Learning the way when sight is gone

Learning the way for me now has become a different way of doing it. When I had enough vision it was easier. I used as many visual landmarks as I could: colors of buildings, height and lengths of buildings, lighting, positions of trees, and anything else that I could see. I even used fences and gates as landmarks, certain dimensions of sidewalks and driveways, and anything else available to my limited vision. Garbage cans and mail and newspaper boxes were also a part of my landscape.

Now that my vision is down to a bare minimum, I have to depend more heavily on my cane. I have to use the touch technique, my sense of smell, and my sense of hearing. These three variables help me much more now but that’s okay. It simply means that I have to use other strategies to help me find my way.

There is one thing for me to remember, though, and it is this: It is easier for me to navigate in areas that I was able to see before because I have a mental picture of them. It is different for me when I go to learn new areas.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my thoughts with others.
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