Marconius 1 points
I've lived in San Francisco since 2002, and I only went blind last year. It was sudden and I had no idea it was going to happen to me, so accessibility and that mode of thinking never entered into my mind when coming here for school. Since I have lived here for so long, I know the lay of the land and can still navigate around the city even though I can't see it. I'm still not comfortable with walking around to new locations by myself; I require an orientation and mobility trainer to get to specific destinations or at least train me on a safe route to where I want to go. I have not considered moving anywhere else, and San Francisco has so much to do and so many amazing places to visit and eat and experience in such a small area.The transportation systems are generally good, and I have access to Uber, Sidecar, and Lyft to conveniently get around to places where I want to go when I don't want to deal with the bus or train.
I would say that learning to cope with simple tasks that I used to take for granted when I could see is the most frustrating thing in day to day life. I am getting better at cooking and independent life skills, but a lot of that is trial and very messy errors. When out and about, finding restrooms and having to navigate non-family/single restrooms is difficult. I have basically memorized every Starbucks and coffee shop location around places were my girlfriend and I tend to visit so as to always have a convenient option available when I don't want to deal with a multi person bathroom. I have noticed that people are generally happy to help if I ask for it, which is nice… Much better than being ignored, although you will encounter people that really don't quite know what to do or decide to be over zealous and being helpful before you have a chance to explain exactly what you want them to do.
I think one of the biggest things that I struggle with is not being able to just get out of my house and quickly go do an errand. Everything takes a lot more planning and a lot more time. Dictating messages, navigating and searching for specific information, getting directions, getting used to being so limited and slow at something I used to be extremely fast at when I had vision has been nothing short of difficult. If I am cooking something and realize that I am missing a key ingredient, I can't just run out to the store easily, at least not yet. If I meet someone in a new and unfamiliar place, I cannot immediately discern my surroundings and will always require assistance to get around, at least for the first couple of times until I understand the location and work out my spatial reasoning. Going out for a simple walk is just not relaxing, as you have to constantly be on your guard to stay safe when doing Cain travel. I guess what I'm getting at is generic mobility issues is one of the greatest hurtles of this disability.