[nfb-db] More Travel Questions...

[Marsha Drenth]

Carrie, 
Not every street is straight across, streets can be offset. I live in Philadelphia, with little hearing, and the amount of noise inner city can have, I have to have someone help. By no means do I do this for every street. Nor am I scared of crossing streets. I said for sighted guide because I use a guide dog, and some times my pup, if a stranger is not use to following that person. Nor do I want my pup to just follow random peoeple. I lived in Baltimore too, streets there aren't straight and square, I can think of more offset intersections than I can think of normal square ones. 

To each there own, but I won't allow people to say because I need help, or because I ask for help, to say I am less independent. I was having this same sort of discussion on another list. Independence should not come from the NFB or from LCB or any organization. Now don't get me wrong, I have been an NFB member for my entire life. But there is a huge huge huge misconception, that if I don't think exactly what all the other NFB members do, then I am dependent. this is not true. I do what I need to do, I always get where I need to go, and how ever I do that, with or without help, does not make me less independent. Independence should come from within each of us. 

Marsha drenth  
Sent with my IPhone 

On Apr 15, 2013, at 11:28 AM, Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>> Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission -
>> www.rsc.ohio.gov<http://www.rsc.ohio.gov/>
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>> Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ohio-Rehabilitation-Services-Commission/155300754532533?sk=wall/>,
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