[nabs-l] transportation in your area

Serena serenacucco at verizon.net
Wed May 27 22:38:16 UTC 2009 

One thing I'd add: take notes about your routes, so you won't have to 
remember everything.

Serena


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca>
To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 4:56 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] transportation in your area


> Hi Ginny,
> Good to see you on this list! We're both on the Real-Eyes one too ...
> it's good you've been trained in white cane travel. Is there any way  that 
> the same trainer who taught you these skills can also teach you  routes on 
> campus?
>
> If possible, see if a friend can walk with you to the destinations you 
> want. Get them to describe things to you - the layout, certain  landmarks, 
> the number of driveways from point a to point b, etc. This  will help 
> engrain the route into your mind. Then walk with them by  your side 
> without saying anything. Try the route again and see how you  do. Create a 
> signal (a hand wave or something) to let them know if you  feel lost. This 
> way you'll be able to try the route alone but also  will have someone 
> there if things go wrong. Get feedback. If there's  one area where you get 
> confused most, get suggestions about why and  how you can fix it. Also, 
> challenge yourself. If you get confused,  retrace your steps until you're 
> back where you felt comfortable. Try  again and see what happens. Also, 
> know other buildings or streets you  have to pass or cross on your way to 
> a destination. That way, if you  ask someone where you are and they say 
> "Main Street" or "just in front  of the chemistry building" you'll have a 
> better sense of where you're  at.
>
> I know that's quite long, and I'm sure there are things I'm  forgetting, 
> but try it out and let us know how it goes.
> I hope this helps.
> Sarah
>
>
> Quoting V Nork <ginisd at sbcglobal.net>:
>
>> Hello everyone, My name is Ginnie , and I am fairly new to the list.
>> My degree, in psychology and journalism, is a bachelor's degree that is
>> about twenty years old now.  I received all my education  when my
>> eyesight was perfect , so the experience of attending college as a
>> person who is currently totally blind is of course another world.  I am
>> hoping to get a masters degree or a certificate .  I would love it if
>> some of you on the list could share your experiences with personal
>> transportation, in a sense. That is, what strategies do you use to walk
>> safely to classrooms, the library, the bookstore, etcetera?  I am sure
>> there is a huge range of personal stories out there.  For me, just
>> walking around campus with my cane involves a huge hassle factor, which
>> can be overwhelming when I want to branch out from the handful of
>> places I know how to get to.  I am in California, and on my campus you
>> are expected to fend for yourself in getting around which seems crazy
>> since this is a huge urban campus with a Disabled Student Services and
>> Programs office.  This  lack of help is in contrast to another campus
>> only a dozen miles away which actually provides golf carts to transport
>> blind students to classes.  I have been trained extensively in white
>> cane travel, and still I am on a campus that sometimes feels, despite
>> my fairly good skills,  like a bewildering maze.  It is a school built
>> on terraces, with lots of stairs and different levels.  There is a
>> sparse population at times, so there is not always someone to ask, say,
>> am I on track for the library?  What I would like is just to have some
>> help initially developing a route to a classroom, and after that just
>> going on my own with my cane .  Funds from the Department of
>> Rehabilitation for mobility trainers can be  quite limited..  I have
>> yet to go to the library independently after several semesters, since I
>> do not yet know how to get there.  Years ago, when budgets in the state
>> were fatter, there were mobility aides to help blind students at my
>> school.  Don't misunderstand me, despite a slight balance problem which
>> complicates things r for me a bit, I love walking with the cane at my
>> own pace under my own steam.  It just seems that I would like more of
>> my energy to go into academics, and not  into worrying about how to
>> plan routes .  Anyway, as a newcomer to the list, I know there  are
>> lots of thoughtful persons among you,and I am curious to hear what your
>> campus mobility has been like.   Ginnie
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "alena roberts"
>> <alena.roberts2282 at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 3:25 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] transportation in your area
>>
>>
>>> Ashley,
>>>
>>> Thanks for coming up with the new topic. In my city, public transit is
>>> decent. the buses go pretty much everywhere in town and the drivers
>>> are very nice. One of the great things about our buses is that they
>>> have an automated system that actually tells you every stop, not just
>>> the major ones. This makes my riding experience so much better because
>>> I know when to pull the cord for my stop. My one complaint is that
>>> because Corvallis is small, and my ruite is so large, my bus only
>>> comes once an hour. Other than that I am pretty happy with the bus
>>> system here. I look forward to hearing more people's experiences.
>>>
>>> Alena
>>>
>>> On 5/22/09, Ashley  Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> Let's have a more productive topic than rehashing ACB/NFB frictions. 
>>>> I've
>>>> got one.
>>>>
>>>> How is the transportation in your area?  Say where you go to school as 
>>>> that
>>>> makes a difference.  If you're in a metropolitian area its probably 
>>>> decent.
>>>> How about near your home?  If you have transportation, is it adaquate? 
>>>> Are
>>>> bus drivers accomodating by calling out bus stops upon request?  Are 
>>>> they
>>>> helpful in giving directions to find seats if you want it?
>>>>
>>>> For me, its pretty decent at school.  I'm near DC, in northern va. 
>>>> When I
>>>> attended the large state school George Mason University, GMU was great. 
>>>> The
>>>> CUE bus came to GMU and went around the city and to the Vienna metro. 
>>>> Metro
>>>> Buses were just across the street from the college.
>>>> At Marymount in Arlington, the school shuttle bus went to Ballston 
>>>> metro.
>>>> That's our subway.  From there you could take the metro, get 
>>>> Art(arlington)
>>>> buses, many metro buses, or walk to many shops and restaurants.  Ruby
>>>> Tuesday, IHOP, a pizza place, and Chevy's were just a few accessible.
>>>> At home there are not sidewalks and metro buses are not accessible to 
>>>> us.
>>>> So I have not done much public transit travel.  I did some on mobility 
>>>> and
>>>> when I lived at MU since I had access to them.
>>>>
>>>> In my limited experience, metro is good.  Other customers are friendly 
>>>> and
>>>> happily answer my questions as to what line to go on as there is no
>>>> accessible way to know you're in front of an orange or blue train; they
>>>> share the same track.  Drivers announce stops on buses although many 
>>>> now
>>>> have talking systems announcing major stops automatically.
>>>> On a crowded bus or subway as I'm departing its helpful that most of 
>>>> the
>>>> riders move out of the way so I can have a clear path and exit before 
>>>> the
>>>> door closes.  Especially on metro rail, subway, you have a limited time 
>>>> to
>>>> exit until the door shuts and you miss your stop.
>>>> On metro rail drivers announce stops, but if I can't hear them due to 
>>>> low
>>>> voice or something, I count stops or ask fellow passengers.
>>>>
>>>> Metro service is better during the day time as with all public transit
>>>> services.  On weekends its infrequent.  Some lines do not run and 
>>>> others
>>>> only run a bus once an hour.
>>>>
>>>> So those are my thoughts.
>>>> Ashley
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Alena Roberts
>>> Blog: http://www.blindgal.com/
>>>
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>>
>>
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