36.9% of blind persons afraid of going out of their homes, KNPD survey shows

The survey showed that their largest fear was the state of the pavements, obstacles on the same pavements including refuse bags, as well as concerns about driving.

Out of 500 persons registered with KNPD as blind persons who received a questionnaire with 13 questions, only 130, or 13%, who replied to the KNPD’s survey. 64% of all respondents were men.

Asked about the difficulties faced by those who became blind while they were adults, 34 respondents gave no reply, one respondent replied that she did not face any difficulties because she had a guide dog, six replied that they never went out of their home and another 40 replied that they did not go out of their home unless they are accompanied by someone else.

Out of those respondents who replied that they went out of home, 24 lamented that roads were not accessible and that kerbsides were very dangerous, mostly because of the presence of waste paper baskets and doorsteps.

Another 13 respondents complained that public transport was a hindrance to their mobility; another five replied that they were afraid that a car could hit them, while another two replied that they were not trained to live independently.

Asked whether they had received any training to be able to go out and know how to walk outside, 125 respondents replied that they had never received any training whatsoever, and only five replied that they had been give this training.

Those five respondents who had received training explained that the training had been of great benefit for them; however one person who had received this training while attending a primary school in the UK was now afraid of practicing what she had learnt and only went out accompanied by another person.

Asked about what measures should be taken so that blind persons can utilise better what they had learnt on mobility and orientation, 46 respondents replied that they had no problem to address, 26 replied that roads should be more accessible so that they can walk safely, 17 insisted that public transport should be more accessible, 13 called for more enforcement of traffic regulations since they were afraid of going out because they would be hit and drivers do not stop at zebra crossings, and another 3 called for more reserved parking bays for disabled persons, enabling their relative or other accompanying persons to park.

Of those respondents who had called for roads to be more accessible, they mentioned holed pavements, refuse bins lining the kerbs, traffic lights without any audio function, pregnant windows, and jutting electricity poles.

Of those respondents who had called for public transport to be accessible, they mentioned not being able to see the route number displayed on top, and drivers stopping the bus in the middle of the road, hence not being able to ascertain if the bus had actually arrived or not.

Asked about their education level, 54 had attended up to primary level, 49 had attended up to secondary level, 11 had attended up to post-secondary level, 12 had attended up to tertiary level, and five had never attended school.

As to their employment level, 4 replied that they were full-time students, 2 were part-time students, 18 had full-time employment, 2 had part-time employment, five were still seeking a job, 10 were attending a day centre, 72 had retired, and other 17 gave another reply, including housewives or they were still living in an institution.