Hi everyone, what’s happening today?

I’m blogging at a Starbucks, in Raincouver! Ah… the ambiance!

Anyhoo… I started a blog, then shelved it, about mobility device etiquette… simple do’s and don’ts aimed at those who walk, not roll, and specifically from a DeafBlind perspective.

But, before I get to that, I am going to recount a situation that happened just yesterday…

I was riding my power chair, rolling along, at peace. I left the mall, deciding to motor all the way home, a usual feat that takes me 20 to 25 minutes. Not a drop of rain yesterday.

I get to a busy street, and wait patiently for the crosswalk signal to proclaim it was safe to cross.

I started across, some folks were crossing from the opposite side of the street.

I realized that there was another person mothering towards me on their power chair, oh my, what a rare occurrence!

Following the unwritten rules of the sidewalk, I immediately drove to the right side, following cars driving on the right side of the road.

However, instead of heading to the left, this idiot was also heading to the right! They were trying to outdrive me to the right side! But, in doing so, they were putting themselves OUT of the crosswalk!

It was like two power chair users playing chicken!

I relented, and went left, sending a profanity backwards after I passed.

Now, a thought, this driver was probably shouting at me to go left, being DeafBlind, I obviously missed that.

However, let this be the first Do & Don’t!

Do… when a person using a mobility device is coming your way, Follow the rules of the road, walk or drive with traffic. Meaning: If I am coming towards you on the right, stay on the left. Or if I am coming up fast on the left, move to the right!

No one wants to be a sidewalk pancake!

Thanks for reading!