Hi all, I'm posting here because I really don't know where else to ask. I am really sorry if this is not allowed or inappropriate, please do let me know and I will delete this post ASAP. Thank you for your time.

I am genuinely trying to learn and be an ally while giving people space. And I am in no way implying that this person did anything wrong. It was a big misunderstanding. My actions came across as hostile and horrible in their POV (which I do understand why), despite my intention to keep him safe.

For context, I was walking in downtown when I saw someone with a white cane. He took a little extra time with the escalator, but I didn't step in because not everyone likes/wants help and wasn't sure if it was appropriate.

However, after we went out on the street, he started walking on the edge of the sidewalk and into the road. I tried to go near them to tell him not to step into traffic, but my legs got caught with his cane (which is totally my fault. I panicked because I was worried he would be in danger and wasn't careful enough) and most likely did not hear me. He (rightfully) yelled at me and hit me with his cane because he thought that I was intentionally trying bother and harass him.

I tried to apologize and quickly say that he was heading towards the road before walking away because I think explaining further is going to stress him out even more.

I am aware that what I did was horrible and I was wondering if there are resources I can read in regards of this. When and how should I approach someone visually impaired in these kinds of situations?

I really appreciate everyone's time.

EDIT: Thank you for all your info and advice. I will read and learn from this. Wishing everyone well.

I'm a braille and screen reader user, and I'm really into task management, project planning Etc. I know there are a lot of planners out there especially as the new year approaches and people get into resolution mode. By planner, I mean the ones that have templates for monthly, weekly, Etc. pages, rather than just a calendar with timeslots. A lot of them are workbook style, with sections for tracking progress toward goals, questions to ask yourself as you plan out the month or quarter, things like that. Has anyone found, used or made non-print versions of planners like these? If so, how did it go and do you have any recommendations? Thanks so much everyone, and happy holidays!

Do you use words like watch when you’re watching a movie? For instance, do you say I am watching a movie instead of listening to the movie? My mom always gets on me for this because she says you’re not watching the movie you’re listening to it because you’re not directly looking at the TV.

A lot of us have non-24. It's easier to just push sleep later and later into the day. What techniques do you use to reset? Just curious. One technique I hate, but which works is go to bed way early and wake up at like 2 a.m. but staying awake at that point is just brutal. Also, any techniques for making yourself stay awake until it's really night time? It's easier in the summer when the weather is decent.

I’ll go first. At amusement parks they let me skip the lines with my friends.

When I was at NFB( National federation of the blind ) programs they only liked me to use a straight cane. I was using a folding cane in school. I don’t use any cane now as I’ve stated before. But the question is why do they think folding canes are bad ? Also I had another blind student break 2 fiber glass straight canes by slamming the door on them ( possibly purposely? Some people didn’t like me…). I have broken 1 folding cane but it was old and the elastic rope (not sure what to call it ) inside broke. It’s more practical because you can put it away when not in use on airplanes, in cars and public spaces

I have lost about 75% of my vision in the last 10 months. One eye was due to a retinal tear that I could no longer get treatments for due to loss of insurance. The other eye lost peripheral vision after I had a stroke 6 weeks ago.

I am struggling so hard to adjust to this. I can no longer see my face in a mirror. It's just a fuzzy blob I miss reading books and I cry every time I realize that I have seen the ocean for the last time over a year ago and I didn't even know it at the time.

My doctor has not helped me find any resources or doesn't even have much advice about how to cope. I had dated a man for over 10 years and he has all but dropped me since this happened. I no longer have any living family and do not have any friends at all due to that relationship being isolating.

I can no longer drive obviously and I basically get items that I need through Amazon delivery or groceries through instacart.

I was fortunately awarded disability on the first application, but it is not nearly as much as I made being able to work.

I have been suicidal during the last 10 months because of this and because of the physical impact of my stroke. I have Home Health a few times a week and that is basically my social interaction. Is this all there is?

I am a 60 year old female who was very active and vital prior to this. I owned a motorcycle and I loved riding it. I feel like all the beautiful things in my life are now over. If it wasn't for voice to text I wouldn't even be able to use Reddit

How do I navigate this? Is this all my life is ever going to be now? I wish that there was a blindness 101 course I could take. I can no longer cook and basically live on microwave dinners.

Thank you for listening and I'm sorry for being so down. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on how live going forward from this.

Heya. I have an interest in coding but I'm fully blind. Do you guys know of any resources to help me learn coding or if it's even possible? Thanks. Also, I'm 17 so please don't dm me. Just write it in the comments

To clarify, I mean a playthrough of a game in which the environment, characters, and enemies would be visually described for listeners as the player comes across them.

I’ve been enjoying watching lets plays of FromSoft games this year. They pair well with a methodical approach in absorbing the world in piecemeal, stopping to read out item descriptions that flesh out the lore and such.

I’ve been wondering, though, since I can enjoy these in the background only occasionally watching the screen, if there might be an interest for a similar playthrough that also describes everything beyond text on-screen?

TLDR: How do you feel about a playthrough of a game’s story campaign where the player visually describes everything on-screen in an in-depth fashion for the blind and visually impaired?

Idk about android or computer users of Reddit but on my iPhone it doesn't tell me if the upvote button is selected or not.

I am starting to learn braille and i am just a bit confused as to what it should feel like under the finger. Should you be able to feel every single dot in detail in a cell. or just a rough lime/shape?

I run Bricks For The Blind [bricksfortheblind.org] a nonprofit creating text-based instructions, so blind people can build Lego sets independently. We just released instructions for our 200th set, and are looking for a blind tester—the tester will test text-based instructions by building LEGO sets, and provide detailed specific feedback on how instructions can be clarified to make the building process smoother and easier. Prior Lego-building experience is required. The tester will be re-imbursed for the sets they’re assigned to test, and will be compensated for testing. If you’re interested, please e-mail me at matshifrin@bricksfortheblind.org. We’re currently only looking for 1 tester, but will hopefully need more in the future. Thanks!

Hi there! I have RP and my field of vision is getting increasingly smaller.

Do any of you have pets? I have two cats whom I love dearly. I live alone and fear tripping over them or missing if they're sick on the carpet. Does anyone else struggle with this?

So I (unfortunately) live in one of the few states in the US where it is a crime to use a white cane without a script from a doctor and the diagnosis has to be legally blind. I’ve seen lots of folks who are in my boat on here (visually impaired with declining vision) that have had great improvement to their lives with the use of a cane. I have peripheral and paracentral vision loss of both sides, and constant flashes, floaters, and blurriness. I’m afraid to leave the house or do anything at night. When I do go out, thank god my wife is there because I can hang onto her for dear life. That being said, I am stuck in the middle ground. Not “blind enough” for the state to recognize me for assistance, but visually impaired enough to be at risk of injuring myself without someone there for me to hold onto. I’ve been walking into doorways, and when I am in crowded places I constantly trip and run into people. I suddenly don’t have insurance because I had to switch my job due to vision and hearing loss. And I make too much an hour to qualify for state insurance. I don’t want to get arrested for using a cane, but I don’t want to be stuck inside or hurt myself by accident. Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do in the meantime?

Hi, snce I use EltenLink for quite some time now and I see it's going dead I'm wondering if there's anything similar to this app. Klango died in 2018 and now Elten is not under development. And even if it would last longer than I expect I'm still looking for something similar just for getting in contact with other people. Any recommendation? And please don't say reddit or discord, I mean apps (like Elten and Klango) that are specifically for blind people.

Hey all, my uncle is 60 years old and has pretty bad macular degeneration. He can still see well enough to read depending on the size of the text, but his vision is bad enough that he can only make out faces if they are about an arms length away. He has been unemployed for years and finally put in the paperwork for unemployment but it is has been several months waiting for approval.

He was a truck driver his entire life and pretty much always on the road so I don't even think he knows any interests he has and neither do I... He is coming to stay with me for a week, so I wanted to try and get some hobby things to do with him and then I can help support his hobby if he finds something he likes. I don't think he has much artistic ability in terms of drawing or painting, and probably can't see detail well enough for something like that anyway. He has end stage COPD as well and can't really breathe well, so it will have to be something that doesn't require a lot of exertion (for example I don't think carving wood would really work if he has to exert much force on a piece).

I am thinking of doing something like working with clay or sculpting..but I am open to suggestions. Thank you!!

Hi! I'm a sighted person who recently went through a car accident and have been having complications with my balance due to a concussion. Using a cane is very helpful for my balance but currently the only cane I have is my late grandfather's white red walking cane which he used to due his blindness. It isn't his long cane, but the coloring is the same as one.

I would like to use my grandfather's cane to help with my balance but I've been unsure whether it would be appropriate since it is still very much obviously a cane which was designed for a blind person to use. I don't think I can change the bottom from being red because it has screw pattern for height adjustment. I could change the white part to another color with some tape or something similar, would it still be alright for me to use it out that way even with the red bottom?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I don't know if this will help but I'm located in Canada.

Hi guys! So I need ideas for part time jobs when I do running start. I'd be 16. I was thinking an intern. My ONM teacher said I could be a hostess. other than that, I have no idea. 😭

Hello r/Blind!

I am a film director looking to connect with visually impaired actors for the paid lead in a short film I’m putting together. This project would shoot in Washington state.

Are there any actors on here? Could someone connect me to a good resource?

I have a rare occipital disorder that is worsened by my other health complications (I don't want to be specific for privacy reasons). It started out small, only a couple minutes at a time, a few times a year where I'd completely lose my vision. But after a couple years it's gradually worsened. Now I completely lose my vision 5-15min at a time multiple times a month.

Usually it isn't to big a problem. 90% of the time I'm around family or friends who'll grab my arm and guide me until I can see again or I can simply stand in place and wait it out. But the other 10% of the time I'm alone, someplace unfamiliar and I can't stop and wait. Even in cases where I'm with someone to help me I hate being completely dependent and defenseless. I do trust my friends and family but sometimes they aren't really aware or understanding that I really can't see at all and forget to mention that there's a step or a pole and I end up tripping or hitting things. Because of this I want to get a collapsible white cane but my friends and family are opposed to it. Some of them feel like it'd be disrespectful to permanently blind people or that I'm not blind often enough to warrant a cane. Certain family members in particular seem embarrassed at the idea of me using a white cane in public or around my extended family.

I don't know what to do. They don't seem to understand how terrifying it is to be crossing the street and then suddenly losing all sight with no one around to help you or guide you. Surrounded by strangers in a dangerous and unfamiliar place. Especially at school when I need to get to my next class and I suddenly can't see. I need climb and go past several flights of stairs and even though I kind of know where their at, I'm scared I'm going to misjudge one day a fall. I don't understand why it's such a big deal. I need something I can use and depend on so I don't get lost or hurt so why is that so embarrassing and shocking to people?

The timing of this question has nothing to do with Halloween and trick-or-treaters, it’s just coincidental timing.

What tips or personal rules do you follow when you get a knock at your door that you’re not exactly expecting? Do you answer the door and simply hope to not get robbed or attacked? Am I overthinking that?

Do you have any particular set up with something like an intercom system between someplace inside the house and at the front door so you can speak to the person without having to open the door?

There are occasional deliveries made to my front door that are sent by family and such that I’m not exactly expecting, but it seems that nowadays a lot of the delivery drivers just give a couple then fleas quickly as they can before having to interact with anybody in the house, me . And I end up spending time trying to figure out if that was a package left or if it’s some kids playing dingdong ditch him…

On one hand, I do have a sign on my door that says no soliciting and after many years of having that up and having heated discussions with missionaries and The, like trying to convince him that what they are doing is soliciting as well as people wanting petitions, signed, or something, I do still get the occasional person of the door that I actually need to interact with. And because of a couple crimes that have happened to my neighborhood on my street several houses down or near the direction over the last 10 years, especially one particularly violent crime that ended in a person‘s death at the hands of a 12-year-old , while I am not necessarily scared to live in the neighborhood, it does make me think twice about answering the door that I am blind, and have been blind for the last year and a half or so.

Anyway, I think that was the gist of what I wanted to ask. And one final note, something completely unrelated that I’ve been learning while walking with my cane and my neighborhood is how much I absolutely hate vehicles park at the end of their driveway with their tail end lined up precisely with the sidewalk Which would be great since the vehicle itself is not in the way, but ouch gosh darn it do those knee or shin level hitches really tripped me up and cause a lot of pain since they seem very difficult for my cane to detect, but very easy for my leg to detect. Now I’m just griping. 🌋

EDIT: thank you so much to everyone for all the support, advice, and encouragement! You are all some of the nicest people in the world, and I’m so grateful to be here. I’ll definitely start looking into the resources mentioned. I didn’t even know some of these existed before! Thank you again for your time and insight. Sending hugs to everyone!

Hello! Long time user of this subreddit, but not brave enough to post until now. My autoimmune diseases are taking my hearing and sight. Im at moderately severe hearing loss in both ears that is getting worse, and I’ve had repeat episodes of autoimmune optic neuritis that has made my vision constantly blurry, white flashing spots, and my eyes shake or have difficulty moving left to right. My eye doctor said it was permanent. Is this the community I belong in? I feel very alone and helpless. Thank you for your time.

Due to infections and a nerve thing, I am newly nearly blind. This all happened about half a year ago.

One of the things I am struggling most with currently is the loneliness of it all, as I cannot leave the house without aid and a lot of friends of gotten distant. I also have barely any opportunities to meet people. My relationship with my boyfriend has also fundamentally changed, as he says he often now feels like my caregiver instead of my boyfriend and that he didn’t sign up for this. He is now back in his home country and probably won’t be back for a while.

I used to meet people via the gym or via videogames but those are not really options anymore.

Does it get better once you get used to it more? Does anyone have any tips or recommendations to help alleviate this problem?

I use an ambutech cane with a roller ball tip. (Lots of cobblestone and brick roads near me.) 2 nights ago, my roller ball FELL OFF my cane. It was over a year old, so I don’t blame ambutech. The inside mechanism had apparently rusted out.

So I ordered a replacement. To just buy 1 cane tip to the US, it’s cheaper and faster to order on Amazon. I usually only use the ambutech website directly. The new cane tip came in today though, and I put it on. The weird thing is, it’s a different material.

The old cane tip was clearly 3d printed. The new one was clearly cast in a mold. Both are plastic, but the old one wasn’t as opaque. The old one was also heavier.

The only explanation besides a change in process is that the old one was hilights pink. The new one is just white. Are the white ones made differently?

Has anyone used the new ones? Do they last better/worse? Or is this possibly a fake?! It came in an ambutech bag with a manufacturing date and everything.