In my last post, I mentioned that one of the reasons not being able to drive isn’t so terrible is because of the years of Orientation & Mobility training I received while in school. Learning how to cross streets, use a cane, even shopping at the grocery store were all skills that I had to learn how to do as a person with a vision impairment. Truth be told, I used to love my weekly lessons simply because I got to “get out of school” (I was still technically in school, of course) to hang out at the mall for an hour while my O&M teacher had me do things like navigate us from one store on the upper floor to another one below. In all seriousness, though, the lessons were fun, and I managed to learn a lot. (As a adolescent, you try not to pay attention, but stuff inevitably filters in.)

I haven’t had a Mobility lesson in 13 years — I graduated from high school in 2000 — but not a day goes by that I don’t think about them. As an adult, I’ve spent plenty of time on public transit going to places all on my own. Whether it be for school, work, or recreation, I’ve had to find my way around, especially since I know I can’t get a ride for all the time. I like to think I’ve been pretty successful at it: I always get where I need to go, safely and on time. If I’m going to a unfamiliar place, I know how to get the information. I don’t carry my cane with me for identification purposes like I should, but that’s another issue for another blog post. Overall, I’m proud of the fact that I’m mobile enough to get around just fine, even if it’s only around town or the surrounding towns with which I’m familiar.

Like I said, those Mobility & Orientation lessons have really paid off.