Here’s another article about people’s need to grab blind people in an attempt to help. It’s saying a lot of the same things we said or mentioned before, but with the addition of an aspect I hadn’t thought of, how it must feel to experience this when you’re new to the whole blindness thing, and how downright terrifying it would be. I’ve definitely had some terrifying instances, like when I was new to KW, and some woman grabbed me and started trying to drag me through the bus terminal without asking where I was going first, and I wasn’t super familiar with the area, but most of them, to me, are just annoying and demeaning. It’s amazing more of us aren’t dealing with severe anxiety. Or maybe we are and I’m just blissfully unaware.
So, please, unless I’m about to die and there’s no time to explain, ask me how you can help. And sometimes, what looks like struggling actually isn’t. If I’m searching for the rail to get on the bus, it’s not for balance, it’s to get a sense of how far I have to step to reach the bus. Seizing my wrist in a death grip actually makes things worse and makes it more likely I will slip and fall. Words are wonderful things, you should use them.
And it’s not just anxiety. Somebody may also be dealing with a physical injury that your grabbing is actually making worse. People tend to be pretty rough on our arms and shoulders, for instance. I’m sometimes bothered by both ever since I broke my right arm when I was 15. Thankfully nobody has done me any real harm yet, but that’s me.
Here’s a good rule of thumb: If I’m getting *on* a bus, there’s no need to touch me. If I’m about to be *under* a bus, it’s ok to shoot first and ask questions later. This honestly should not be that difficult.