[nfb-db] Crossing Streets?

[Kerri Kosten]

Hi Everyone:

Though I have been on this list for a long time now, I don't post much.
But, I am having a problem I don't really know what to do about and I
need to find a solution rather soon.
I am a current student at the Louisiana Center for The Blind, the NFB
training center. I did very extensive research before choosing this
center, and I chose this one because I knew it was the best of the
best and I could learn to become independent to the point where I
would have the confidence to be able to go anywhere, have the
confidence to do anything I wanted, and be able to travel in
new/unfamiliar environments without needing to be orientated by a
mobility instructor everytime I moved somewhere.
Besides this, I much prefer the structured discovery method of
learning over the ttraditional route travel method.
In addition to being totally blind, I have hearing loss. I basically
only have hearing in my left ear. My right ear is completely deaf.
This means that I hear sounds pretty well but I have trouble with
localization and knowing which direction sounds are coming from.
I am at the point in my training where I am having to cross
intersections with stoplights. In order to cross these intersections,
I am supposed to cross when the parallel traffic is moving. The
parallel street is the street that is beside me. When the parallel
traffic is moving, the perpendicular traffic (traffic on the street in
front of me) can not go.
I am having two problems that do not seem to be getting better. First,
I am having a lot of trouble telling which street is going. I can hear
the traffic. I can hear when it is stopped/idaling. But, I am having
trouble telling which street is moving, the one in front of me or the
one beside me.
At first, my instructor would ask me questions such as "What is
moving?" and I would try to tell him/her and then cross at the
appropriate time. However, now, since I have been in training for a
couple of months, my instructor does not say anything because he/she
wants me to make the decision on my own and trust myself.
So, what happens is we approach the street. I admit I am terrified
because there is so much traffic and I know I have to cross the street
on my own. I attempt to listen. I get somewhat of an idea of what
street is going. I then become even more scared though and don't
cross. We end up just standing at the particular intersection for 20
minutes or more and my instructor gets onto me.
I don't know whether my issues are with hearing or my fear. My
instructor avidly believes I am just letting my fear stop me and does
not understand why I am not gaining confidence and beginning to trust
myself more. My instructor believes I can do this even with one ear.
I guess I am both afraid and unsure. I can sort of tell which street
is moving because it seems at times (I don't know if this is accurate
or not) but it seems that the perpendicular street (the street that is
in front of me) sounds a bit louder and when the parallel street is
moving (the one beside me) it sounds sort of quieter/a bit further
away from my left ear. Sometimes though, on different streets, for
some reason I don't hear this slight sound difference and all the
traffic sounds the same to me. I can hear it, it just all sounds the
same so I can't tell which street is going. However, I am still afraid
to go, so end up just standing there for much longer than I should. I
guess I am afraid that it will be the wrong time and if I go it will
be the wrong time. So, I don't go, and we end up standing at one
intersection for forever.
The problem is that I have already been in training for a few months,
and students are only in training for up to nine months. I want to do
as well as I can here. I do not want to be one of those students who
is here for nine months but barely learns anything. That is not why I
came here.
Also, these particular streets are only about four blocks from the
center which is a very short distance. If I can not figure out how to
cross these streets, I will never be able to advance very far in
travel, and this will really cause me a lot of problems in the rest of
my life when I have completed training.
How do you all handle street crossings? How do you know which street
is moving when you only have hearing in one ear?
Is there something else I can listen for? Is there a certain pattern I
can listen for or something to help me?
Is it possible that I am becoming so terrified/anxious that my fear is
affecting my hearing?
Is it accurate/true that the perpendicular street sounds louder than
the parallel one? Could I use this slight difference in sound to
properly judge which street is moving?
Could my attitude have something to do with this? Instead of going
about this with an excited, positive, can-do attitude, maybe I am
being too negative/scared? Could my approach/attitude possibly be
affecting things?
I should point out that I have not made a bad decision yet when
crossing. My instructor has never had to actually stop me. He/she
keeps telling me this, but I still feel as if each street crossing I
manage is kind of like pulling teeth so to speak because I am so
scared and then I end up standing at the intersection for so long.
Because of this, rather than gaining confidence with each street
crossing, I am instead still terrified.
Are there any federationists who have hearing in only one ear or a
similar situation that may not be on this list that could possibly
help?
Is there anyone else I could contact?

Thanks so much!
Kerri