NAVIGATING his way around badly parked cars and ill placed dustbins is a daily challenge for Limerick man Tony Geary and Stan, his faithful companion.
The fact that Tony is blind and Stan is his guide dog turns the challenge into an ordeal.
“People who are in a hurry often do things without thinking. They park awkwardly on footpaths or pop the bin out leaving it right in my way,” Tony explained.
He was speaking at the launch of the Irish Guide Dogs Association’s SmartStreet campaign to create better awareness of how pavements blocked by parked cars, wheelie bins, over hanging hedges and street furniture, such as shop signage, can impede the independence and mobility of people with vision impairment.
These obstacles force people with vision loss out on to roads in front of fast moving traffic that they cannot see.
Some of their members have had injuries walking around their local area. With increased fear, anxiety and a real risk of injury, some feel so intimidated by the risks outside that they end up staying at home and becoming even more isolated.
The Guide Dogs Association is now urging people to sign up to its SmartStreets Hero pledge to keep pedestrian pavements clear of parked cars, wheelie bins and over-hanging hedges. In doing so, community members will be safe guarding the independence, safety and mobility of Tony and other people with vision impairments.
“In this campaign, I hope to help people realise how simple actions can have a larger impact. For myself and Stan, that might mean walking out onto a busy or dangerous road. So I am asking people to get involved and to get informed and spread the SmartStreet message.
“It gets me down somedays knowing when I leave the house with Stan; we are going to be forced out on to the busy main street because the pavement is blocked by cars. I keep plodding on to get out and do my daily activities but it is really difficult continuously being forced to walk on to the road where I could have an accident,” said Tony.
To show your support for the campaign go to Irish Guide Dogs’ Facebook page, sign up for their SmartStreet Hero pledge and share with your friends. Signing the pledge means you will make every effort to keep our pavements free of obstacles so that blind and vision impaired persons have a clear, safe path to travel.
by Alan Jacques
