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So last night Other Half & I enjoyed a fascinating tour of the disused tube station Down Street.
It was a great night out, I loved the sensory experience & had loads of fun.
However, other guests were very & #39;worried& #39; & tried to intervene a lot, which became quite annoying. 1/9
It was a great night out, I loved the sensory experience & had loads of fun.
However, other guests were very & #39;worried& #39; & tried to intervene a lot, which became quite annoying. 1/9
Other Half & I need to communicate when he guides me.
We talk A LOT! He warns me about hazards, we often pause to discuss how we will tackle a complex maneuver, he also moves his arms & uses tactile indications to cue me for changes in position.
We& #39;re a great team
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😁" title="Grinning face with smiling eyes" aria-label="Emoji: Grinning face with smiling eyes"> 2/9
We talk A LOT! He warns me about hazards, we often pause to discuss how we will tackle a complex maneuver, he also moves his arms & uses tactile indications to cue me for changes in position.
We& #39;re a great team
Although often people are trying to be helpful, constantly interrupting us to & #39;warn& #39; us of steps, doors, floors etc is actually really distracting & counter-productive.
Last night one man repeatedly kept hovering around us & saying "STEPS!" every time we reached a step. 3/9
Last night one man repeatedly kept hovering around us & saying "STEPS!" every time we reached a step. 3/9
By the third interruption OH had to quite firmly say "we& #39;re ok thanks", as it was confusing me.
OH needed to focus on guiding me instead of repeatedly saying "yup we& #39;ve got it" to this guy.
Luckily the step man listened, stopped panicking & let us get on with the tour. 4/9
OH needed to focus on guiding me instead of repeatedly saying "yup we& #39;ve got it" to this guy.
Luckily the step man listened, stopped panicking & let us get on with the tour. 4/9
The thing that frustrates me about these encounters is that the person is presuming that Other Half isn& #39;t capable.
I& #39;m used to people assuming that I& #39;m unable to exist independently but when OH is so obviously guiding me, the constant interjections are really annoying! 5/9
I& #39;m used to people assuming that I& #39;m unable to exist independently but when OH is so obviously guiding me, the constant interjections are really annoying! 5/9
At one point another person stopped me & said in THE LOUD SLOW VOICE that there was some water on the floor, but that I mustn& #39;t worry because it wasn& #39;t deep.
As if they thought I needed to be reassured that OH wasn& #39;t about to walk me into a swimming pool. 6/9
As if they thought I needed to be reassured that OH wasn& #39;t about to walk me into a swimming pool. 6/9
People are so unused to seeing blind people navigating the world that even when I& #39;m being well supported by my partner they still feel the need to impose their concerns on us.
They simply couldn& #39;t trust that OH & I could be confident & safe in that environment 7/9
They simply couldn& #39;t trust that OH & I could be confident & safe in that environment 7/9
The irony of the entire thing was that given we were walking around pitch black tunnels as a visually impaired white cane user I was actually the best equipped person to be safe!
Also, the TFL tour staff had absolutely no concerns, they only offered support when requested. 8/9
Also, the TFL tour staff had absolutely no concerns, they only offered support when requested. 8/9
