north side of the island.
>
> Hope the transportation is still as good.
>
> Judy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave Mehringer
> Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 6:53 AM
> To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Best places to live
>
> Judy Jones wrote:
>
> "
>
> I think the best place I've ever been for good transportation and 
> still very affordable is the island of oahu.  I understand it is still 
> a dollar a bus ride, but my source may be over a year old anyway.
> "
>
> I've been to Honolulu many times and, yes, the bus system is quite 
> good, at least in the city. Outside Honolulu, around Oahu, I haven't 
> found it to be that great. It helps that the city relies on tourism 
> for a large part of its economy, so it's important for them to ensure 
> that people who don't have cars can get around. According to their 
> website, the adult base fare is $2.50. They do however sell 4 day 
> passes for $25, and I normally choose this option when I visit.
>
> As far as overall livability though, the major downside about Honolulu 
> and about Hawaii in general is the high cost of living. Honolulu 
> consistently ranks as one of the top 5 most expensive cities in the 
> US; housing costs in particular are very high.
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