[NFBWATlk] Practicing Social Distancing as a Blind Person?

[Marci Carpenter]

Hi Humberto,

We can definitely talk about this during the call tomorrow night. Let me know if you are unable to be there and I will set up a time for us to talk.

Marci

Sent from Marci's iPhone

> On Mar 28, 2020, at 3:40 PM, Humberto Avila via NFBWATlk <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello, fellow list members,
> 
> 
> I hope this message finds you well, healthy and ready to tackle any challenge and anything that may come up with persistence.
> 
> I am just relaxing at home, hanging out with family and friends (virtually) and just supporting my parents. I work virtually also during weekdays and just started tackling tech projects that I've not been able to do.
> 
> I know that we are all dealing with the situation about the COVID19 and how our local, and state governments are imposing regulations to stay home while the spread of this viral content out there slows down. Which leads me to ask, how is the whole deal about 'social distancing' supposed to work if you are a Blind person? How does one know how far apart to stay from another person while going out, since one may not always be able to hear people or footsteps around especially while using a noisy cane that's supposed to track where one is? If I'm going to the store, or the Post Office, and someone at the security counter says, "OK, please follow the red signs under your feet to know where to stand!" how about that? Obviously, asking another stranger would involve close contact with a fellow human being, since I can't hear their hands crackle as they wave them around and therefore I would violate the social distancing rules if I were to be by myself. How do you deal with the whole concept of 'No Contact Delivery'? Does someone just knock at your door or how might the interaction play like, if getting a food delivery from Doordash, for instance?
> 
> What about driving to do essential functions / activities of daily living, like going grocery shopping or even out to get tested for this novel virus? Obviously this is a time where I really wish that self-driven vehicles were available and ready for cheap markets right now, because I can't drive, and public transit (at least in my areas) is being reduced pretty much, and, Uber drivers... well... they don't wanna be exposed, either. So they're not driving. On the topic of public transit, how about interacting with drivers? If riders and drivers are supposed to do the whole 'Social Distancing' thing, do you feel as though it is more challenging to get your questions answered? I am one of those that has to stand up and get close