[Blindtlk] Walking Straight Without a Shoreline

Sun Apr 27 21:34:53 UTC 2014

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Before today, I had only gone twice, once with my mobility instructor, and once with my wife, and with her we practiced it a couple of times.

So today I decided to try it after church, because we needed a couple of small items. Getting up to the parking lot went perfectly. Crossing it didn’t go terribly, either. I followed the sound of traffic to my left, which is something my mobility instructor recommended, and some of you here said too. That worked, although the only confusion was when a car pulled into the lot. The only thing really that happened is that I hit a parked car’s tire with my cane, but then I adjusted my path and I was OK. I successfully got into the store and up to the service counter.

I live in a small town here so most people are very nice. I had some trouble finding the door and 2-3 people were trying to help out. :)

I think with some more practice I should do better. But I’m happy I was able to successfully get there.

Brandon
On Apr 27, 2014, at 4:11 PM, Anita Adkins <asadkins at frontier.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> First, my name is Anita, and I am fairly new to the list.
> 
> I have taught some cane travel. Some of what I am going to say has already been said. The sun and wind can be clues. For example, if the sun is to your left when you start, it should stay on your left until you get there if you are intending to walk straight. If the breeze is in your face, it should stay there if you are walking straight. Of course, the same thing works with slopes and the like. Any stationary sound clue should also remain in its current direction, for example, sound traffic should stay on your right if you started with it there. Traffic is a great assistant when traveling straight because you can use the traffic direction as a clue, but of course, other helpful sounds are useful too. Also practice is wonderful. Also, learning to trust yourself is key. I can remember when I first decided to see where I would end up if I decided to keep walking, even though my every instinct told me to veer this way or that, hoping all the while I would end up straight across from where I had started. And, guess what? I stayed straight. Sometimes, we feel we are veering and we decide to correct ourselves, when it isn't necessary. So practice this skill in a very familiar area where you know it is okay to veer anyhow, and then try it on this parking lot. You will find that in this case, it is still probably okay to do some veering, but resisting the urge to go with your instincts and correct your steps will probably keep you from veering in the first place. Also, remember that the goal isn't getting from landmark to landmark, but getting to the building. Buildings are pretty big, and so even if you land somewhere farther to the left than you intended, you are still highly likely to locate the building at which point you can walk along the building to the door. Finally, it is important to pick your feet up, walk with good posture and look in the direction you intend to end up, even if you can't see. Learning to form a mental map during travel will also help you keep on a straighter path. Remember it is ok to make mistakes. That's how we learn, and once you aren't afraid to make a mistake, you will make fewer mistakes anyhow. Know that you may only need to use one of these techniques to get to your destination, or you may use a combination of them. Good luck!
> 
> Hope this helps. Anita
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Brandon Olivares
> Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2014 9:51 PM
> To: Lloyd Rasmussen ; Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Walking Straight Without a Shoreline
> 
> Thank you for your reply.
> 
> The parking lot is probably a couple hundred feet long. The only landmark is a pole after you’ve crossed the street. After I hit the poll, I know I have to turn 90° to the left. After that is the difficult part with the wide open parking lot.
> 
> There is a street to the left, with a good bit of traffic. I’d not say constant, but at least every 5-10 seconds there is some traffic.
> 
> Finding the building itself is easy. Once it gets close enough, I can…hear it I guess, if that makes sense.
> 
> All the cars are too the right, pretty far over I think as I’ve never run into any of them.
> 
> I think you’re right that it’s going to be impossible to stay within the lines. It is good to recognize that I think. As long as I stay out of the way of any cars coming into or out of the parking lot, I should be fine.
> 
> Thanks,
> Brandon
> On Apr 26, 2014, at 8:50 PM, Lloyd Rasmussen <lras at sprynet.com> wrote:
> 
>> There are a number of things you are not describing well enough for us to give you good advice.  Is the distance across the parking lot a hundred yards or 50 feet.  If 50 feet and the parking lot has a cement surface, you could tap your cane and get an echo from the grocery store building. How full or empty is the parking lot when you are crossing it?  In which direction are the rows of cars (and the little curbs that mark the center lines between two rows of cars (parallel to or perpendicular to the path you need?)  Does a street run parallel to the direction you need to travel, on your left or right, and does it have enough traffic for you to judge what direction it is running?  Are there sounds from your side of the grocery store (delivery trucks, shopping carts, outdoor P A system announcements, etc.)?  Can the slope of the ground or the direction of the sun give you any clues?  None of us is likely to walk within the lines in a large, open parking lot.  Instead, the objective is to find the grocery store, going from one landmark to the next to the next.  Sometimes, when covering longer distances in open spaces, you will get a better understanding of the environment if you walk fast rather than slow. Travel is not necessarily easy, but it can be empowering when you can go out and do things on your own.  I have been using a long cane for 53 years and using my ears for outdoor travel for about 65.  Go for it!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, MD
>> http://lras.home.sprynet.com
>> -----Original Message----- From: Brandon Olivares
>> Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2014 7:41 PM
>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: [Blindtlk] Walking Straight Without a Shoreline
>> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>> I’ve been learning the route to our local grocery store. Most of it is easy, but the last part is somewhat difficult. After I cross the street, I turn left and have to walk through a parking lot for a while,then the building comes up. Once I’m to the building, it’s easy, but there are no distinct markings showing where to walk. There are painted lines on the ground, but nothing else.
>> 
>> I didn’t know if anyone might have any ideas of how one might tackle something like this, or perhaps it is just a matter of practice. Any help would be appreciated.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Brandon
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
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