Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Going to the beach alone (self.Blind)
submitted by Klutzy_Pie5400
Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice from fellow blind beachgoers! I have degenerative vision and right now I have some residual sight but it's poor. To get around, I typically use a guide dog and sometimes a cane depending on the setting. I'd generally say that my mobility skills aren't very polished, but I manage to get around for the most part.
I'm planning on going to the beach next weekend and I'm wondering if anybody has experience going alone. How do I find my way back to my towel? Would the salt water damage my cane? Also any tips and tricks would be awesome!
I'm planning on going to the beach next weekend and I'm wondering if anybody has experience going alone. How do I find my way back to my towel? Would the salt water damage my cane? Also any tips and tricks would be awesome!
coarsing_batch 5 points 1y ago
Hello. This is a really good question and I hope I can be of some help. If you can put your towel somewhere that’s relatively close to the water, that usually helps. But what I do as a totally blind person is to bring my Bluetooth speaker and put on music. I turn the music up relatively loudly, and I put the speaker where my towel is while I am in the water. That way I can always hear where I have put my stuff. Plus I also get to listen to fun music and groove out. If there are people around me, I usually just say hello and tell them why I am playing music so loudly. I try to make sure that the music is PG, and no one has had a problem with it yet.
Also if you are needing help finding a spot to set up, be my eyes or AIRA can be really helpful in getting someone on Camera to look around for you to see where there is an empty spot.
Also if you are needing help finding a spot to set up, be my eyes or AIRA can be really helpful in getting someone on Camera to look around for you to see where there is an empty spot.
retrolental_morose 4 points 1y ago
I tend to go to places I know really well and that are quite small and easy to navigate. I leave a couple of whistle key-finders with my towel. If I'm alone, I also wear a reflective armband saying I am visually-impaired, cane-tracking in sand is dubious at best.
My very best experience was a small privately-owned beach where the people in charge actually strung a few guide ropes for me, so I could guarantee to get back somewhere without a cane in a straight line.Obviously setup like that needs investment and isn't worth it if you're only there for a few hours, but if I were going regularly (say with my kid over a few weeks on vacation) I'd try and get something similar set up again.
My very best experience was a small privately-owned beach where the people in charge actually strung a few guide ropes for me, so I could guarantee to get back somewhere without a cane in a straight line.Obviously setup like that needs investment and isn't worth it if you're only there for a few hours, but if I were going regularly (say with my kid over a few weeks on vacation) I'd try and get something similar set up again.
Klutzy_Pie5400 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thanks for the tip! I'm just going for a day but this is good to keep in mind for a more extended vacation!
Klutzy_Pie5400 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
The speaker is such a good idea! Im definitely trying that this weekend! Do you bring your cane with you to the water or just rely on auditory cues?
coarsing_batch 1 points 1y ago
I bring my cane to the water. Where I swim, there’s a big ladder, so I leave the key next to the latter.
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
[deleted]
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