Hi. Do you use a cane? Have you tried using a cane to keep you a set distance from the curb? Have you had mobility training?

I would imagine you would have a cane to help you navigate. My mom has been blind my whole life and I see her run her cane down the length of the surface for texture and surface drops/changes. I'm sure it takes a good amount of time to develop that sense of change. Please PM me if you need answers to anything--my mom has been totally blind for over 40 years and enjoys helping people. :)

Are you in the US? You should be able to get a free cane and mobility training through your state's Comission for the Blind.

Most countries have something like it, but obviously the name depends on where you are.

As everyone is saying, try and get some O and M lessons. There are several ways to tell a street from a drive way. A street is made of asphalt, while sidewalks and residential drive ways are made out of concrete. With experience you can normally feel a difference in the texture of these two materials with your cane. Some canes are better made for feeling these textures than others. Someone mentioned the NFB, look into their free white cane program; you will be able to order the type of cane that is better at picking up these texture differences and the cane will not cost you anything. You may be using a folding cane, lots of people use those canes, but they are heavier and less sensitive then the NFB long white canes. Roads also have what’s called crowning; this basically means the middle of the road is slightly higher than the edges, which slope down like an upside\-down print U. Roads are built this way, so water runs into gutters, but it is also a way of distinguishing streets from sidewalks, because with practice you can feel crowning, while a drive way will be flat if you’re walking across it. Speaking of gutters, streets often have gutters and or concrete curbs that elevate the side walk from the street. This is especially true in cities, where the absence of such curbs is a good indicator of sidewalks. However, some business drive ways will be made of asphalt, and could also have curbs elevating the grass around the parking lot.

Like most aspects of blindness, distinguishing streets is an imperfect art that you need experience to be able to do well. I promise that you will be able to learn this skill with the proper training, cane, and practice.

Echoing the above comments, contact you state disability/blind services for Orientation and Mobility training. At your age (as a student I assume) there should be assistance available.

I've found the NFB canes much better at distinguishing driveways from roads than the others. Another thing to look for is the seam between the road and the driveway, which will almost always be there in a residential neighborhood, although sometimes it's harder to find than others. Sticking to the seam helps *a lot*, since if you veer away from it, you might miss it veering back, and wind up in the road.

It sounds like you are already getting some O&M training (if you are getting around your neighbourhood), so you should check with your instructor.

Hopefully you are using a white cane to travel... are you using a fixed tip, or a roller tip? The roller tips are more common, but they are less sensitive to texture differences (because it is literally rolling over the smaller cracks and such).

Depending on where you live, the road should have a curb of some kind to separate where the cars go from where the pedestrians are. Feeling for that is a big step.

One tip (once again, depending on where you live) is feeling the incline. Most roads are reasonably flat, but driveways are usually sloped. For many people newer to white canes, they may not be able to feel the slope with the cane, but they can often feel in in their ankles/feet.

I'm assuming you're from the UK as you use the word road instead of street but if i'm wrong, i'd look into blindness organizations in the US. If I'm right and you're from the UK, depending on where you are; roads and driveways will feel different with your cane. A road might have a curb going down, or bobbley paving. A drive might have a slope going down to the left, for example. If you know how to use your cane, the best thing to do; is to listen for traffic. you could also ask someone on the street if you're facing a road or a drive. Driveways sometimes have gates and brick walls but don't rely on that all the time as sometimes they don't. It's confusing I know. Try asking your school or local council for a mobility teacher.

Get a cane and learn to use it. Seek out some orientation and mobility training. People at your school should be able to hook you up with some training.
You could also contact the national federation of the blind and get involved with their youth programs.
www.nfb.org