[nagdu] FW: [New post] 9 tips from a blind New York City tourist

Wed Jan 28 17:15:27 UTC 2015

Buddy,

I'm not Daryl, but I have discovered that people assume my husband must 
be blind, since I am blind. I don't know why. It doesn't make a 
difference if the person doing the assuming is sighted or blind, either. 
So any tale I tell involving doing stuff with him gets bogged down in 
confusion almost immediately. So I have found myself making gratuitous 
mentions of his sightedness, then wincing internally. Of course, once 
I've clarified that I, a blind woman, am married to a sighted man, 
there's a pretty good chance that I hear about how he does everything 
for me. Sigh. Oh, well. He does a ton of stuff around the house because 
he's good at it and enjoys it (mostly) and because my hand problems make 
me really bad at it, so there you go.

I agree with not using pedestrians as a cue to cross the street. They 
provide valuable sound cues in many ways, but I wait until I am sure and 
my dog is sure. Then there are those who decide I must need help, or why 
would I be standing there when the light turns? I have actually heard 
screeching tires as the reason my dog didn't step into the street 
narrowly avoids mowing the helpful pedestrian down. Eeek!

In this small town, where there isn't always cross traffic, I do give 
more weight to feedback from other pedestrians in determining when to 
cross, so long as Mitzi agrees. I don't want to inadvertently teach Loki 
to go with the crowd, though, so end up standing on the curb wondering 
if there are cars while everyone else goes across the street and about 
their business. Oh, well. He seems to have caught on about cars and 
street crossings and has even started refusing the forward command, and 
he does wait for the forward command when other pedestrians move. I'm 
not about to rely on him for another year or more, but I'm relieved to 
note that he's getting it despite the lack of regular traffic to 
practice on. Whew!

Tami

On 01/28/2015 06:53 AM, Buddy Brannan via nagdu wrote:
> I gotta agree with Tracy on this, but not just New York has this problem. I’ve observed it also in our little city here, too. People will cross any time they feel like, whether it makes sense or not.
>
> There is one thing that kind of bothers me, and I can’t really put my finger on what about it bothers me exactly, except “What’s the point?” It’s this:
>
>> An opportunity presented itself last month, so my sighted husband and I packed up our big duffel bag and my guide dog, Jenny, and flew from Edmonton to New York over the Christmas holidays.
>
> Why is it important for us to know that your husband is sighted? Conversely, if he were writing the blog for an audience that weren’t blind people, why would he feel the need, if indeed he would, to tell his readers that you are blind? It really didn’t add to the experience in any way to know about this specific characteristic. Much as we probably would shake our heads had you told us that you brought your extra tall husband with you to New york. Just kinda wondering, really.
>
> —
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: 814-860-3194
> Mobile: 814-431-0962
> Email: buddy at brannan.name
>
>
>
>> On Jan 28, 2015, at 9:39 AM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
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>> Here is a blog by Daryl about her trip to NYC.
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>> I must disagree with one thing, though.  I make it a rule to *never* cross with other pedestrians unless my ears confirm it’s safe, or I have no choice.  New Yorkers have no sense at all.  They will cross in front of a bus, or trot across against the light, if they think they can beat an oncoming car.
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>> So interesting to hear how visitors see NYC.  I used to enjoy it, but, after almost 30 years, I’m pretty much over it.
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>> Tracy and Krokus, who has yet to figure out gridlock
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>> From: Safe & Sound blog [mailto:comment-reply at wordpress.com]
>> Subject: [New post] 9 tips from a blind New York City tourist
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>> bethfinke posted: "I enjoyed reading a series of posts by blogger Blindbeader about a recent visit to New York City so much that I asked her to write a guest post for us with her NYC recommendations. I've never met the author of the Blindbeader blog personally, but I've com"
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>> New post on Safe & Sound blog
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>> <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/author/bethfinke/> Image removed by sender.
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>> <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/9-tips-from-a-blind-new-york-city-tourist/> 9 tips from a blind New York City tourist
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>> by  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/author/bethfinke/> bethfinke
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>> I enjoyed reading a  <http://www.blindbeader.wordpress.com/> series of posts by blogger Blindbeader about a recent visit to New York City so much that I asked her to write a guest post for us with her NYC recommendations. I've never met the author of the Blindbeader blog personally, but I've come to know her by reading her posts there -- she works for a software developer on their computer helpdesk, and lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband, three cats and guide dog Jenny.
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>> New York City -- Goin' in blind
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>> <https://bethfinke.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/nyc.jpg> Image removed by sender. Blogger Blindbeader and guide dog Jenny waiting for a water taxi in NYC.
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>> Blogger Blindbeader and guide dog Jenny waiting for a water taxi in NYC.
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>> by Blindbeader
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>> I was 16 years old the first time anyone I knew had ever been to New York City, and since hearing my friends describe their trip (admittedly constrained by high school rules), I’ve dreamed about going myself. An opportunity presented itself last month, so my sighted husband and I packed up our big duffel bag and my guide dog, Jenny, and flew from Edmonton to New York over the Christmas holidays. We had a fabulous time, and I’m delighted to share some of my top New York City tips with you Safe & Sound blog readers.
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>> 1.    Purchase the  <http://www.newyorkpass.com> New York Pass. I urge anyone who is spending more than three days in new York to get this rather than go on a theme bus tour where you spend 90% of your time on the bus and the rest just taking pictures. Most major museums and sights are included on the New York Pass, as well as unique and awesome walking tours -- it doesn't take long to save money and do some pretty nifty things.
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>> 2.    Ask licensed tour guides for pointers on places to eat (terrific food!) or apps that might help you get cheap Broadway tickets (something that is a must-do in New York).
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>> 3.    Walk quickly. If you have a guide dog, the dog will try and guide you around the massive crowds of people on city sidewalks; if you have a cane, you are pretty much at their mercy, living on a hope and a prayer that three people in ten feet won't trip over it and break it (always carry a spare!).
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>> 4.    Don’t believe what you’ve heard about New Yorkers being rude. People there were incredibly friendly! I took the Subway by myself and walk from W 40 St and 8 Avenue to E 38 St and Park Avenue (about 8 blocks) with my guide dog and GPS. People in the Subway were helpful with directions to the closest exit to where I wanted to go, and confirmed that I was going the right way. It was an incredibly empowering trip for my guide dog and me,, and you can  <https://blindbeader.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/new-york-trip-day-3-it-all-went-to-the-dogs/> read more about that journey here.
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>> 5.    Cross streets when most other pedestrians are crossing.. Traffic is nuts! I ran into situations where I had to cross against the light (cars were blocking the intersections), and there were very few audible traffic signals, at least where we traveled. Just breathe deeply and walk quickly.
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>> 6.    Take a walking tour. Walking tours are a terrific way to see the city! My personal favorites were the  <http://www.foodonfoottours.com> Food on Foot Tour (who could say no to food?) and the NYC Gospel Music Tour provided by  <http://www.insideouttours.com> Inside Out Tours. No one seemed to bat an eye at our party of two humans and one dog, and 98% of all the walking tours we did were described so well that it didn't matter if you could see or not.
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>> 7.    Take a water taxi ride. The  <http://www.nywt.com> New York Water Taxi tour tour guide was descriptive enough that I could picture the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Ellis Island.
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>> 8.    Visit the  <http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/> Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. This museum offers an accessible guide book that we picked up at the information booth, and I was totally blown away! With the tactile/braille maps and the accompanying talking pen (you could scan the pen along the pages and it would tell you where you were, plus it read the information placards for each exhibit directly) that came with the book I could have navigated the Intrepid entirely on my own. It was honestly the coolest accessible booklet I have ever seen.
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>> 9.    Set up a  <http://www.moma.org/learn/disabilities/sigh> special tour with the Museum of Modern Art in advance. MoMa allows people with visual impairments to set up either individual or group tours through their exhibits. I booked a two-hour tour and was able to do a combination touch tour of sculptures and descriptive tour of the Matisse cutouts that were on exhibit at the time. The guide was a pro, both describing things well and letting me deal with other museum-goers who were taking pictures of Jenny, not the sculptures. Note: these special tours need to be booked at least 4 weeks in advance.
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>> If you travel with a guide dog to New York City, be forewarned: NYC is an incredibly "doggie" city. If your guide dog is in any way dog-distracted, keep alert. That being said, almost all the dogs we came across were incredibly well-behaved, and Jenny herself did her best to not let other dogs distract her from her work.
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>> Overall, I loved New York City -- the vibe, the food, the people -- I will most certainly be back!
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>> <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/author/bethfinke/> bethfinke | January 28, 2015 at 8:35 am | Tags:  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=ellis-island> Ellis Island,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=intrepid-sea-air-and-space-museum> Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=moma> MOMA,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=museum-of-modern-art> Museum of Modern Art,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=new-york-city-walking-tours> New York City walking tours,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=new-york-water-taxi> New York Water Taxi,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=special-tours-for-people-with-disabilities> special tours for people with disabilities,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=statue-of-liberty> Statue of Liberty,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=tour-for-people-with-visual-impairments> tour for people with visual impairments,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?tag=traveling-with-a-guide-dog> traveling with a
 guide dog | Categories:  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=132675> blindness,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=1356> Blogroll,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=711207> Braille,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=96778828> careers/jobs for people who are blind,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=279350> guest blog,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=401993> guide dogs,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=208471260> technology for people who are blind,  <https://bethfinke.wordpress.com/?cat=200> travel | URL:  <http://wp.me/p6w8t-28M> http://wp.me/p6w8t-28M
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