If I'm about to plummet into the piranha tank or plunge into a vat of chemicals that will turn me into some sort of super villain, maybe stop me. Otherwise, chances are I've got it.

Yeah, no guilt. Trash cans are expected and everyday items, and were no danger to him. if you'd been passing as he hit one, it might have been nice to say that there were a few more ahead, but not essential or anything.

Also keep in mind that it's quite possible he's relying on hitting things to know where they are. if his eyes were completely covered, he could have been cane-training, have issues with light sensetivity or any number of things - including just being totally blind of course. This would have left contact with the cans as the easiest way to get around them.

That’s what his cane is for and it does sound like he was doing cane training and practicing.

Edit: thought I’d add. Please make sure you don’t leave your trash and like that and keep trees and bushes and stuff from hanging into the sidewalk. A lot of people don’t think about someone having to walk through all those obstacles

You did good.
I'll hopefully have my training next year and these trash cans are a very common obstacle.

Adding to that, there are many blind or visually impaired people who don't like to be pampered constantly.

Just relax, we have to deal with awkwardly navigating around every day ;)

Good job not interjecting yourself into a situation the person had well under control. Everyday occurrence. Could have said "hi, how's your day going"

No need to intervene but a hello how are you would have worked. No reason to cross the street to avoid them.

If the young guy was wearing shades, he may have been in training. Most legally blind folks have some usable vision, but training in the use of the white cane may involve wearing shades so that the student relies on other senses.

O&M instructors train by wearing shades, too. Good for the student, good for the future instructor.

Had you stepped in, you might have simply activated another aspect of training, namely that one must be assertive and (nicely) reject help if it's not wanted.

I don't know of an analogy for sighted folks, but I'll try this one: imagine you're at an ATM, and you pause a moment as you decide what to do, or as your finger hovers over a button. If in that moment the person behind you in line stepped forward and said, "Can I help you? Want me to push the button?" then that would give some sense of what blind folks face regularly.

Long story short: if someone is walking independently with a cane, they are walking independently. If they want help, they'll ask.

(I'll note that I'm sighted, but this sort of thing is a topic of conversation with friends of mine who are white cane users. And I see weird reactions from sighted people when I'm with those friends.)

Sure, feel free to yell out, "watch out bud, trash cans coming up". People do that to me all the time, and although I really don't need them to do that, I also don't mind either. Not like it ruins my day or anything.

However, don't go running up and grab him. Us blind folks really don't like that. Happens to me once in a while were some woman will grab me, I'll wonder what the hell they're doing, and they will proceed to tell me I was just about to hit a large metal pole. I just thank them while pulling away, and think to myself, "no, I wasn't, I know full well the pole is there and even if I didn't I'm sure I would have noticed it".

You may have said, “there’s some trash cans up ahead; do you want some help getting around them?” And the person can let you know what help they need, if any. Certainly no need to rush around and start pulling trash cans out of the way. We’re it me, I would find that incredibly awkward, having someone rush over to help with something I know I can navigate myself without trouble. But there’s nothing wrong with asking, and then listening to what the person says (IDK how many sighted people I’ve run into *insist* on helping after I’ve told them I’m fine, and I wish they would not).

Updated Flair.