This article is by my daughter....
I love going out with my mum as we get to talk about anything and everything, and put the world to rights while my children are at school. We went to town the other day and after doing a bit of shopping, my mum and I went to a café to have some refreshments. The subject that my mum brought up that day was something that we have never really talked about before; she asked me what it was like to lead someone who has sight problems. You see that is what I have been doing; I have been leading my mum around town so that we could have a natter while walking. When mum goes on her own she uses her long white cane and is quite capable of making her way around town but she gets fed up of the people who do not look where they are going because they are too busy talking and not looking where they are going. It can be boring shopping on your own so sometimes we go together. The reason that my mum holds my arm just above the elbow when we are together is so that we can chat while we are walking. The problem that I have got is that I talk a lot, so I put her off when she is concentrating on where she is going when she is using her long white cane. It's much easier for us both if I lead instead then we get to chat while walking.
We went to the library café and we were talking about the last time I was there and mum brought up the subject of the difficulties of leading the blind and wanted to know what it was like helping to lead someone who has sight problems. You see mum realised that it was not just about taking someone’s arm and setting off.
Years ago, mum arranged some collections in town for the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society and I was asked to take a blind person to the place where they had to stand. I was a young teenager then and even though I had grown up with mum who was registered blind I really didn't know what to do. If I remember accurately the gentleman had a guide dog with him, so I thought that he would be fine following me. We were based in the library in town and I was helping by taking people to their designated area where they would stand with their collecting tins. After going about 25 yards I met my first obstacle, which was a barrier that we had to walk round. My first mistake was not asking in the first place how I could help him; the second mistake was taking the gentleman's arm and trying to lead him through the barrier. It went terribly wrong and he ended up banging into the barrier at least three times. This was something that I would never forget for the rest of my life. It taught me a very valuable lesson which was to learn how to lead a blind person properly.
Thankfully, over the years I have learnt a lot more and can say from experience that having the responsibility to lead a blind person is something that must never be taken lightly. You see, in the past twenty years since that terrible blunder of mine, I have learnt a lot and now feel confident when I lead my mum. Yes, I still make mistakes but I put that down to being a sighted person and do not know what it is like to be blind.
When I walk with my mum, I do not take her arm she takes mine and holds it just above the elbow, apparently this is the correct way. If you take their arm you will be walking slightly behind the blind person instead of being in front and leading them. The main thing that I spoke to my mum about was that in being the person leading, I am constantly doing risk assessments while walking; it doesn't matter how many times you have been down the same road it changes from day to day
I talked about a walk that we went on a couple of weeks ago when we decided to take my children for a walk along the Chesterfield canal. As well as leading my mum, I would have to watch my two youngest children as well. We got to the canal and I told my mum to wait as there was a car parked on the road that we had to cross with the engine running and I was wondering if we had time to cross.
After we had crossed the road I noted straight away that the entrance to the walkway had bars that were situated very close together and we had to walk in single file to get through. I sent my eldest child through first and then the other two followed. My mum stood behind me and put her right hand on my right shoulder and then together with me leading the way we walked through. Thankfully it was a success and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The next thing I did before we set off again was to have a quick scan of the area to see where steps might be, where my children were and if the ground is flat, bumpy or sloped; I had to see how wide the path was. I arranged it so that my mum was on the inside of the path and the children were in front then off we went, having a steady walk so that we could enjoy the beautiful scenery. It also gave my mum time to see as much as possible with the small amount of vision that she has and to take some photos. In situations like this it's a lot harder than going shopping as there are a lot more potential dangers. Most of us have dangers drilled into us when we are younger so we automatically move when something is in our way. When you are leading a blind person, the most important thing is to remember that you have to be much more aware of what is around you and if you have enough space for both of you to get round. The problem that I faced the most by the canal was bushes and nettles, as they have stems that come out of nowhere and can easily be walked into. It's not like you can expect a blind person to swerve round a bush or automatically duck under a branch.
It can be quite draining when walking for a while which is why we always stop through our day to sit down so we often go to a cafe and this time we went to the café in the park so that the children could go to the play area while mum and I had a coffee. It gives both of us a chance to relax and just talk about where we have been and where we are going to next. I ask my mum and my mum asks me and I would never dream of saying no to my mum as I love the time that we spend together and wouldn't change that for the world.
