# Using a wheelchair when you're totally blind

Category: Health and Wellness

## Post 1 by SunshineAndRain (I'm happily married, a mom of two and a fulltime college student.) on Wednesday, 22-Aug-2012 12:12:46

So I have cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair for long distances. I have always had a manual chair, but since I have no one who can push it for me, I just don't put myself in a position to use it. I know someone who is significantly visually impaired, although not total who use an electric wheelchair and a very long white cane. I am about to get in touch with a specialist who taught her how to use the cane with the electric wheel chair. Have any of you had experiences using any type of wheelchair independently with no usable vision? How have you navigated street crossings, buses, etc? Have any of you used a one-handed hydraulic chair?

## Post 2 by Runner229 (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 22-Aug-2012 14:49:59

I have not done that myself, however I have a friend who is partially blind. She uses a wheelchair, and it was remote controlled from what she explained. At the training center we were at, we all had to wear sleepshades and so did she. While out on cane travel with her, she did great. The cane helped her significantly find the excessible parts of street corners, if they were excessible. Most buses have ramps that come out of the bus so people in wheelchairs can use them. It may even be a law that they have those ramps, but I'm not 100 percent sure.
Traveling around in a wheelchair independently isn't impossible, even if you are blind. It takes some extra exploring, so don't be afraid to check out everything.