Did you know that it is very difficult for
people who are blind to walk in a straight line? Because someone without sight can’t
see objects on either side, his/her sense of balance is skewed. It is different
if the person can use a cane to trace along the side of a building or perhaps
the edge of grass beside the pavement, but without some sort of peripheral
reference point, a person without sight
will often veer off to one side or another. A guide dog is trained to lead its
user in a straight line, but that is another story.
When I can’t see any indicators on my
sides, I find that I tend to veer to my right. This was very obvious the other
day when I walked down the hallway of our local hospital. I had been visiting a
friend. Lyle was my guide when we made our way to the room and he left me there
to chat. I didn’t have my white cane with me. When it came time to leave, I was
fairly sure that I could make my way back along the straight line to the main
door where Lyle was waiting for me. However, the lighting was dim and the
corridor was wide enough that I couldn’t see the walls on either side. Still, I
felt confident and strode forward. I should have known better!
About halfway along, I came to an abrupt
stop about an arm’s length from two women standing with their backs pressed against
the wall and holding cups of coffee in their hands. Obviously I had veered away
from a central path towards my right. I couldn’t see the faces of these women but
I’m sure it was one of startled surprise as I walked directly towards them.
“We saw you coming,” said one woman. “We
tried to get out of your way but you just kept coming towards us.”
Two things might have been helpful in
avoiding this near collision. First, of course I should have been using my
white cane. Secondly, instead of cringing against the wall, it might have been
helpful had the women spoken to alert me of their presence.
Even though the floor surface is flat,
hospital hallways present many hazards. There are wheelchairs, patients pushing
IV poles, unattended cleaning carts, poles with hand sanitizers, yellow cones
to alert sighted people to wet floors, and other visitors. I would likely be
less of a hazard myself if I took my own advice and used my cane on future
visits.
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