Traveling as a blind individual can be challenging. If we have attended an orientation center for blindness training, we are taught that we can do anything, and that it shouldn\u2019t be challenging. And a lot of that is true. But what we are not taught is how challenging it can be. We are taught to use our resources whether that be city buses, subways, trains, taxi\u2019s, Uber or Lift. We become self sufficient and comfortable using these during training. But what happens when we go home? What happens if we come from a small community and go back to that community or another small community? A community without a good bus system? Without subways or trains? A community where we don\u2019t have those resources we were taught to use? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I live in a fairly small area, and I face these challenges every day. I could live in a bigger city with better resources, but I choose not to. I enjoy small community life. So how do I combat these challenges? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s talk about the area I live in a bit first. My community is small, but not too small. We still have a city bus (I say this in the loosest of terms.) Our buses stop approximately once an hour, if that, and only run until 6 p.m. and not at all on Sundays. The stops are few and far between, and some buses only run in one direction. So you might have to ride almost the whole loop before you get to the stop you want. It is time consuming, and not super reliable as the times it stops are not exact. The bus could be a few minutes early or late, and you might have to wait another hour or longer for the next one if you miss it. We have no Subways, trains, or trolleys. We do have taxis, but you have to call for them ahead of time, and it is better to schedule them in advance, as they could take quite awhile to get to you. We do also have Uber and Lift, but they are fairly new to the area, and I have not had the chance to try them yet. But these last options are pricey. So how do I actually get around independently? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first thing I do is research. Before I move to a new place, I need to consider location; which area of town would be most accessible by bus. I need to live close to a bus stop for those few times when riding it would be convenient. I need to consider what is walkable; what is nearby; where would I need to go most often; and where I would want to be able to walk to. And then I consider all the other things you look for when moving such as: is it pet friendly, how many bedrooms it has etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest thing I had to consider in my last move was: where was the school my son would go to in relation to our home. It was the deciding factor to where I would settle. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a place with all my afore mentioned requirements. So I had to give and take a little. I knew that I had to be close enough to a school to walk. If I was far enough away that my son had to ride a bus, then that would mean that it would probably be too far to conveniently walk to. I always need to be able to get to the school easily and independently. What if my son was sick or hurt? What if something else unforeseen happened and I had to pick him up in the middle of the day? Also, if we were far enough that I would need to take a bus, well \u2026 our buses stop running at 6 pm. What about school programs or conferences? Those mostly take place in the evening, how would I get to those if I was unable to get a ride from someone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I had to be able to walk! But I couldn\u2019t find anything close enough to a school and to other desirable places such as shopping centers or restaurants. So I had to decide what was more important. So of course I chose the school. After all, was it really that important that I be able to walk to get ice cream whenever I wanted? No \u2026 my son\u2019s education is way more important than my sweet tooth no matter how much said tooth tries to convince me otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am however close to a bus stop, though I never use it. As I mentioned, it is more inconvenience than it is worth. But if I needed to, I could. So, as much as it pains me to admit, and believe me, it pains me a lot, I use paratransit. It is my cheapest and most convenient option. I was taught that taking paratransit or other similar option, was a huge no no. I am not disabled enough to be able to justify such a method. My legs work, I can walk. I was taught about all sorts of resources and how to use them. I know how to figure out where a business is, and how to get there using public transit. So, I should never have to use a door to door method. But I am not in a big city anymore, my options are limited. So I use paratransit, and I feel guilty for it every time I do. Though, I should not, and neither should anyone else. Sometimes it is just the best option. In my town, taking a city bus is time consuming and impractical especially with a child. I do not have time to waste up to two hours of my day getting to my destination and two hours coming home. It takes time away from my son, and we both deserve to have that time. So, never ever feel guilty for what you must do, especially when your options are limited. What we are taught in training can be extreme, and in a way it needs to be. We need to learn how to be independent, and that is probably the best way to do it. But there is no reason when we go back home, or move to a smaller community, to feel guilty when our resources that we had in the big city aren\u2019t available to us anymore. Instead, we must adapt, and find our own independence, and if that means taking a door to door service, so be it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And last but not least, rides from friends or family. I really struggle with this one, I don\u2019t like asking for help; I don\u2019t like asking people to take time out of their day to take me somewhere. But I do it because I have to, and I am getting better at it all the time. Having a large community of friends and family has really helped with this one. I never used to have a community to call my own. I didn\u2019t know what that meant, to have a \u201ccommunity.\u201d I didn\u2019t even know where to start to build one. But this past year, I started learning. I started joining different groups like a running club, and a music appreciation group. Just joining those groups got me out more, making more friends, and hearing of other opportunities to join other groups and make more friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, I have a larger personal community than I ever have in my life, than I ever knew was possible to have. It is absolutely wonderful! Having so many people willing to help and support me, means that I have more people I can call on when I need a ride. Not only does it feel great to have a lot of people who care about me, it is extremely beneficial as well. It caused me so much guilt to only have one or two people to call on if I needed a ride. I felt like I was a burden, because I couldn\u2019t see to drive myself, and I needed help getting around because public transit here is not ideal. And because there was so few people I had that I could ask, it fell to them a lot. So I felt like a burden, and I hated it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I have a lot more people I can ask, and the burden doesn\u2019t just fall on one person all the time. And I feel more free and independent because of it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I mentioned, I enjoy small community life. And that is how I combat traveling in a small community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is me! Hope you enjoyed the read. I love questions, so if you Thanks<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelsi<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you for listening! Traveling as a blind individual can be challenging. If we have attended an orientation center for blindness training, we are taught that we can do anything, and that it shouldn\u2019t be challenging. And a lot of that is true. But what we are not taught is how challenging it can be. We are taught to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[239,310,466],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-independentliving","category-mobility"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-184","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8215,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=8215","url_meta":{"origin":4344,"position":0},"title":"From Darkness to Triumph: Zach Tidwell\u2019s Unyielding Journey","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this profound episode of Blind Abilities, Jeff Thompson interviews Zach Tidwell, whose life story is nothing short of miraculous. Zach candidly shares the harrowing tale of how he lost his sight by shooting himself, which marked the beginning of an extraordinary turnaround. From the depths of despair,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6624,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6624","url_meta":{"origin":4344,"position":1},"title":"iBUG \u2013 the iBlind Users Group for Beginners and Proficient Assistive Tech Users. Join iBUGToday \u2013 it\u2019s Abuzz!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: In this episode of\u00a0\u00a0Blind Abilities we feature the iBlind Users Group, aka\u00a0iBUGToday, a nonprofit organization located in Houston, Texas, but which operates a variety of virtual training and social activities for individuals around the country using the Zoom platform.\u00a0 The mission of\u00a0iBUG, is to promote the individual independence,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9480,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9480","url_meta":{"origin":4344,"position":2},"title":"No Limits to Learning: A Summer Program That Builds Independence","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 1, 2026","format":"audio","excerpt":"Step into a summer that could change everything. At the Colorado Center for the Blind, the\u00a0No Limits to Learning program\u00a0invites blind, deafblind, and low vision students ages 15\u201321 to live, learn, and grow in a fully immersive experience. You\u2019ll stay in real apartments, cook your own meals, travel using public\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7274,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=7274","url_meta":{"origin":4344,"position":3},"title":"\ufffcBraille is Thriving and Learners are On-Line with the Braillists Foundation. Meet Braillists and Advocate, Mathew Horspool.","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Matthew Horspool from the Braillists Foundation joins Callie Gray and Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio to share Callie\u2019s experience from the Beginners Course for Braille and Matthew gives us an overview about the opportunities available from the Braillists Foundation. From how Braille is taught, to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7688,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=7688","url_meta":{"origin":4344,"position":4},"title":"\ufffcTech Abilities – Education and Learning, Twitter Accessibility Team is Laid Off, Traveling Blind, BARD Update, and Resources for Learning and Knowledge with Blindness in Mind","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"November 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: A Big salute to the entire Accessibility Experience Team formally at Twitter. As part of the takeover at Twitter and all the layoffs, the entire Accessibility Experience Team at Twitter has been laid off. Accessibility Experience Team Manager, Gerard Koen, released a twitter thread acknowledging the members of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tech Abilities"","block_context":{"text":"Tech Abilities","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=524"},"img":{"alt_text":"The TechAbilities Logo-Dark Sunglasses with TA and BA bold letters in each lens.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6313,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6313","url_meta":{"origin":4344,"position":5},"title":"Ana Sikhashvili Shines a Light on her Student Exchange Experience in the U.S. and Attending Minnesota Academy for the Blind and How She is Bringing it All Back Home to the Republic of Georgia","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: Ana Sikhashvili spent a year in Minnesota attending the\u00a0Minnesota State Academy for the Blind (MSAB)through a student exchange program called, Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX). Ana is definitely a leader and her future is looking very bright as she is now attending University in the Republic of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4356,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4344\/revisions\/4356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
have any, or just a comment, feel free to email them to
info@blindabilities.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nContact:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/a>
On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a>
Send us an email<\/a>
Get the Free Blind Abilities App<\/a> on the App Store.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"