Glad you mentioned shorelining. I¡¯ve found over 34 years, people who shoreline the majority of the time, veer as well. Have gone back and worked with them maintaining a straight line of travel without shorelining and they have been able to minimize veering. They have a better feel of what it is like to travel straight. Used a sidewalk with grass on both sides and have them walk and not touch the grass, repetitively. If this is possible. Takes away the fear of going off the curb or a drop off.?
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On Oct 26, 2023, at 7:30 AM, Wheeler, Victoria L. (ECH) via groups.io <victoria.wheeler@...> wrote:
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If you shoreline a lot, this could be part of the problem ¨C I have found that my clients who shoreline are used to getting a lot of feedback to maintain orientation and that it is natural to veer in an attempt to reconnect with the feedback.?
I would try to work on walking in a straight line when not crossing intersections ¨C straight hallways, sidewalks, open spaces (gymnasium, park, etc) to see if you can walk in a straight line in those situations.? If you have problems with veering when away
from traffic, you can try to work on it in those situations and then go back to working on it at intersections.?
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I agree with others though, that sometimes you cannot eliminate veering completely.? In those situations, it is best if you are veering away from parallel traffic and have good recovery strategies.
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Victoria L Wheeler, COMS, CVRT, CATIS
VIST Coordinator
Blind Rehabilitation Specialist ¨C Assistive Technology
303-283-5368
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Generally away from the intersection and it doesn¡¯t seem to matter which side it¡¯s on. Yes I do veer when I¡¯m walking in other places. I shoreline but also sweep a lot. I use traffic sounds and the curb to line up. It
doesn¡¯t seem to matter though a lot of curbs in our area are the same; little lips. Not sure if a video tape is possible..
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Hi Madison,
You are not alone - there are many travelers who veer when crossing streets! There are so many things that can cause veering. Can I ask some questions to see if we can determine what is causing you to veer and then we
can brainstorm things to try?
Do you veer into or away from the intersection? Does it make a difference if the intersection is on your right or on your left??
Do you veer when walking down a hallway, sidewalk or through open spaces?
Do you shoreline or trail the wall or grass line?
What do you use to line up or for you line of direction when crossing an intersection?
Does it matter what kind of curb is at the intersection?
If it is possible, have someone video tape you while approaching, waiting at the curb and crossing an intersection? (If you are able to safely get a video and you do not want to share the video on the list serve, feel
free to send it directly to me. I¡¯ll be happy to review it and hopefully give you some pointers.)
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Walking quickly seems to help too.?
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Hello,
If you use the iOS app OKO and there's a stoplight, you can keep yourself oriented to the stoplight which will keep you from veering significantly. It requires you
to hold the phone steady (either on a neck strap or in your hand).
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On Wed, Oct 25, 2023 at 6:16?AM Gerald Levy via??<bwaylimited=[email protected]>
wrote:
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Veering off course seems to be a problem for many cane users.? There is no easy solution.? Some exceptional
blind cane users claim they can guide themselves in a straight line by using echolocation like a bat, basically flicking their tongues back and forthe like a freaking reptile to sense environmental vibrations to guide them.? A blind O&M instructor named Dan
Kish has tried to popularize the use of echolocation by blind pedestrians, but there is a lot of controversy over whether this technique really works or is just a bunch of malarkey. And of course, echolocation would be totally useless for someone who is also
deaf or hearing impaired in addition to being blind, and sadly, most O&M instructors have no clue how to train a blind client who is also hearing impaired and do not understand that wearing hearing aids is not a panacea. Some busy intersections in major cities
now have audible traffic signals that make it a little easier for blind pedestrians to guide themselves in a straight line from one side of the street to the other, but they are not always kept in working order and they tend to be few and far between, and
incredibly, their installation has been ? opposed by the largest, so-called blindness advocacy organization in the US. ???
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Gerald?
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On 10/25/2023 12:43 AM, Madison Martin wrote:
Hi all,
I tend to veer a lot especially when crossing streets, my instructor says this is normal but I still find
it annoying. Is this true and if so is there anything that I can do to prevent it from happening alltogether or at least reduce the chances of it happening? If it maters at all I use a folding cane with a roller ball tip because apparently it works the best
on all surfaces. Look forward to any thoughts that anyone has. Thanks
Madison
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TRINA BOYD-PRATT