Visual Impairment - Essay Example

Spatial awareness also is an important feature that visually impaired people lack. This is the ability to distinguish the surroundings in which a person is which helps one to easily spot and comprehend issues. As such, a visually impaired person may not be able for example to translate other people’s facial expressions which could help him to read their attitude towards an issue.Environmental and Physical Issues EncounteredDuring the activity, various environmental and physical issues were encountered.

For example, it was difficult to walk without the help of a cane. Using it made it easier to stabilize the body thus making walking much easier. It also helped to evade physical obstacles thus reducing the chances of causing an accident or being injured. Accessing doors was also difficult since it was hard to estimate their exact location. I had to be guided by another person in order to access the doors without falling through the staircases that lead to the doors. During this time also, it was difficult to follow the directions that were given to me since it was not possible to approximate the exact distance that I was supposed to cover in order to make turns that would lead to my destination.

Evaluation of the Experiences of Getting Around Campus with a Visual ImpairmentGetting around the campus with a visual impairment is a difficult task especially while navigating through the numerous footpaths which lead to different sections of the campus. Finding directions required the support of another person i.e. my partner, who held my hands and guided me to the right places after I almost fell into a drainage tunnel. Accessing doors was the most difficult task first because I could not see the exact location of the doors so I had to approximate by touching the walls until the point where I would find a door.

Issues I Encountered as Someone Providing SupportProviding support to a visually impaired person is a demanding task. This is due to the fact that while at it, a person becomes the eyes of the affected person. As such, it requires patience since you have to be around the person all the time. The issues I encountered are for example holding the hands of the person to direct him through the footpaths, helping them in finding doors, explaining the nature of the surroundings in which we were after covering short distances so that they can at least have an idea of where we are headed as well as warning them of any physical obstacles on the way which may accidentally cause injuries to them.

However, I observed that a person who loses sight at a later stage in life has a higher capability of accustoming themselves to the surroundings (Billet 2005). At some stages, I only had to mention to my partner where we were after which he would find the direction of where we were heading to by himself.