Welcome to my Navigating College Campuses series, where I talk about all of the different ways I use Orientation and Mobility (O&M) techniques and my blindness cane as a student with low vision at my large public university. After spending four years living on my college campus, I’ve learned a thing or two about navigating in several different conditions and situations, and am so excited to share my tips and tricks with other students and future students. Today, I will be sharing my experiences with blindness canes and finding classrooms on my college campus.
My favorite cane for navigating hallways
My favorite cane for navigating hallways and indoor areas is my rolling marshmallow tip cane. This is because I use the constant contact technique and always have my cane on the ground, and I also prefer having a collapsible cane that I can store in class- more on that later. Once I am in the classroom, I rarely use my blindness cane since I know how to walk around my classroom without running into people or walls- or at least without running into them too often.
Related links
- Decoding The Tips of Blindness Canes
- How To Order Custom Colors for Blindness Canes
- Ten Things To Know About Going To College With A Blindness Cane
First, find the classroom building
The most important step for learning how to find classrooms is to first find the class building. Since I’ve been on campus for a few years, I know pretty much every building on campus and can easily locate them, but when I first started out I was incredibly confused on how to find my classes. I have an entire post below about learning to identify campus buildings with assistive technology as part of my “Navigating College Campuses” series.
Related links
- Blindness Canes and Building Identification: Navigating College Campuses
- Blindness Canes and Dining Halls: Navigating College Campuses
- Blindness Canes and Construction: Navigating College Campuses
Learn how room numbering works
Each building at my college has a slightly different numbering system. For example, room 1303 is on the third floor in one building, while room 1303 is on the first floor in a different building. My professors typically send out directions on how to find the classroom before the first day of class, though I also have walked through buildings prior to the first day or at off-peak times to figure out where my class is.
Related links
- Ten Form Emails To Send To Your Professors
- Blindness Canes and Campus Addresses: Navigating College Campuses
- College Scheduling Hacks For Students With Chronic Illness
Find elevators and/or stairs, if relevant
Sometimes, staircases and elevators appear to be hidden, so knowing where to find them is important for learning how to navigate inside a building. This semester, the elevator for a building where I had three classes was impossible to miss as it was right next to the door, but for another building I had to ask my brother (who goes to the same college as I do) to help me find it. If I didn’t have my brother, I would have asked a friend or building staff member to help me find the elevator or flight of stairs. Alternatively, I would take pictures of signs and enlarge them or use a service such as BeSpecular to figure out the directions to the elevator.
Related links
- BeSpecular App Review For Visually Impaired Users
- Tips For Siblings Going To The Same College
- How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
Use landmarks to learn routes
When I was learning how to navigate my summer internship building with low vision, I memorized different art decorations on the walls and different objects that I would pass along my route. I do the same thing when walking to my classes at college, and memorize different decorations and locations of items such as trash cans or vending machines. This is especially helpful when I am navigating larger buildings, as having distinct landmarks can help me ensure I am going in the right direction.
Related links
- How I Learned To Navigate My Internship Building With Low Vision
- High School Hallways and Low Vision
- Touring Colleges With Virtual Reality
Read signs with assistive technology
I love using assistive technology to read signs, and tend to use the short text feature in many visual assistance apps to read the room numbers. Some professors will also put handwritten notes on the door with important class information or just a larger version of the room number. In the past, I have also used Be My Eyes to read numbers on a door quickly.
Related links
- How I Use Google Assistant While Traveling
- Microsoft Seeing AI And Low Vision Review
- How I Use Be My Eyes With Low Vision
Have a visual assistance service such as Aira
I love using Aira on my college campus, because the Aira agents have access to maps of the entire campus and maps of the inside of buildings. I start each call by saying the name of my college campus and the building I am in so that the agent can confirm this information, and then they help me get to class. While Aira is a paid service, there are ways to use it for free, which include having free Aira access for five minutes a day and the Back to School program (which is currently full for the 2019-2020 school year) which provides free Aira service. I am part of the Back to School program and did a video promoting the program about a year ago on my college campus, which can be accessed below.
Related links
Ask the professor for directions
Professors want students to show up for their classes and are happy to provide directions to class via email, or telling students how they get to the classroom. Many of my professors will actually wait near the door of the classroom and will say hello to me as soon as I am near the door, so that I know that I am at the right classroom. My advisor and department administrator are also great at giving directions as needed.
Related links
Storing canes in class
Once I get to class, I collapse my blindness cane and either put it behind me or zip it up inside my backpack. Since I very rarely have to get up in class and can walk short distances without my cane, I don’t need to have it out where it could potentially get stepped on- or in a particularly embarrassing case, where it could trip the professor!
Related links
- Twelve Blindness Cane Storage Solutions
- Seven Places I Don’t Take My Blindness Cane
- Choosing A Backpack With Low Vision
Final thoughts
Navigating college campuses can be tricky, but I’m so grateful to have my blindness cane to help me every step of the way. My blindness cane provides me the independence I need as someone with low vision and allows me to go all of the places I want to go on campus, all while keeping me safe from obstacles and safety hazards along the way. Whether you are new to using a cane or have used one your entire life, I hope this post is helpful for learning how to navigate your college campus, no matter what gets in your way!
