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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi all,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In case you were not able to attend the chapter meeting or were not able to take notes at the meeting, I wanted to provide a recap on what was discussed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>September 6, 2016 NFB Travel Tips<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Discussions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>1) How has blindness affected your shopping experiences?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>2) How has blindness affected your restaurant experiences?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>3) What are environmental cues (non cane) to help you travel?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Opening notes:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>October 15, 2016 – White Cane Day - Panera Bread Columbia Mall<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Get your free cane from NFB – call or online, one every six months (fiberglass, straight cane)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Know the length you desire before calling.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Discussions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>1) How has blindness affected your shopping experiences?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Carrying your cane lets others know you’re blind or visually impaired. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Calling ahead and going to customer service center helps the store provide an assistant.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Ask for directions.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Know yourself – what is good for you may not be good for someone else.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Write a list out for the assistant to help decrease discrepancy between what you wanted or what you get.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Ask specific questions of shoppers, including prices and whether a different brand exists.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Use smart phone list app so shopping assistant can go by that to gather items with you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Ask to touch item before it is put in the shopping cart.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>2) How has blindness affected your restaurant experiences?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Go to familiar places, places where you’ve worked out problems and have success.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Dilemma: How do you overcome the awkwardness that may come with using a cane and networking people?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- How do you tactfully let others know how to help or when not to help?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Ask for chef to cut food items before the meal comes out.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- How do you find your chair? Leave an item (coat or bag) on the chair to relocate it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Notice landmarks as you walk to help you orient yourself and relocate your table or chair.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Discretely call out to friends or associates to help orient yourself.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Tapping or knocking on the table is not the best cue for others to orient you – it’s alarming and disturbing for the blind person and others around you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Check the online menu before you go to have an idea of what you might want.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Use a device or app to OCR the menu. (KNFB Reader)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Ask for a Braille menu.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Ask someone to describe the orientation of the food on your plate.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>3) What are environmental cues (non cane) to help you travel?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Indoor:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- sounds (water fountains, soda machines, doors opening and closing, people’s voices, escalator sounds, shoes, music playing)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- smells (restrooms, food, perfumes)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- textures (flooring)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- temperature changes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- lighting<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- echoes (off of walls, large rooms or areas, narrow hallways)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Outdoor:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- traffic sounds (near, far, moving, stopped, parallel, position, volume, direction of[one or two way])<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- air traffic patterns<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- sun’s placement in the sky<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- truncated domes (be careful, their orientation can put you in the middle of the intersection rather than crossing it)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- street curbing, crowning (street center level is higher than sides), ditches or gutters beside the street(which do not exist on driveways)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- intersection controls (traffic lights and stopsigns)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- land marks (fences, vegetation, bridges, train tracks, parking lots)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- texture of ground under your feet (asfault, cement, gravel, grass)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- texture of ground that traffic goes over(asfault, cement, gravel, railroad tracks)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At the October chapter meeting will will have session 2, which will discuss environmental clues with a white cane. And hands on experience with using the cane.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So bring your canes if you have them. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>--<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Graham Mehl<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:blind@trailstone.com"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>blind@trailstone.com</span></a><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>NFB Central Maryland Chapter, Vice President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>LCB graduate, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/Certification"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=82 height=82 style='width:.8541in;height:.8541in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D20901.F6AF5A30" alt="JAWS Certified, 2016"></span></a><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>