Top Tips – moving around outdoors
• Everybody’s sight loss impacts them differently when it comes to moving around outdoors. It’s always useful to get individual advice from your local Rehabilitation Worker.
• Rehabilitation Workers can teach you skills which, support independent travel, such as safe road crossing, how not to trip over or walk into things and how to always know where you are.
• White canes and walking sticks come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s best to get some help choosing the right one. You don’t have to use a cane, but it’s a really good way of letting people know you may need some assistance and if needed can help you find steps and kerbs.
• Planning even the simplest journey can be useful, for example you might choose not to go out on bin days or at school pick up times.
• Link landmarks and clues as to your location and direction of travel to create routes. A landmark is a feature along your route which is permanent and distinctive such as a pedestrian crossing. Clues are useful but they may not always be present such as the smell of baking bread or the chatter of children in a school playground.
• Where possible use controlled crossings. If you place your hand under the right hand control box you’ll find a cone which begins to spin when it’s safe to cross.
• It’s never easy to ask for help, but you’ll find most people are more than happy to help when asked.
• If you have asked for help to cross a road, ask to be taken all the way over to the opposite pavement.
• It’s ok to politely decline help.
• Peaked caps and sunglasses reduce the impact of glare.
• Use a torch in poor light.
• Carry a mobile phone when out and about. You can call for help or get it to tell you where you are.
For more about living with sight loss call RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999
© 2016 Action for Blind People registered charity nos 205913 and SC040050
RNIB registered charity nos 226227 and SC039316
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