[nfb-db] More Travel Questions...

[Kerri Kosten]

Hi:

First, beth, I am really curious. If you do not mind me asking, what do you do?
Do you teach cane travel?
I'm so glad you also use the NFB straight cane like me and like me
prefer to follow the person. I'm also glad you prefer your clients to
use the straight NFB cane. I feel it is much better than the folding
canes!!
Marsha, if you are lined up properly when it is time to cross you just
go straight across the street. Unless you veer badly, you always just
go straight across the street.
My street crossings are usually very straight.
So, I don't really need to necessarily listen for the person.
The thing is, when I got to LCB like Beth talked about I was also very
afraid because I had no experience using my cane and had always been
guided all my life. I also was very afraid to cross streets...any
street. I had to work for several months at getting over my fears, and
to be honest when it is a street that is very very busy I still become
a little afraid. I'm honestly afraid that if I begin letting people
just lead me across the street or I take their arm I'll slowly begin
to develop those fears again.
Marsha, my instructor did tell me once that if it was too noisy for me
to hear a person it as okay to take their arm if I absolutely could
not hear. But, it has to be very noisy for me to have to do this and I
haven't had to do this yet.
For example, if I am at a game or something, and the crowd cheers and
I can't hear the person to follow them maybe then I'll take their arm,
but I want to be very careful about when I do this because I do not
want to redevelop my fears again.
Thanks,
Kerri

On 4/15/13, Sammons, Elizabeth <Elizabeth.Sammons at rsc.ohio.gov> wrote:
> All,
>
> I have been following the conversation on crossing streets safely with
> interest. I guess I can offer a bit from both perspectives, since I am very
> low vision and use a cane, but because I am hearing more or less still, I am
> sometimes asked by other blind or d/b friends to go out, etc.. I can tell
> you from the more or less sighted-hearing perspective, it is extremely
> stressful for me if someone does *not* take my arm. This is because (1) I am
> not sure where they may be otherwise and (2) if they are low-hearing or
> there is simply a lot of noise, I am not sure I can communicate with them
> safely and in the case of a street crossing, in a timely way. (3) I am
> booking it across the street, and I do not want to be slowed down by someone
> slower than I am unless they have a mobility impairment that prevents them
> from keeping up with me, because again, the crossing time may be limited. So
> I would like you to think about taking someone's arm if they invite you to
> do so. I do agree about not having them take your arm.
> Hope this perspective does not offend anyone, and I am just sharing for a
> different view.
> Thanks,
> Elizabeth from Ohio
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