What the title says, my rehab officer knows about this obviously and I know she will give me her best support and advice but I’m really worried about using a rollator.

It isn’t pride, I’ve used a cane since I was 14 and I’m 22 now. I’m Deafblind so mine is red and white stripes too. No hiding that. Plus at this point I’m too blind to see if people are even looking in my direction. But I do have some vision. 1/60 or 20/1250 I think? So i just don’t care anymore.

I’ve heard of blind and Deafblind people using walking sticks and wheelchairs before but never a rollator (which is basically a wheeled walker usually with a seat, if you were unaware.) I will be using mine for mild balance and weakness issues and mainly fatigue, however, I can walk fairly well and quickly.

I’m scared of using it not just because of the adjustment of being a full time cane user for 8 years, but I know that feeling will fade. I’m scared of hitting people/ things. Because if I’ve learnt one thing in 8 years of using a cane it is that : it doesn’t matter how big it is, the colour or the reflective tape. It doesn’t part people like the red sea. You would think an over a metre long shiny cane would be pretty noticeable but sometimes seemingly not.

I know perhaps this worry is stupid because I walk into people regularly now, I guess my worry is that people will not realise my blindness because of the rollator. I can only think of having a symbol/ID cane with me. As from what I understand so far, as a rollator covers roughly the same amount of ground as a cane, instead of the cane hitting things, it’ll hit things.

I’m particularly worried about hitting small children as they are usually the most oblivious and the easiest to hit/run over. I know people should look where they’re going and watch where their children are going- but they don’t. And that’s precisely what worries me.