BlindScentz: The Art of Getting Lost

Some days I get lost in the closet. Other days, I go kayaking with friends and find my way!

As part of my Orientation and Mobility training, I am required to problem-solve when I am out in the wild. (Wild AKA walking on the streets of FSJ.) To be certified to travel a route independently, I must not only be able to travel the route, but I must also be ready and able to navigate unexpected obstacles or find my way if I become disoriented.

The past few weeks have found me navigating with more confidence, including not checking and double-checking that I am aligned perfectly. With this false confidence, I may veer sideways across the street and end up someplace different than I think I am. I am building a tactile map to correctly identify landmarks on my regular routes.

On a recent session, I found myself uncertain about where I had landed. I heard two flags and identified a building between two parking lots. I listened for the busy traffic of 100th Street and detected the location of the sun to verify which direction was east.

I found the edge of the sidewalk and then attempted to find a building to the north. Instead, I found myself uncertain about what I had done. As I was problem-solving, I could hear that I was walking towards a building to the east. I then turned south and walked into a car.

Hmmm. What is going on here? I must be in a parking lot. I finally found a building edge, followed it to a corner, and reoriented to confirm whether I was back on the 101st Avenue sidewalk. I headed towards 100th and then turned left to walk north. I was not feeling really confident until I found a known tactile landmark: the manhole cover right before the intersection on 102nd Avenue by the Telus building.

It is amazing what goes through your mind when you are lost. It is amazing how you can make clues into something they are not. It is amazing when you hear something you have never noticed before. Did you know that there is a flag on the Dairy Queen building and another flag on the church across the street? I do now. I originally thought that I was in the parking lot east of Dairy Queen, when in fact I had landed in the parking lot west of the building. It took me some time to reorient, but I figured it out.

I have been working with my trainer several times a month to build skill and confidence. I am finding that all the little skills are starting to come together, and I am no longer panicking badly after I mess up. Part of that anxiety is deeply rooted in my constant drive for perfection. I now laugh more at myself.

My trainer has noted that you—the people of Fort St. John—have been learning along with me. Recently, she watched a person get out of their vehicle to help me. They stood back and watched to see if I needed help, then realized I had it under control and continued! I so appreciate people who take time, see me, and discern if I need help. Thank you with all of my borrowed heart!

Part of my orientation and mobility skills training is learning to reach out and ask for help if I hear people on the street. If I do that, please don’t grab me; let me ask questions that help orient me. If I need more assistance, I will ask to take your elbow. If I am in immediate danger, by all means, do what is necessary.

I will not receive certification unless I am competent at getting lost. In the next few weeks, my trainer is going to drop me off on the street somewhere, and I will need to figure out where I am and navigate to the nearest bus stop! Try doing that with your eyes closed and no clue where you were dropped! Wish me luck!

Edwina Nearhood is a longtime Fort St. John resident sharing her vision loss journey. Please remember, every person’s vision loss experience is as unique as they are.