[nabs-l] The Importance Of Independent Travel

[rbacchus228 at gmail.com]

Hi arielle thanks so much for your message. I reY appreciate reading your response. My mobility instructor told me that you have to be reY strong to attend an Nfb training center. 

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 17, 2014, at 12:38 AM, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Roanna and all,
> 
> In thinking about independent travel, I would start by asking what may
> seem like an obvious question: Do sighted people have the right to
> travel independently where they want to go when they want to go there?
> If the answer to that is yes, then it shouldn't be any different for
> blind people. Unfortunately, sometimes well-meaning people in our
> lives like parents or teachers seem to think that independent travel
> is scary, dangerous or less important for us than it is for them and
> other sighted people they know. This is not true, but we can start to
> believe that because that's what the people around us believe. That
> was my own experience for many years. I feared going places by myself
> and crossing streets, not for any real reason, but just because
> sighted people put their own fears upon me. However, I overcame this
> by moving out on my own, and later by attending LCB. I think you would
> be an excellent candidate for an NFB training center. I am glad you
> are getting mobility instruction now, but I think you really need to
> be living away from your parents before you will have the chance to
> grow and develop your skills. An NFB center will give you 6-9 months
> of rent-free housing away from your family with instructors who can
> help you gain confidence. Eventually you will likely realize that you
> are fully capable of functioning as an independent, self-sufficient
> adult, and the only thing holding you back is other people's
> misunderstandings of blindness.
> 
> Best,
> Arielle
> 
>> On 7/16/14, Shikha via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi
>> My name is shikha and i travel independently with my long white cane.
>> Before i went to training at Louisiana center for the blind i did not use a
>> cane because i did not want to except my blindness.
>> I have retinitis pigmentosa and did not leave the house at night.
>> My advice is to travel with sleep shades and always challenge your self.
>> It is ok to cry because it is natural  to get upset. Just keep trying every
>> day because you are eventually going to become confident and independent.
>> At first it is hard to get used to them but eventually you will love them if
>> you keep telling your self that i love being blind then every day you will
>> have the motivation to travel with sleep shades.  Also go to the NFB website
>> and order a free white cane.   I am ready for becoming completely blind but
>> i am happy that i have vision before the sun goes down and i do not mind if
>> my vision keeps on deteriorating.
>> 
>> 
>> Shikha.
>> 
>>> On Jul 16, 2014, at 10:52 AM, Roanna Bacchus via nabs-l
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Dear Students,
>>> 
>>> I'd like to discuss another topic with all of you.  On Monday I had a
>>> conversation with my mobility instructor during my training session at
>>> UCF.  We were talking about the importance of traveling independently as
>>> blind individuals.  I got very emotional while we were having this
>>> conversation and began to cry.  Because I've never traveled independently
>>> in the community, I lack the experience of traveling on my own.  Can each
>>> of you tell me your stories about inarependent travel? Hope to hear from
>>> you soon.
>>> 
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