[nabs-l] navigating in crowds and open spaces

[Darian Smith]

Ashley and list
  I’ll first speak to cane  technique.  If I’m in a crowd, I use
pencil  grip because it’s  best for insuring that you don’t trip
people, you don’t get your cane broken, and I find that you only are
going to  need to know what’s a foot or so ahead of you if even that
much as you are not traveling very fast anyway.
 In open  spaces I use  an open palm grip (assuming  that the cane in
use is a long white cane)I find  that by wrapping my hand around the
handle of the cane with my palm facing skywardas the technique is
utilized, will allow me to use the lenth of my cane and pick up
objects around me and travel at my natural pace.
As  orientating goes, If I am looking for something I might ask  for
directions,.  If I am in a mall, or airportor something like that, I
mayalso ask if there is a landmarknear my desired location (“ is there
a  restaurantor some other type of land mark near the restroom?” “or
if I find pete’s  Coffie, have I gone too far past the rest room?”)
If I’m not sure and I think I’m near the area, I can  ask  another
personif I am going the right direction by repeting the initial
question I probably asked at first “excuse me, I am looking for the
rest room. Might I be going in the right direction?” or “is it this
way?” and point in the direction that I think it may be.
 I think you have the right idea as it relates to using echoes and
tactal landmarks.
 I think there are probably ten or twenty different ways people may go
about it and I am interested to hear what folks have to saytoo!
  Darian


On 9/4/10, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have a similar question to Kerri's.
> I grew up with O&M service since elementary school and got some through the
> Dept for the blind here.  But still struggle with some areas of O&M.
>
> How do you navigate crowds?  For instance a crowd gathering for a picnic or
> event.  Its noisy and I can't use hearing as usual to navigate.  What about
> crowded vacinities such as a mall or train station?  Do you just ask for
> directions and navigate best you can?  In my experience tactile landmarks
> may or may not be touchable in a crowd because people are all around them.
> How do you hold your cane in a crowd?
>
> Next question concerns open spaces.  I have tunnel vision but cannot always
> use it depending on lighting.  I also want to give suggestions to my friends
> who are more blind then me.
> What tips can you share for open spaces where there may not be something to
> shoreline with your cane?  I use my vision if available, tactile landmarks
> and echos.
> Sometimes where you're walking may be away from or toward a smell which is
> helpful.  How do you maintain a straight line of travel?  Its so easy to get
> turned around.
> Echos only seem to help when I'm near enough to the building.  Open spaces
> such as the campus quad or some parts of a mall are examples of open spaces
> like this.  Unfortunately some blind people I've talked to believe open
> spaces including parking lots are places to avoid.  That stems from low
> expectations and just not knowing the alternative techniques others use.
>
> Look forward to your responses.
>
> Ashley
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-- 
Darian Smith
Skype: The_Blind_Truth
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“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
spiritual beings having a human experience.” - Teilhard de Chardin