Carrying things has been a huge issue for me. Prior to COVID, I was a special education teacher for an autism room and had issues with my students trying to run off with my cane.

I am legally blind and main thing with me is I have accidentally gotten into strangers' cars. lol. Luckily they didn't think I was robbing them or something and shoot me.

The cane and carrying things is a nightmare. I use my cane in my campus dining hall and trying to do that while holding a plastic drink cup and takeout container and grab more food is not fun. Then when I get out i have to put everything down to fold the cane and carrry it in the crook of my arm with my food and drink in either hand. If there was anything that could help with that I'd be the happiest person lol.

What everyone else said. Wheelchair users apparently have the same problem - try making your way across a crowded bar with a round of drinks.

I’m new-ish to being visually impaired. I have no close up depth perception, so I hit my head/hands/feet on things a lot, I’ve learned to move more slowly and deliberately now.

Also, my husband and I have frequented a local comedy club for several years, and there are sloping, curving walkways in a darkened room with dark solid colored carpeting, and they aren’t marked. About two years ago when we went, my husband was shown to our table while I was in the restroom, so I walked out into a dark hallway full of people. Luckily, husband had thought to tell the ushers that I would need help, so someone escorted me to our table. We go often, and most of the staff is aware that I’m low vision, so they help me out if I need it. There was a new guy working last time, and when I went up to the usher’s stand and asked to be escorted to our table, he sort of laughed. One of the regulars said “nah man, she’s blind, we look out for her”. The poor guy was embarrassed and kept apologizing and tried to grab my hand to guide me, I laughed and asked if I could instead hold his elbow. He tried doing that thing where someone holds their elbow out to guide you in front of them, and I said “nah man, walk next to me and lead a little, just don’t run me into shit” Super cool staff there.

When I was a cane user I instinctively got my morning coffee, only to realize that it’s impossible to juggle an umbrella, cane and coffee. I ended up squishing the umbrella between my shoulder and face

Potholes and other pavement imperfections can be damaging to companions.

You're walking alongside your VI companion when their white stick gets snagged, leaving you to walk into it, the handle being at groin height for you.

OUCH!!!

Well, I was not expecting wearing a face mask to mean I'd need to rely on my cane more. I don't normally use my cane all the time, but the mask obscures just enough of the lower portion of my already small field of vision that getting around without the cane is a lot more difficult.

Hi, I've been blind since 1998 and this is my first visit to this site. I can fully relate to most of the experiences and find humor in seeing that I'm not alone in navigational hurdles. To be able to laugh at our mishaps especially with others who are being so honest, can be very dignifying.

I have 4 boxes of papers that are in print that I need to organize and can’t read without an OCR app on my phone. I have been putting off organizing these papers since long before quarantine. The inability to just pick up a paper and read it has dramatically increased the procrastination. This is why I am trying to build the habit of brailling the paper name on top of each page when I receive it.