MONTREAL -- Physical distancing measures have thrown shopping patterns, walking routines, and basic interactions off for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For visually impaired or blind people, however, this new normal comes with dramatically heightened challenges. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) has received many calls from members saying they've been treated harshly for not distancing appropriately.
CNIB president of guide dogs Diane Bergeron wants people to understand that a visually impaired person's difficulty dealing with new public health measures is much harder than the average Canadian.
“If you think about what an average adult is going through in isolation right now and the hoops they’re jumping through to get their groceries and their prescriptions and all the things they’re doing, multiply that because those are our day-to-day issues, and now you’ve got to add COVID-19 to it,” said Bergeron, who is completely blind.
People who are visually impaired typically use a mobility aid such as a cane, dog or sighted guide. Sometimes, Bergeron explained, a sighted guide is used in conjunction with a guide dog or cane, and some stores and service centres have given them trouble when trying to do their daily tasks.
“Stores are not allowing some people to go in two-at-a-time,” said Bergeron. “They’re telling people to go in one at a time, and stay six feet away from each other.”
The CNIB completely supports Health Canada’s distancing measures, but also reminds that staying six feet away from someone who is guiding you is not possible.
“That’s impossible to do if you’re guiding someone who’s blind. It’s not practical and it’s certainly not safe,” said Bergeron.
Bergeron added that guide dog training has never included physical distancing measures, and the animals do not know to avoid large groups.
“They’re not going to keep us six feet away from you,” said Bergeron.
In addition, a person with limited or no sight now has to adjust routes and routines that have been memorized. There are now lineups outside of stores, arrows or footprints on the ground directing people where to stand and other measures put in place since the pandemic began, which weren't there two months ago.
“This is all new for us, so we’re accidentally cutting into lines, and it’s upsetting people or we’re getting too close to people not because we wish to invade their space, but because we don’t even know they’re there,” said Bergeron.
Ordering online, as well, is not as simple a solution as it may sound, Bergeron noted.
“A lot of the websites are not accessible. Often they will exchange, so if they don’t have exactly what you want, they’ll substitute for something else, and once they drop the bags off, we don’t know what’s in those bags. Again, it’s a little bit difficult because we need assistance with that,” she said.
Banking via touchscreen ATMs is an issue that was on the CNIB’s radar before the pandemic, and the issue has intensified since the beginning of March.
“If it doesn’t have tactile buttons, a blind person is not able to use it independently, so we’re giving our PIN numbers to perfect strangers to help us pay for our items,” said Bergeron. “That’s not just a COVID-19 thing. That’s a thing we’ve been trying to deal with for a number of years now.”
Bergeron said, the visually impaired community completely understands the measures public health authorities have put place, but is asking Canadians to be understanding of the hardships for a visually impaired person.
“We’re saying to people, please understand we don’t want to cause a problem. We need your help, so please identify yourself,” said Bergeron.
Verbal cues such as “to your right” or “to your left” are helpful, as is just being aware that for someone without their sight, feeling is how they relate to the world.
The CNIB advises both the blind person and their guide to wear masks and gloves. The CNIB has also sent letters to municipalities, chiefs of police and various large chain grocery stores to speak to frontline staff to let them understand that visually impaired people are an exception when it comes to physical distancing rules.
Those interested in helping those with visual impairments can sign up for the virtual vision mate program. Volunteers in the program help visually impaired peopled with groceries, prescriptions or even just reading mail.
“In this situation right now, we all need a little bit of empathy and understanding,” said Bergeron.
