[nfb-db] Crossing Streets?

[Scott Davert]

Hello Kerri.
First, I'm glad you have decided to post and I hope others will offer
their perspective as well. As I'm only one person and am not an o and
m specialist, I may not be the best person to ask, though I am a
person who has gone through some of what you're dealing with now when
I was receiving training.
Your fear is not what is holding you back, in my opinion. I had the
same fear, and I had that fear for a good reason, though the
instructors I were working with at the time kept trying to get me to
cross a street using my hearing. I am almost totally deaf in my right
ear and severe loss in my left. I tell you all of this before I say
what I have to say so that you know where I'm coming from. I'm not
you, and I am not walking in your shoes, no pun intended, but my
experiences are similar. I had most of my struggles in blindness
training centers with respect to mobility for the same reason.
Only hearing out of one ear is going to make it almost impossible to
localize traffic in such a way that you can use the information. Sure,
you can try to turn your head to determine what's going on, but with
traffic moving fast, by time you've figured out where it may be coming
from, it's gone. And while you may be able to detect more quiet or
more noisy traffic surges, that will not help you reliably determine
where the surge is coming from. Some traffic surges are louder than
others, no matter whether they're perpendicular or parallel to you.
Think about it this way: if there is a bus that takes off
perpendicular to you when the light changes, that's going to be more
noisy if only a few quiet vehicles were at that same crossing. You
could very easily have the same results if the bus or any other noisy
vehicle were parallel to you. I tried to do this as well. I even went
so far as to take this theory in to practice and cross against a
light. Because, like you, I had the fear and was told by others that I
had to get over it. What I learned though is that there is that fear
is sometimes there for a very good reason. In the case of analyzing
traffic patterns with one ear, I am hear to tell you from both a
logical and personal standpoint that there is no safe way to do so. In
the words of my friend and an O and M specialist Gene Bourquin, who
has over 20 years of experience in working with people who have both
vision and hearing loss, with regard to this type of crossing told me
the following. "what you're trying to do is both biologically and
physically impossible". Audiologists I have been to who are educated
on the effects of both vision loss concur.
SO what is there to do in this situation? With your hearing, which is
much like mine, nothing. Alternative methods of doing this must be
looked in to and perhaps an O and M instructor who has experience in
working with people who have a combined vision and hearing loss needs
to be consulted.
For me, the solution was to use a street crossing card. Essentially,
the card has a graphic of someone holding someone else’s' elbow and
assisting the person with a cane across the street. It also says in
text something to the effect that I'm blind and hard of hearing.
Please tap me on the shoulder if you can help me cross.
Also, if you're with friends who do have normal hearing, you can
always walk with them, and just grab an elbow to get across the
street. Or, have them verbally tell you when they're crossing. If it's
too noisy, have them tap you on the shoulder when they're crossing. A
true friend never minds such a minor thing.
Is that independence you may be asking? Well, I decide which streets I
cross, work a full time job, navigate around my local area I've
relocated to without too much difficulty, and have a fairly active
life. I had trouble getting used to the idea of someone I don't know
helping me across the street, but I've gotten used to it over the
years. This is what has worked for me. That doesn't mean it's the best
solution for you, and I'm certainly not going to sit here and say
that's what you have to do. The only thing I would say is that you
must work with your O and M instructor to find an alternative
solution. If this individual isn't educated in working with people
with both these losses, it's time for that person to reach out to
professional resources who do have the experience to garner the
knowledge necessary to help you succeed. If he/she cannot do this,
perhaps they should stick to working with people who are blind only,
as it's a different world for those of us who have a hearing loss to
go along with it. You cannot get accurate information from something
that isn't able to take in that information accurately. That's so
basic I would think most people with any sort of disability education
should understand.
Finally, I can tell from your writing that you're a very motivated
person in your training and that you have the strong urge to succeed.
Remember that just because you do not do things the same way as your
classmates, as long as you make your own choices and can get from
point a to point b, that's all that matters. I'm sorry that this may
not be the exact solution you wanted, but I hope you will at least
take my idea into consideration. Again, you can't gain confidence on
something that you cannot reliably detect due to your ears. Blaming
you for this is much like blaming a person who is mainly blind in one
eye but has site in the other for not seeing stairs and tripping on
them. You can't make them do what their body will not allow them to.
Finally, I’d pass these 2 article references on to your instructor. I
find it rather unprofessional that he/she didn’t bother to do a bit of
research on their own, but that’s another message for another day.
While these articles  have the word deaf-blind in them, they apply to
anyone who has trouble localizing traffic patterns that is blind. This
would include you and I.
I sincerely wish you the best of luck on your quest for your
independence. Remember, just because you’re not always doing things
the same exact way as your peers, it does not make you any less of a
person. You can still do everything they do and mostly in the same
way.

Scott
References:
Bourquin, E., Hogan, S., & Sauerburger, D. (2010). Street Crossing
Signs: Travelers Who are Deaf-Blind Obtaining Assistance when
Pedestrians are not Present. AER Journal, 3(4), 139-145.
Bourquin, E., & Moon, J. (2008). Studies on Obtaining Assistance by
Travelers Who are Deaf-Blind. Journal of Visual Impairment &
Blindness, 102(6), 352-361.


On 7/29/12, Alicia Richards <alicianfb at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello, all.  I rarely post to this list, as I am blind, but hearing.
> However, I'd like to respond to  Kerri's message.  Please forgive the
> upcoming lengthy message.
>
> Kerri, I'm not quite sure what to suggest here.  I will continue to think
> about it.  I personally feel that the LCB, like most blindness centers I've
>
> known, has no idea how to handle a client who has a hearing impairment as
> well as blindness.  I'm not saying LCB is a bad center.  I know it's our
> best one, actually. You're right about that. I agree with them nine times
> out of ten.  But I think they are wrong on this issue: that your travel
> instructor is wrong in this case.  Seriously, your message makes me want to
>
> take our Center's sleepshade policy, and apply it to hearing.  I'd love to
> put an earplug in one of your instructor's ears, and see how well he/she
> could distinguish traffic patterns.
>
> First, I truly do not believe this is an  issue of your having a negative
> attitude, or being too afraid.  Your message clearly shows you have a very
> positive attitude, and I admire it.  You're ready and more than willing to
> learn, and want to get the best out of your program.  Not all students do.
> I don't think you're afraid of independent travel, but simply of street
> crossings.  And I don't think it's you not trusting yourself.  I truly
> believe it's about your hearing impairment, and you very naturally wanting
> to be safe.  Your fear, in my opinion, is nothing more than inteligent
> self-preservation, which any normal human would have.  I'm glad you've
> consistently made the right decision about when to cross thus far, but it
> sounds as if your hearing is not trustworthy enough to be counted on all the
>
> time, and personally, that's a gamble I would not want to take.  Whether
> parallel or perpendicular traffic is quiet or loud doesn't seem to be
> relevant, if you're not able to tell which direction it is moving, through
> no fault of your own, by the way.  From my bits of experience with those who
>
> are hearing impaired and blind, it seems like the biggest mistake hearing
> people make is to assume that hearing has to do with loud and quiet only.
> We often don't factor in things like directionality.  I know I certainly
> didn't until I started meeting people who were in situations similar to
> yours.
>
> I'm pretty sure this is not at all what you want to hear, but I'll say it
> anyway.  Most blind and hearing impaired people I know use street-crossing
> cards if they can't distinguish between perpendicular and parallel traffic.
>
> It's a card that has writing on it that says you are blind and hearing
> impaired, and need assistance to cross the street.  Yes, I know, on the
> surface this would seem to go against our philosophy of independence, as
> well as your desire to be so.  But, if you listen to Dr. Jernigan's speech,
>
> "The Nature of Independence," he basically says that the most independence
> is obtained by employing whatever alternative techniques you need to in
> order to live and travel safely and effectively.  To me, you using your
> limited hearing to try and distinguish between perpendicular and parallel
> traffic is neither safe or effective, as your email shows.   I view a street
>
> crossing card the same way I do a blind person using a white cane.  Many are
>
> resistent at first.  But a white cane is needed for blind people to travel
> safely and effectively.  For some blind and hearing impaired people, so is a
>
> street crossing card.  It's simply another alternative technique. Again, I
> say, I don't think you have a negative attitude or are too afraid.
>
> This is where I think the deaf-blind division needs to help educate places,
>
> especially our own training centers, in regards to people with both
> blindness and hearing issues.  LCB is most likely to listen to fellow
> Federationists, people they know share their positive philosophy of
> blindness.  Cathy and Rox, if I remember correctly, you both live in
> Louisiana, and I know you both have great attitudes and philosophy of
> blindness.  Do either of you know anyone or have any connection to LCB?
> Since you guys live in that state, do you think there's anything you could
> do here?
>
> Kerri, I will continue to think about this, but I really wanted to respond
> and say that I don't think your problems here have anything to do with your
>
> attitude or lack of self-confidence.
>
> Alicia
>
>
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