[nabs-l] First solo trip under sleepshades

[Sarah Alawami]

Hey good job!  I remember one time I was traveling in sleepshades and got so
turned around  I ended up ont eh other side of town. I now know what
happened but at the time I was trying to keep my head. I did it and I didn't
lift my shades at all. I wanted to but I kept trucking.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jim Reed
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:07 PM
To: NABS mail list
Subject: [nabs-l] First solo trip under sleepshades

Hey all, 

Well, my fear of going it alone undersleepshades lasted about 16 hours.
Since I was going it alone, and entirly responsible for my safety, I was a
bit jumpy and quick to take of the sleepshade at the first moment I felt
something might not be right. More often than not, when I took off the
blindfold, I was fairly well on target, and had I left the blindfold on, I
probably would have figured it out. I should trust my instinct and cane
more. I did however trip off a few curbs, wander out into the middle of a
residential street via an extrodinaraly wide driveway, and I also had a few
crooked street crossings. I am having a hard time determining where the
round corners square off.

And of course I got lost. I have yet to not get lost when traveling under
sunglases or sleepshades, and it is starting to piss me off. I know I can do
this; its not that hard. I just can't figure out where or how I am getting
turned around. For example, I went to the gym under sleepshades, the route
requires me to go west several blocks, south a few blocks, and west a few
more blocks. The streets running east-west are lettered (A, B, C), and the
streets runing north south are numbered (8,8,10). There is no reason I
should be getting lost on such a simple route, and with such a simple street
name system. I walked for about 6-7 blocks and lifted my sleepshade to
verify where I was, and I was somehow only two blocks from my house. Very
frustrating indead. 

I had one kid ask me if I was wearing a sleepshade because I was pretending
to be blind for a day; I breifly explained what I was doing as I walked. Of
course some A-hole had to blast their horn for no reason as I was
approaching an intersection that I knew was there, that scared the crap out
of me. 

All and all, not to bad for my first time out alone.

Jimj

"From compromise and things half done,
Keep me with stern and stubborn pride,
And when at last the fight is won,
... Keep me still unsatisfied." --Louis Untermeyer


      
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