Crossing Roads

By Roiben

We all hope in today’s society with its constant rush and pressure that people can still be good, helpful and polite. That we would, upon seeing a person in need, stop like the much-fabled good Samaritan, and help. That we would hold doors open, offer to carry heavy bags and help an older person across the road.

However, there is such thing as being a little over-eager to help and perhaps misguided in how to go about it. I have recently begun using a long cane. Michael Cane, my new and trusty friend, is helping me get about my daily life. I had been warned that using the cane does have its drawbacks, in attracting overly helpful people. It was still a shock to the system when it happened.

I was walking a well-known route from an underground station to work. This involves crossing a few roads. I stopped at the traffic lights to the first road and prepared to wait for the lights to change. Out of nowhere a man grabbed my right arm (the arm holding the cane). He had said nothing to me up to this point. He pulled me forward a step, then signaled for me to stop by pulling my arm backwards. At that point he said “It’s red.” It took me a few moments to realize he meant the traffic light, not my stripy cane. We waited, then a lady on my right (who apparently was with the man) said “Go” and we all walked across the road.

I was glad to get across the road safely, but would have much rather done so under my own steam like I do every other week-day. The key thing here is not that the couple wanted to help me. It was how they went about it.

There is a rather over-zealous belief in today’s society that the disabled need to be helped. By this I mean a belief that we are not capable of making decisions and doing things for ourselves, so we need help to do it. In taking my arm, the man had decided I needed help to cross the road, due most likely to my cane. In doing so he removed my ability to choose for myself whether or not I wanted assistance.

This is a common thing: people “helping” disabled people because they have a cane, a wheelchair or otherwise. I have heard stories of people being pushed across the road when they did not in fact want to go that way, or being dragged to places they had no intention to go to. All because someone has assumed that is what is wanted and wants to “help”.

So, what point am I trying to make? Yes, it is a good thing to want to help your fellow human. However, doing so in a way that removes their independence, choice and in many cases dignity, is not good. I would ask that if you want to help, do one simple thing first: Ask. Ask the person with the cane, or dog, or wheelchair if they want help. They may say yes, they may say no. The point is that it should be up to the disabled individual if they require assistance in that moment.

I have had many people ask me if I want assistance. In most cases I say thank you, but I am okay. Because in all honesty, in most cases I am fine. I know where I am going and how to get there. I am still so new to using the cane that I haven’t yet been in a situation where I have needed help. I have not got lost yet or had my normal route changed to the point of disorientating me. It will happen, eventually. It just has not happened yet.

There are some indicators that a person may need help and that help would be gratefully accepted if offered. Firstly, as with non-disabled people, if someone is standing looking lost or distressed, especially if it is somewhere with many junctions, such as a tube station. Or, if someone with a guide dog is standing or sitting, and the harness is not being held (but the lead is). This may mean the individual needs assistance. In both of these cases, you should introduce yourself and then ask if assistance is needed, and what assistance that may be.

A person in a wheelchair who is just sitting looking around may well be taking in the weather – so don’t assume they need help and certainly don’t go about pushing them around places without first asking. They may have a mobility impairment but that doesn’t mean they are incapable of making decisions for themselves.

In my experience those of us with disabilities are great at adapting to the world we are faced with and are fabulous problem solvers as a result. Some of the cleverest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet have been disabled.

 

About the Author

You can find Roiben on Twitter (@roiben).

 

First Steps: Orientation and Mobility Training and Canes

By Roiben

I was first offered the Orientation and Mobility Training to use a cane when I was a teenager. At that time the last thing I wanted was something else to differentiate me from my peers. I always regretted that decision. As I grew older and travelled further and more often, the idea of something which could help things be a bit better became more appealing. So when, at the beginning of the year, my Sensory Services adviser from the local council suggested putting me forward for Mobility Training I naturally agreed.

Today I had my first meeting with the Mobility Officer and she agreed that a Long Cane would be good for me. I got to try a cane to see how it felt. Even from those few steps in my small flat I felt the potential. I am now booked in for once weekly training in using a cane, with specific focus on stairs, walking in the street and a little on using escalators. The specifics and focus change from person to person depending on individual needs. In my case these were the things highlighted as needed when I described my issues to the Mobility Officer.

So, what is Orientation and Mobility Training and what is a cane? Most cultures are familiar with the stereotypical image of a blind person walking along sweeping or tapping a white stick in front of them. That white stick is a cane. I am focusing on the canes used for visual impairments here — the word cane is also used when referring to mobility aids such as walking sticks.

There are actually four types of cane. The first is the Symbol Cane. This shows that the person holding it is partially sighted, that is they have low but useful vision. It is typically held in front of the person and quite close and is much shorter than the other canes.

The second is the Guide Cane. This cane is longer and is used for finding obstacles in front of the individual. It is typically held diagonally across the body.

The third, the Long Cane, and the one I will be trained in using, is probably most people’s stereotypical view of what a visually impaired person would be using. It is the longest of the canes and you need specialized training in order to use it.

This training is called Orientation and Mobility training (or O & M for short). This instructs individuals who are blind or visually impaired how to travel safely and effectively. Orientation is about knowing where you are at any given time. Mobility is about how one gets safely from A to B. This is the training I will be starting on Monday.

The fourth cane is the Red and White cane. Any of the other three canes can be banded with red and white stripes, and the Long Cane I eventually get will have this colouring. The red and white stripes symbolize that the person using the cane has both visual and hearing impairments. There is a shocking lack of awareness of this despite it being in the Highway Code. Deafblind UK explain it much better than I can and include a link to the specific Highway Code sections, just in case you don’t believe it.

I am excited to start the training but as with anything new, I am also anxious about it. I have done research online into Orientation and Mobility and I have asked people in Facebook groups about their opinions on canes, what the pros and cons are, and what they thought of training. One of the key things I have picked up from this is that canes can be incredibly helpful, although they also draw a lot of attention and the occasional unexpected grabbing of the arm to “help”. I will say here, always announce yourself first and please ask if the individual needs help before dragging them off somewhere!

I was also told that training works best when blindfolded. I have had a panic about this: How am I meant to know what the trainer is trying to get me to do with a blindfold on? How could this possibly work? I have a severe hearing loss and wear hearing aids which typically squeal when subjected to things like blindfolds, phones, ear muffs etc. Even with the hearing aids I am largely reliant on lip-reading to figure out what someone is saying. Even with people I have known for years and who talk clearly and loudly (such as my boyfriend) I need to lip-read to fill in the blanks that residual hearing doesn’t pick up (typically lip-reading picks up 30–40% of speech, if you are good at it).

So yes, I am anxious, but am sure I can let the Mobility Officer know about this. She knows I class myself as Deaf. She is getting me a Red and White cane and in our first meeting, made sure to check I was okay with lip-reading her (not all deaf people can lip-read) and that I didn’t need or prefer an interpreter for switching to BSL (British Sign Language). She also made sure I could see her to lip-read when she stood across the room to show me the primary technique used with the cane (sweeping).

As I am very new to all of this it would be great to hear from more people, whether blind, partially sighted or deaf-blind. What are your experiences of Orientation and Mobility training and the use of canes? Do you have a preference of cane and what are your experiences of using them in the Big Wide World of people out there?

 

About the Author

You can find Roiben on Twitter (@roiben).