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AudioGames.net Forum → Off-topic room → Good countries/cities for blind people?
Hello,
I am wondering what are good countries/cities outside Europe as a blind person. I am thinking about things like:
- Good and accessible public transportation
- Good and accessible public space.
- Where it is normal that blind people participate in public life.
- Where other people on the street are helpfull.
- Where there is a culture of inclusion.
-
Thanks
Regards
i'm interested too. But i have to say, in my countrey, nothing and repeating nothing is helpfull for blind and visionally empeared people.
idk if this is true or not, but i hered about a place in Japanese for blind people, i'd like to visit it if that is true, really interestedd in these kind of things
If i'm being brutally honest, i don't believe there really is one with all those things.
Where i live, people help on the streets, but that's about it. No accessible public transpertation, litterally nothiung.
It's sad that because of the fact that our eyes don't work for one reason or the other we are descriminated against. Same way it's not fair that people with black skin are descriminated against. It's rediculas, and it needs to be stopped.
i'm so pissed off.
about transports, goverment can make it accesseble. I'm meaning saying places where this transport is now, and what will next place.
Cause it is possible for made
@4: Did you just seriously compare racism to being blind? Did you just....?
@5: Not that simple. A government has ways and priorities of doing things. Sure, they could make it acccessble, but there's much, much bigger issues a government faces.
@6: in some countries, the situation is actually worse than the discrimination faced by black people. Most developed countries won't allow people to deny housing based on skin color, quite a few allow them to do so based on assistance dogs, however.
@1: Do you think you can't find an accessible city in Europe? I think England, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, not to forget the Nordic countries, have a good accessibility standard. So if you really want an accessible city, I don't think you should wait to see the local authorities perfection everything. Sometimes you have to ask them, either through yourself or through an association for the blind, or you should try finding alternative ways of covering the lack of accessibility in the area where you live. Based on what I am saying, this could be true and not true at all considering that your city might have a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, or the authorities have bigger fish to fry.
Nowhere really has "A good accessibility standard." Usually you have to try and make things accessible for yourself, EG learning routes, getting a guide dog and so on. Different countries and organisations might be more or less helpful with that, and of course there are matters like how much public transport there is, however this can vary between city to city in the same country, let alone different countries, so better employ your time trying to find resources available in the place you want to live, than looking around for some other mythical eutopea which likely doesn't exist.
As to the final points on your list where blind people participate in public life, or where there is a culture of inclusion, I can answer in one word; No where!
Unfortunately, despite so many people banging on the diversity and inclusion drumbs these days, blind people are still so much of a minority that nobody recognises they're a minority at all.
Edinburgh would probably be a good place to look, exceptional public transport, plus the overlap between Scottish and national blindness charities creates a good support network. Also, it has generally very friendly locals.
Some people can just be mean for no reason even if the transportation is accessible. I had a situation where a bus driver refused to drop me off at the stop I needed because she wanted to get through the light. I needed to be dropped off at this stop because it had an audio crosswalk. Let’s say the street was 5th street. She would tell me it was 5th street and let me off at the street before. I had no idea where she let me off at the street before but I didn’t know if it was the street before or after and by how many. If my public transit didn’t have cameras on the bus she’d never be caught doing that. This is the thing that pushed me to get a smart phone for an accessible GPS app. There are going to be nice people and turds no matter how accessible the place you are visiting is. I’d suggest being prepared also with the tech you need and good mobility skills.
lol come to Istanbul and see what happens
wave your cain or ask for help, almost 3 4 people will ready to help you
most of them doesnt know how to proparly help but, well, help is a help i suppose? rofl!
at post 12, some of this happens in my city, at'least in the desert, in the west of algeria you can find the bad and the good people
Hi.
I can safely promote Germany to get on your feet if you are blind. Firstly as a German citizen you have free state wide health care, which allows you to get canes, typewriters, braille displays with a huge discount or even for free, the item ownership remains with your health care provider, but you can use it just normally. This include all sorts of assistive technology, you just have to see where you get what.
For transportation, almost every city has announcements in busses or trains what the next stop will be. People generally are helpfull as well, for example in Marbourgh, where a lot of people live due to the school and university, people will generally know if you need help or not.
Sometimes Germany gets a bit burocratic when it comes to getting assistance money and so on, but that's usual for this cuntry.
You also get a monthly pay of assistance money which, depending on the regions ranges from about 300 up to 730 Euros a month.
Greetings Moritz.
@Simba: can we talk a bit in private about Germany's services for the blind and visually impaired as I am pretty new here in Germany and would like to learn more things about this stuff. It would be really helpful.
Hello.
OP asked outside of Europe, but I'll express my opinion about the whole world.
I note that I traveled a lot in the past.
I think any developed country has the conditions for blind people.
If you take Europe, I saw 3 places only, where it was great. UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
If you take the UK, the blind should live in London.
Outside Europe, the United States, Canada, but if you take not the country, but city, I think it's possible to find good options.
Thank you.
From the bit I've experienced of Japan it seems like it would be a good place to be for a blind person if and only if you understand the language. Even though everything talks, and a lot of things are labelled in braille, all the voices are japanese and so is the braille. At least for braille numbers are recognisable, but the rest doesn't look like anything I've ever seen. They have very good and reliable public transport with announcements, but again it's all in japanese. There's also, not sure what you call it but those lines that stand out on the road that you can follow, they have those everywhere. And the robots have audio indicators to let you know when you can cross the road. Unfortunately the people don't seem particularly friendly. Most don't understand english, but in general japanese people don't really seem to talk even to each other in public, it's the weirdest thing to be in a station or on a train packed with people but hear no conversation at all. It almost made us feel weird for talking to each other while everyone else was dead quiet.
South Africa on the other hand is basically the exact opposite. People here are more friendly and helpful, but the other things are generally lacking. Like others have said, there probably isn't a place that meets all your requirements. If there was I'm sure someone here would have figured it out by now, and we would all be making plans to emigrate.
Yep: You guys who complain about blinds comparing to racism should be so lucky. In Canada, I had a russian girl turn me down in 2013 based on that I was on disability, and ... what would happen if i lost my money? At least that's what my partner was told. His disability was fine, but not mine. Only idiotic people wouldn't see the comparison point. The jokes on her though, a revolving door of dealers in that building.
@zakc93, I was interested in Japan. But they have a special attitude towards foreigners.
I recommend melbourne. there's always people who will help you if you need it, plus, you can go on public transport free of charge, there are auditory crossings and directional markers and hazard markers everywhere and good public transport access. You can get some mobility stuff for free, or at least discounted. See you around if you come!
rory-games, Yes, Australia is a very good option for life. But this is far...
Hi!
I live in Milan, Italy, and I can assure you that's a great city to live if you're blind. First, the transports take you almost anywhere inside the city and they're so frequent that waiting 15 minutes for a bus to come is considered outrageus. Then, they usually talk to tell you the next stop and, even if it happens that the voice assistant breaks sometimes. Also, it's a city full of people walking around even at night, so the probability to find someone who helps you when you're lost or need something is high. There are also a good number of accessible trafficlights, although they could be more and better programmed, I mean, why do I have to find the trafficlights on my own? When I was in Dublin they rang all the time, it was not disturbing and it was ideal to know that you where near one.
Also, Italy is an assistentialistic state. You have some privileges, like a pension just because you're blind and you pay VAT at 4%, so it can be a good reason to live here. I'm personally not a fan of this sistem, but having privileges can become very handy.
Don't expect an utopia, I had my share of problems with my guide dogs and people who must help you at any cost without knowing how to do it or that treat you like you're stupid, but, actually, Milan is so accessible that it will become a problem for me and my boyfriend when he'll finally become a judge, because I don't want to move and loose this grade of autonomy and he'll be put to work who knows where.
Oh, and there's really a culture of inclusion, because people come from everywhere in the world, so most people are open to diversity.
siria, But I know that in Italy the mountain relief prevails. How does it get in the way of the blind?
Hi.
As far as I know in Japan it's considered rude to talk on a train, it's an unwritten law as far as I know, some even carry face masks to protect themselves, I don't know if that's still the case.
They don't necessarily have a problem with people from other cuntry if they are just tourists and know how to behave them selves, but if you intend living there for longer they expect you to know the language, but every cuntry does this I suppose.
Greetings Moritz.
Greetings Moritz
Well I myself live in London, they have very good transport.
And all the streets are pretty friendly; however people at some times can be unhelpful. Some might try to help; other people will just walk away. As for events and things if you want to go out to a restaurant you can call ahead to tell them you are coming.
if you think you will have to all way's go on a bus or a train you are wrong, you should get a traveling payment each month which goes from 150 to 300 £
However if you are thinking of going to study and you are eaver in university or in high school you should go to the city of Worcester.
There people know much more about the needs of the blind, and there university is very good.
If you are thinking of going to high school, so that is from the age of 11 to 18 here is a link to the school that I am currently going to.
https://www.ncw.co.uk/
This could me just being bias, but really it's a pretty good school.
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