Crossing the Road
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Man crossing the road with long cane and Miniguide.
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Impaired vision can affect your ability to accurately judge your distance from approaching vehicles, their speed of travel, or even the depth of kerbs. Our training programs are aimed at improving people's safety and confidence in crossing roads.
Our Orientation and Mobility Instructors teach both general strategies and relevant skills for specific crossings, including the effective use of your hearing and remaining vision. During this training, they can assess your suitability for a mobility aid, such as a long cane. As recognised symbols of vision impairment, mobility aids can also improve your travel safety by alerting drivers and other pedestrians to your vision impairment.
Our instructors may also advocate for improvements to the safety of road crossings. For example, requesting that the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) installs audio tactile signals that assist people to judge safely the appropriate time to cross, or that the local Council corrects the alignment of kerb ramps so that they guide you in the direction of travel rather than onto the road. Following new Australian Standards, councils may also install Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs), which indicate the beginning of a crossing point.