A Blindfold, a Cane and the City

Yesterday I was dropped somewhere in Denver. Wearing a blindfold and with no access to my phone I had to find my way back. I had no idea where I was, if I’d travelled north or south, or if there would be busses or trains anywhere nearby. I hadn’t been kidnapped, though it might sound like it! I was heading out on my support drop, the first of three travel requirements I must fulfill in order to graduate from the Colorado Center for the Blind and receive my bell in December.

The goal of the drop is to test a student’s problem-solving skills and to put into practice all of the things they have learnt on the program. Students are not permitted to use technology to aid them in navigation, this includes phone apps or calling someone. There are several reasons for this. GPS apps, whilst useful in some contexts, can be inefficient and may not actually offer appropriate walking directions. Furthermore, there are times when you may not have a phone with you, or it’s out of battery, and you still have to find your way.

You are also only allowed to ask one question during your drop. You get to choose what the question is and to whom you ask it, but other than that you are on your own. Again, this is to teach the student that they can rely on their own skills and judgement, and to prepare them for situations where there may not be anyone around, or the people aren’t giving useful information.

As it was my support drop my instructor was with me. He was there to offer moral support and to instruct if we encountered a situation that I had not been taught how to handle before. He however couldn’t assist with navigation. If I chose to get on the wrong bus, he would follow.

We were dropped in a parking garage. This was an interesting start because before I could even begin finding my way back to the center, I had to find my way out to the street. I listened for the sound of traffic and headed that way. Once I found a wall, I followed it along, listening for the sound of cars. I hoped that they were entering and exiting the parking garage, rather than just driving through it. I used their sound, combined with the sound of the street outside, to find my way out.

Once out on the street I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The street was busy, which was a good sign as it meant I was likely to find a bus stop somewhere along it. I worked out by the position of the sun on my body that the street I was on was heading north and south. This didn’t tell me much about my possible location, but it was all information I might be able to use at some point.

I could either go left or right. I chose left and began to walk. Whenever I encountered a sign, I would reach up with my cane to feel if the sign was on both sides of the pole, or only one. I knew that bus stop signs are only on one side of the pole. For a while, all the signs I came across were just regular street signs, but on big streets I might have to cover several blocks before finding a bus stop. That’s exactly what happened. I kept on walking until I found a sign that looked exactly like a bus stop sign. There was also a bench right by it. Not all bus stops will have a bench, but the combination of the two gave me hope that soon a bus would come along!

As it happened, I had to wait around 45 minutes for the bus. Sometimes they will announce the bus number and their final destination as they arrive, however this one didn’t. Either way, I knew I had to move from my current location. I boarded the bus and found a seat, listening to the audio announcements as we travelled. I’d heard of one of the streets we were travelling on, but I didn’t know any of the stops, so I figured it was best to just wait it out. One thing I did know about the busses is that they are all interconnected, invariably the start and end destinations will be stops where you can either get another bus or a train. This bus terminated at the Aurora Metro station. As I was getting off the bus the driver asked me where I was heading.
“Littleton,” I said.
“Oof,” was his accurate, if not especially encouraging reply.

He did however tell me that there was a light rail station here, where I could connect to the R line. Without asking a question I had manage to gain some useful information. My next task was to find the trains and decide which way I was going to head.

By using the sound of the trains, I located the light rail station. I heard the train doors opening, announcing the line and the final stop. I had two choices. I ended up going with the train that terminated at Ridgegate, a stop I’d heard of before. I assumed it was the same line as the one that passes through the 16th street mall, this assumption would prove to be incorrect, but ultimately still not a bad call.

Whilst on the train I continued to listen to the announcements. As we arrived at the Florida station it was announced that at this station, we could transfer to lines going to Downtown Denver. I decided to remain on the train, but I now knew that if this wasn’t the right train, I could find a train going the other way and then transfer to downtown.

I stayed on the train until Ridgegate. It wasn’t the train I’d hoped it might be, but I knew that I could get off and transfer to another train. That’s exactly what I did, I transferred from the R line to the F line, and as I boarded the train, I heard it announce that the final destination was 18th and California. This was perfect, I knew that from there I could get a train heading back to Littleton.

As it turned out I didn’t need to go that far. The train stopped at Broadway, which is a station much closer. From there I got the C line and a few minutes later was at the Littleton station, a few minutes’ walk from CCB.

All in all, my drop took around 4 and a half hours. Considering how far I went and the number of trains I took this was great. At no point did I feel like I wasn’t going to complete the drop. I joked with my instructor and had a great time; this was definitely helped by the beautiful weather that day! I was able to take trains that I hadn’t yet explored, which has only fueled my interest in finding more cool places in the city.

The experience was also a massive confidence boost. I was able to find my way back with no technology to give me information, and only luck that the bus driver had mentioned the rail station. But I know that even if he hadn’t, I’d have kept my cool and listened to my surroundings. Or perhaps I might have used my one question. I now know that all the tools I have, like apps and the information people around me can give are nice, but not necessary. If I’m in a situation where I’m alone and I don’t have my phone I can still travel. I will always find my way, not because I need to depend on others but because I can rely on myself. This is a feeling I have never really felt before.

With my cane in hand and the knowledge I have gained, I can go anywhere.