Orientation and Mobility Training / White Cane Training: My Feelings After 2 Sessions
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Orientation and Mobility Training / White Cane Training: My Feelings After 2 Sessions
Matt talks about what O and M training was like after his first 2 sessions. He felt like he learned some useful skills but also felt embarrassed. He is going to continue his training but he is unsure how his pride will do.
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Hi Matt, I am, for one, so, so proud of you for not only progressing through these two lessons but for sharing both the positive and the negative about your experiences. First may I say, one cannot be blind and never experience fear or apprehension . It is just part of our blindness. I go out my front doors every, single, day and face fear and apprehension and I just learn to talk positively to myself and say, this is my town, This is my world and I am going to be a part of it, blindness or not. I too, was terrified when I first went out with a white cane and even worse, sleep shades covering my eyes. How embarrassing! As you explained all of the different experiences that you were exposed to during these lessons, I was thinking that, wow, you really seem to have really been doing well in the opinion of your trainer because you really seemed to be doing some advanced work. I wouldn’t get hung up or worried about second guessing what the trainer is doing from lesson to lessen sense, after all, he is the trainer. You must already have mini more mobility skills than you are even aware of. I truly believe that as you get more comfortable with your skills, your self consciousness will decrease. That is what happened with me because I was always admired and acknowledged for not looking, blind. And then it dawned on me that why should I be longing for or desiring to be like everyone else. I finally, embraced my difference and I am so surprised still, to this day, when others are very excepting of my difference. On my last river cruise, to my shock, one of the fellow passengers told me that she had discussed with her husband, her thoughts of passing on and when she comes back, she wants to be me, Beverlyc here she was, a semi professional golfer, and she wanted to come back as a blind person. Go figure! It just goes to show you what kind of impact you can have on other people as you are out there just living your life to the fullest. Keep going. You never know how far you will get! Keep up the informative videos as well because we do need to hear how this training is going since we all either have been through it ourselves or are trying to obtain the courage to get started with our own independence. Once again, great video, good luck! Love, Beverly
Hi Beverly! Wow, I don’t even know where to start, first off, thank you once again for all of the encouragement and inspiration. You truly motivate me so much and give me so much hope and inspiration for my own progress throughout the training. You are someone that I look up to as you are very skilled catchup and so incredibly brave. I realize that probably sounds ridiculous, but to me for someone who has none of the skills yet, to see you going out in public as a blind person with your guy dog and proficient in Keene use is so amazing to me I admire you for all of your independence and freedom that you have gained through the skills you have learned. Hopefully this video and future videos about my training will give anyone else who is feeling apprehensive about starting the training the courage to start just like I needed it from everybody here in this community. It is so amazing to hear all the positive feedback the you get from everybody you encounter out in public. It is so amazing that everybody sees you embrace the affliction and feel so inspired observing you and getting to know more about you. You truly are an incredible person and I have looked up to you for so long! Thanks again Beverly, huge hugs, love Matt
Blind to Billionaire I forgot to say as well that you are so very fortunate to have Cory around for some of the cited guide training. You have no idea how rare that is and how much you both will benefit in the future. Because you both travel so much together and do so many things together, this training, even a tiny bit, will be in Normas Lee helpful. I wish my husband Jerry could have been exposed to just a little cited guide training from a real instructor. He relies on me to explain what to do or how best to do it and I always joke that he is the one who can see so I just hang on and trust him, kind of how I trust Gretchen, my seeing eye dog. Just be brave and keep pushing forward. You’ve got this!
Bama Blind hi Beverly I just wanted to tell you that was beautifully said
My Blind Mamas Messy Kitchen XX thanks Jerry, and I will be preparing that delicious whiskey pecan pie this week, practicing for Thanksgiving dinner!
Hi Jerry, I completely agree with you, Beverly is very smart and she always has something very informative and interesting to say. Thanks for reaching out to her :-)
Feeling afraid, uncomfortable and even humiliated are common feelings that you would confront during not only mobility training but a lot of occasions where you need to go through the process of learning new technics. I perfectly know those feelings but believe me after finishing your training you will feel much more better. Please, do not give up. 👍
Thank you my friend! I will definitely not give up, it is just a really difficult time right now as just about everything is when we take him on a new venture. I have gone through this process many times in my life where I’ve started something new and the first few times it was awful, only for it to get so much better later on. Thanks again my friend, I truly appreciate your advice and encouragement! Matt
They say that nothing worth doing is ever easy. You’ll look back on this six months from now and be amazed how far you’ve come. I’m so proud of you!!!
Hi Kim, I love the statement. That is so true. I know I’ve had these experiences in other aspects of my life. I start something new and it is incredibly difficult but I continue to pursue and ultimately it turns out to be a really good experience. Just a few months later I’m very happy that I continued on. I had to laugh out loud a little bit when my phone read your comment and it said six months from now I will look back at how far I’ve come. LOL, I left because initially I thought, there’s no way I’m going to be doing this in six months. LOL. But seriously, I will be it was just my initial reaction. It’ll definitely be a very liberating feeling in six months from now to see the improvements I am me making. Thanks again Kim, I sincerely appreciate it huge hugs, Matt
Matt, there are times when I am out and about with my guide dog in training. People may look, especially if my guide is totally acting up. I have been a wreck thinking I look foolish. No comparison to how you feel. Please don't feel embarrassed by anyone. If they are staring, then they are the ones with a problem. I think doing what you are doing is admirable! You are to be cheered for, prayed for, and reassured that you are NOT a clown. That is the enemy speaking in your head. The negative in our heads do not want us to move forward in success. Talk yourself into confidence. Only speak positive to yourself. You have made it this far. God is with you and he will NOT abandon you. Many of us think you inspire us to take a hold of our fears and move on! You can do this. We ALL know you can.
Hi, thank you, that is very encouraging. Maybe this comes down to what I have discussed in some of my other videos, when I have to have the cane out I feel like I should be acting a certain way. When I was at the mall the other day I felt like I should’ve been performing a circus act for everybody together around and watch. LOL. Thank you so much for all of your very supportive words, you have no idea how much it means to me! Is also interesting to hear about you and your guy dog in training when you were out in public. I guess I never thought of that. As always, thank you! You are an amazing person! Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire I believe we are to go through such storms because God wants us to be totally dependant on Him. God did not bring you this far to fail. If we did not go through some ugly times, then we wouldn't know what beauty is supposed to look like.
We appreciate you sharing struggles. In reality nobody wants to admit we have any. It makes us look weak to the public. God meets you in your struggle and gives you strength. He has given you strength this far and you are still here! Keep going Matt. You have a bunch of people and family who believe in you to do great things.
I love the comment, thank you so much for the motivation. That is so true, I love this :-)
Congratulations! I'm happy you started the mobility training finally! I'm just happy. Go Matt
Hi! Thank you, that is so incredibly nice and sweet of you to say! I did start the training and I will continue with it. I will produce more videos in the future talking about my experience and how it is going. Thanks again so much, this means a lot to me! You are such a great friend and I sincerely appreciate your support! Hugs, Matt
Matt I am thrilled that you are getting the opportunity for orientation and mobility training where you live. In the instance with him all I would have been terrified mortified and emotionally way off-kilter I would have felt like I would have been thrown into the lions den.
When I first got My Cane it was an uncomfortable situation and I was scared to use it. good because of a situation in which I received my first game which I'm working on a video the death of honestly read it a couple of times I want to put that story out there send.
I use my cane daily basis now and I've recently cut any tip which working out much better.
The most embarrassing moment I've had is when someone at the store well-meaning an intention open the door for me I didn't see enough to know the door was and I ran right into it even with my cane I was completely mortified and a little tearful
I look forward to hear more about your training is you cut through the process and I think all of your feelings more normal in that situation. And I look forward to hearing about all your adventures to come come.
Intended to have a video 0 but laryngitis and dictation don't make a good combination so I apologize
Hi, I cannot thank you enough! You have been so incredibly supportive and motivating to me for the last year or so since I’ve been talking about orientation and mobility training. I am finally going through with it even though it is a very embarrassing and mortifying experience. I know it will get better at some point, I just need to continue to push through the difficult times. I cannot even imagine what it was like the first couple times you were out with your cane especially when you walked right into the door, that is so embarrassing but don’t worry, I have done that many times two. I guess that is one reason why we need to learn how to use our canes properly to avoid situations like that. It is certainly a frightening experience, but overall the training will benefit us so much more in the future once we have obtained the skills. Thanks again, I hope you’re having a great afternoon. Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire you're more than welcome in this community has been an awesome support to me too. And I appreciate each and every one of your videos. Honestly I spent the day with my husband whom was having cardiovascular tesing today everything turned out as well as it could have. so you could say I'm having the best day that I choose to have. A lot of times it's making the choice to have an amazing day and choosing how we move through each experience.
Hi, I hope this is finding you doing well and having a great weekend. I’m glad that you chose to have a great day the other day with your husband having cardiovascular testing. I’m so happy that this community has been supportive and great to you as well, it’s so nice to have you here and you are definitely very important part of the community! I just want to offer a safe place for Blind if he’s impaired people can go to share their feelings and expressions and not worry about being judged or bullied. Thanks so much, I hope you’re having a great weekend :-) Mattr
You are going to inspire a lot of people Matt! Being real about your anxiety but also believing it would improve will give courage to others! God bless you.
Good morning, thank you! That is so nice of you, I really appreciate it, thank you for watching this video :-) matt
Congrats Matt on stepping out of your comfort zone and going for it! It's incredibly scary and uncomfortable but worth it to learn what you need to. I still feel uncomfortable at times and I've been doing it since I could walk. Just remember we're all here with you. (And it does get better) So proud of you!
Hi Brianna! Thank you so much for your very encouraging words and for all of your support, you truly mean so much to me! It is nice to know that it will get better from here, that is what I need to hear! It is just like everything, it is really tough at first to get going, but once we do and we move forward a few months, we look back and we’re so excited at the progress we’ve made. Thank you for all of your support, it truly means a lot to me! You’ve been doing this your entire life and I look up to you as someone who is skilled with cane travel and orientation and mobility. Thanks again Brianna, I sincerely appreciate it :-) huge hugs, Matt
I don't question the value of your videos, particularly this one! I've been hitting the malls in the area to prepare for my big trip to DC this week. Hands down, and even cane down, my first day was difficult and exhausting. I got through it, but when I got home, I cried and sobbed for a couple of hours because it took so much out of me, and I didn't think it would ever get better. Had to take the next day completely off, but the next day trip I took was better, and I worked on recognising landmarks in a new mall rather than being almost completely lost the whole time like on my first day. Sharing your experience with how difficult it is, that's a big beacon of empathy and motivation. Thank you for sharing your experience here!
Hi! Thank you for the feedback, I’m glad this video was helpful and that you per able to resonate even though it was not a easy experience. I wanted to share my experience because I know so many other people struggle in these situations.Your upcoming trip to DC you will certainly be interesting, it was nice that you were at the mall doing some practicing, I think that is very Porten before the trip. It is certainly very exhausting, far more exhausting than a person would initially give it credit for. I think you did a great job, I’m glad you were able to go back a second time and start recognizing landmarks around the mall and be getting to build a little more confidence. Thanks so much for sharing your experience :-) I hope you have a wonderful time in DC you
My daughter has retinitis pigmentosa, she is 28 years old now. She was lucky to have mobility training with a blind teacher. He was teaching a 5 persons group at the same time. His first 2 classes were inside a classroom and teach them different ways to protect their face and head while walking near a wall and different cane techniques. On another class he set up like a trail inside the room but with several obstacles to help them manage their way around them. Another day he took them outside to walk on a side walk which was had a lot of obstacles, also to cross a street, making a a signal with the cane, make them to pay attention and listen if they can hear the car motor running or still. There were around 7 classes practicing all the techniques before he took them to a big mall. He taught them how to go up and down the stairs, get an elevator and the electric stairs. I almost fainted when I had to see that, but man they did it like pros!!! My advise best advise to you... take chances, no matter how uncomfortable you feel doing something, your best choice is to go for it. Wish you the best luck on your future classes!!!
Hi! Thank you so much for watching this video and for reaching out to me with your comment. It is so nice to meet you and to have you here on the channel, thank you so much for subscribing! It is nice to hear about your daughters experience with the orientation and mobility training. It sounds like this is the type of training that I would be interested in doing. Starting out in the classroom and then slowly progressing to obstacles in the classroom, then outside, then finally makingI bet it was very frightening for you to watch, but it’s so awesome that she was able to do it and gain the skills. I’m guessing she probably has so much independence and freedom now that she is proficient in mobility and Cain travel. That is so exciting! Thank you once again for watching and for being here, your support and friendship means so much to me :-) it would be awesome to have your daughter here as well if she’s interested in checking out some of my videos, it would be nice to connect with her as I also have retinitis pigmentosa :-) feel free to reach out to me at any time and the same goes for your daughter, I am here to always offer my friendship and support to anyone :-) thanks again, talk to you soon. Matt
Don't give up on your training. I think you'll get better at it if you keep practicing. I first wondered why i had to use a white cane as a low vision person in some situations, but after a few weeks had fun with the idea. I felt awkward at the beginning, but the feeling went away after seeing some of my other friends with low vision using one in unfamiliar places.
Hi, thank you, I appreciate the encouraging words. I will definitely not give up with the training, I know it will get better, hopefully sooner than later. I’m going to stick it out because I know that things typically start out a little bit rough but ultimately get better and are for the best in the end. I’m glad that you feel so much more comfortable using the white cane compared to when you first started. Thanks for sharing your experiences! Matt
Hi Matt I am so proud of you for taking the first two training sessions with your white cane with an o&m specialist instructor
Hi Matt I’m legally blind I have a white cane because my version is very poor. I have a wonderful and a very nice mobility trainer person he’s is very nice and is always patient with me I love your story you are doing a good job sharing your story with others you’re not being dramatic at all. God Bless you.
So proud of you. This is a huge step. One that I'm struggling to find the effort and will to continue even though I know it will be beneficial. I am so excited to see you go through this journey with you. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thank you Shelby, that is so incredibly sweet of you to say! I’m always here for you if you ever need anything, never hesitate to reach out! That is why I have this community, to not only share my experiences, but offer my support to anybody here! Thanks for being such an amazing friend :-) Matt
Hi Matt! I am new to your channel, and I am loving it! As an O&M specialist myself, I am surprised to hear your instructor went full out right into the mall on the 2nd day! He must have thought that you could handle this pressure and self-imposed embarrassment, if that makes any sense. O&M teachers are usually pretty good at gauging people...but when we aren't (happens to me all the time!), we will ask our students what they want out of this training and where they think they would be comfortable starting. Normally, I would start small and progress as we expand the horizons. I hope you've been able to be transparent with your instructor, and that he has been the same with you. It's so important in order to build a positive rapport!
You seem to have retained quite a bit of information given the negative experience you had. It is very impressive to see that! Congratulations to you for working so hard on your skills. I hope you become a universal traveler ! Take care.
Hi! Thank you so much for watching this video and for reaching out to me. It is so nice to connect with you. That is amazing you are an orientation and mobility specialist, I just want to say, you are absolutely changing lives for the better! I am so grateful for the people who do this as a profession like yourself, the training has been absolutely life-changing for me and he has given me so much more independence Independence, freedom, and confidence. Thank you once again, you were changing the lives of your students. I found it to be very interesting when I made it very clear to my instructor that I wanted to start around the neighborhood and then progress into the mall, on day two we were right there in the mall right in front of a bunch of people. I felt absolutely humiliated and I hated everything about it. But as I progressed, after a few sessions things got so much better and I gain the confidence I needed to continue. The first few sessions were really bad and rough, but I’m glad I continued, I have so much more confidence and I love being able to navigate independently now. Just so much for your sweet words, I really appreciate your support and friendship. Thank you once again for being here, talk to you soon :-) Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire Very well said Matt and Olivia, i agree with you. It's important to me as an O&M specialist to develop a bond of trust with the people I work with and to take the time to discuss the often intense feelings around the symbol of the white cane and being "out" in the public with it. Every client is different of course, but I have seen, heard, and learned from my clients that there are some universal feelings.
I believe that is one of the great strengths of your TH-cam videos Matt, bringing these feelings and experiences out in the open.
I believe it's important for people and their O&M specialists to work together as a team, I see my profession as simply providing the tools and techniques, it's the person I am working with who is the one who determines the pace and goals. It can sometimes be a fine line between pushing someone's limits with support and guidance and causing unnecessary trauma and negative feelings about safe and independent travel using a cane.
P.S. Olivia and I are colleagues at the same rehabilitation centre
Hi, very well said! It is so much fun to connect with both of you and hear your experiences, I’m just so grateful to both of you and people in your profession, you are transforming lives and giving us our independence and freedom once again :-) thank you!
🤗🤗🤗
Awww, Matt, you’re describing the same feelings I had when I did my O and M training. I was terrified, and was extremely frustrated at times. What helped me get through it was thinking, I need to be proficient with this in order to not depend on others.
I know the training is daunting, but with practice, you will get better and gain more confidence.
And the hell with what anyone will think. You’re doing this for you. They’re probably thinking, Look, that dude over there is just killing it! I’m impressed! Right on! 😉👍🏽❤️
LOL, you definitely have a way with words! Your comments always make me smile and laugh, I sincerely appreciate how open you are. It is nice to know that I am not the only one who was frustrated and feeling this way after the first few sessions. It is very encouraging because I know that you are proficient with the cane now and you have so much independence just like Jacob. It is so amazing to think of how far you have come because of the training, which also motivates me to continue. Thank you, your comments mean far more than what words can describe :-) huge hugs, thank you very much.😘😘😘
Blind to Billionaire Oh, you’re very welcome Matt. 🤗
That is so nice of you, hope you and Jacob are having a great weekend :-)
Blind to Billionaire So far, so good. He’s at work braving the Seattle cold for a few hours.
Hello, happy Sunday! Good job for Jacob, that is exciting :-) hope all of you are having a wonderful Sunday :-) see you again tomorrow. Matt
Uncomfortable situations make you less uncomfortable. The more you walk around in public places like that, the less nerve racking it'll be. There are certain things you might always feel nervous about, but it won't be as bad.
I think, sometimes, the nerves make me cautious. For me, it isn't as much the social anxiety, but -potentially dangerous situations. On a very regular basis, I cross a very busy street at a stoplight.
It doesn't bother me like it used to, but I definitly don't act like it's no big deal. I think that helps me to not cross carelessly.
There are a lot of reasons to take you out to a mall right off the bat, so I don't know why he did it, but I'm glad he did. I think it's best thing to do over all, and get used to it. As time goes by, you'll be going through that legendary Minnesota winter, so he'll likely use the mall as a training spot quite often.
One advantage to this is the variety of situations you will be involved in. You have walls to trail, that half wall you had to maneuver around, open spaces, maybe even the parking lot, possible crowd senarios, the mall has it all.
You mentioned learning sighted guide techniques and being in step. That's when you tap on the left side when advancing your right foot and vice versa.
With both, you want to understand the purpose, because it isn't necissary to do them all the time religiously.
You are likely using a cane which is tall enough to reach just under your chin. This makes being in step more necissary than if you had a longer cane.
It's meant to let your cane explore the area in front of the foot you are about to move, but unless yu swing your cane very quickly, it makes you shuffle along very slowly. A longer cane sticks out further, so you don't have to be so worried about being in step, enabling you to walk faster. I still tend to walk slower than most people in some places, because I still have to navigate around obsticles.
In sighted guide, holding the elbo puts the other person ahead of you, so when they navigate obsticles, they will naturally help you avoid collisions..
My exgirlfriend and I could hold hands and get around just fine, but my cane was still out, and she was good about warning me of upcoming curbs, turns, dooors, etc.
I'm truly happy for you though. You've been wanting to do this for a while, and you have expressed, many times, that outside the house, you have a lot of trouble navvigating by yourself. This will definitly, slowly but surely, help you become able tooo just go and do.
Hey my friend! It is so great to hear from you, it has been a while! You are exactly correct with everything you said in your comment. The cane techniques, cited guide techniques, as well as the length of the cane and tapping as well as everything else you mentioned is exactly what we discussed and what I learned. Yes, you’re right, I have been talking that I want to do this for quite a while now and this will be the solution to regaining independence and freedom. It will take a while, but just like you said throughout the cold Minnesota winters, we will probably be visiting them all frequently as our training center to avoid the snow. Thanks so much for watching this video and for all support, I sincerely appreciate everything you have to say! I hope all is going well with you :-) talk to you again soon. Matt
Hey there Matt I am really proud of you that you decided to go on with orientation and Mobility like I've told you before it's going to make the quality of life for you much better and you will gain independence. I remember my first few lessons with orientation and Mobility everything that you said that you were taught is pretty much what I was taught - the white cane I didn't get very much training in that area because since I did have some usable vision and I still have some usable Vision today but although it has gotten a little bit worse and I've lost a lot more peripheral vision. I was very young my first few lessons of orientation and Mobility we're quite scary so don't feel like you're being too dramatic. I remember having to go up an escalator in a multi-level department store I was only ten years old. I was so scared but I actually cried a little bit I had to be comforted by my trainer she was so sweet because she gave me time and then eventually she walked me through the lesson of what she wanted me to do and then she had me try it again on my own and I did get it right the second time. I had to go up the escalator and find a specific section in the clothing department and then find my way back to the escalator and go back down for she would meet me. Now when I said I cried in that department store I didn't cry loudly but it was more like just whimpering from being or actually nervous but I told her I was scared. But let me give you some encouragement keep going don't give up gain all the skills and knowledge and most of all conquer the fear of doing this in front of people you will get used to it and at a point you need to just not worry about what people say or think it will get easier this might not be a good analogy but it's like a performer making their first debut in front of a live audience there's the butterflies in the stomach the nervousness because it's their first time performing on stage well the shopping malls are your stage the people are your audience and you are performing you're still training it's going to give you much more in life so don't stop reach for the stars and keep going and keep us posted thanks for sharing.
Hey Sam, thank you so much for sharing your experience from orientation and mobility when you were younger. What you were describing and when my phone was reading it to me, it sounds very similar to what I was experiencing. It was so much stress and the trainer just left me to go out on my own. It gave me post Trumatic stress as my phone was reading it. LOL, that seems a little bit extreme, but seriously it’s not a lick the same situation. I’m so glad that you got through it and gained so much independence and freedom as a result of the I would say my trainer is not very understanding, he basically just throws me out there and has me do whatever he says. Thank you so much for the support, I will definitely keep you updated. I have only had five sessions so far, but I can tell that my skill level has increased dramatically and my level of independence has increased a ton already as well. Thanks again Sam, I really appreciate your friendship :-) Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire hey Matt no problem I appreciate it I'm always willing to support you I feel that that's what us as a blind or visually impaired community should do we should support each other. I would say that because I was a child at the time that orientation and Mobility training is much different in that situation I would assume that the trainer has to be a lot more lenient. Because like I said I cried from so much stress if I whimpered as an adult going through orientation and Mobility I wonder what the trainers reaction would be. One thing I'll tell you as long as he is teaching you the skills that you need to know ahead of time before throwing you out there then you should be okay. It's almost like a music performer making his first debut on stage I'm sure there's a lot of stress when you go out there in the mall your skills as a blind person that's your performance and the Shoppers are your audience. You just get out there and do what you need to do and you're going to look back and say wow it's really paid off.
Hey Sam, thanks so much. You truly are an amazing friend. I completely agree, all of us here in this community should be around to support each other, and I think we are displaying that really well. Thanks so much, you are a great person. The training is very interesting, I would say that he is not exactly training and teaching me all the basic fundamentals of Cain travel, but rather it is almost like on the job training. It’s like I’m trying to figure it out by myself as we go. It is stressful but yet at the same time my skill level has increased exponentially in just the last few training sessions. It is exciting to think about all the possibilities and freedom I will have interest a short time. Thanks again Sam, I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. Matt
HI Matt, as an O&M Specialist (our job title here in Quebec, Canada) I really appreciate hearing your perspective as a client. When I was in college studying to be an O&M, we had to wear low vision simulators or light blocking blindfolds and learn the techniques. The reason for this was to get a sense of how it feels for our future clients. However, that was almost 20 years ago for me and to have your video as a reminder and to hear your feedback is so important to me. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Hi, thank you so much for watching this video and for subscribing to the channel. That is awesome, thank you for everything you were doing, what do you think it or not, you were changing the lives of so many people that you work with. I never ever would’ve thought or recognized how life-changing orientation and mobility training would be, but it it has allowed me to regain so much independence, freedom, and confidence. You truly change lives. I’m so grateful for the people who do this as a profession, I cannot thank you enough! I appreciate you sharing your experience is going through college and training, it’s nice that you’re able to experience what it’s like to be a blind person, it’s not always easy. LOL. Thanks for being such a great friend and for all your support, I look forward to hearing from you again sometime soon. MATT
@@BlindtoBillionaire Thank you Matt for your response and kind words for my profession. I cannot speak for all O&Ms but in my experience I have felt so happy for the people I work with when I see them gain skills and achieve their goals.
However, as I am sure with everyone around the world, COVID-19 has put a pause on my work with clients. Here in Quebec, we've been in quarantine since March 13th. Vision rehabilitation is covered under our universal healthcare services and we work out of a multi-rehabilitation centre. So since we are not directly seeing clients, we are scratching our heads as to what to do to continue to support and motivate us and them. I would like to share your TH-cam page with my clients, as peer support and information exchange is priceless.
Thank you again .
Hi, it is unfortunate everyone is in quarantine like this, but we also need to recognize that everybody needs to say safe so all of us can get through this together. I am in the same position, my sessions halted about a month ago because of this whole pandemic. That would be amazing if you share my channel with your students and colleagues, or anyone who may find this to be interesting. I have this community as a safe place for the blind and visually impaired or anyone else to come and watch content as well as connect with me. Thank you for doing that, I look forward to connecting with some of the people you forward this information to :-) thanks again, Matt
hi Matt. I’ve had a lot of experience with different mobility instructor. I think there are two kinds of instructors. Ones who are willing to listen to your needs and work with you according to your personality. Slowly work up to gaining the courage to go into those situations. Then the other types of instructors are ones like you have. I’ve had that type as well. I have been traumatized. I had a mobility instructor watch me and let me walk head on into a phone booth. I whacked my head pretty hard. Her response was“Now you know it’s there“ “there were a lot of people around and I was completely humiliated. So believe me I understand fully all of those things you’re feeling. I still experience them from time to time. Just please don’t stop speaking up for yourself. Having said that I’m super happy to hear that you’re willing to keep going forward. You’re right it will get easier and you will gain confidence.
Hi Jerry, wow, that is absolutely traumatizing that you’re one trainer let you walk directly into a phone booth and injure yourself with a bunch of people as your audience. I mean, that is absolutely ridiculous. I feel like that person has something wrong with them to allow someone who is blind to get injured and respond with the statement of, well now you know it’s there. That is absolutely ridiculous. I probably would’ve went absolutely crazy and hit her with my stick. LOL, not really but that’s probably what I would’ve wanted to do. I hope you fired that person immediately, I would have. You have been an incredible advocate and have always encouraged me to stick up for what I need and what I want. I definitely need to implement that more than I already a.m. I appreciate you continuing to suggest this as it is very important and you have definitely gone through a lot more training than I have, I look up to you for all of your experience and knowledge and your proficient use with a cane. Thank you Jerry, you always have something so informative and intelligent to say, it truly means so much to me! You are proficient in your training and I look forward to how much more I can learn from you in the following months. It truly means a lot! Huge hugs, Matt
Blind to Billionaire I was a junior in high school. Nowhere near the person I am now. A coward and just dealt with her. If it were to happen to me now I would go ballistic all over her. I was just thinking the other day if I had her email address I will probably send her a message letting her know how much that traumatize me and I hope she never did that to another student. I didn’t even tell my parents about it. Looking back now I should have. thank you for your kind words. I proficient in cane use but not nearly as independent as I should be. I’m proud of you for willing to continue to go forward. Interesting how different trainers have different methods. I always prefer to trail with my cane along the wall. I’m good with echo location as far as sensing when large things are around me but not when I’m going through a crowd. Ultimately it’s your decision on how you prefer to use it. everyone is different. We have our blindness in common with other blind folks but we are all different people. That’s what I used to tell that mobility instructor. I’m looking forward to hearing how your next session goes. I hope it’s not as stressful for you.
Hi, I still feel so bad that you dealt with that situation. It is absolutely ridiculous that she allowed you to walk right into that phone booth and get injured. I would definitely be done with my trainer if you did that to me. I would be so incredibly irritated, I would not be able to hold back and probably say things I would regret. LOL. That is so uncalled for. I have had three training sessions now, we went to the mall and I would say every session is getting better, but they are still a little bit rough. This last session that I had yesterday was good until the very end when he made up a couple rude comments to me which really irritated me. Other than that I would say they are going pretty well. I have two more sessions scheduled for next week so hopefully things get better as well. I look up to you as someone who is gone through the training and I admire how much you have learned and how many skills you have. This is definitely very tough, possibly one of the most difficult endeavors I have ever encountered in my life. Hope you’re having a great weekend with your family :-) huge hugs, Matt
Hi Matt, I don’t have o and m training as you know, but in my whole therapy journey I can tell you this hard feelings are nessesary to overcome your struggles. You don’t are dramatic you just struggling with insecurity and how people see and think about you. And if these “therapy sessions” would be easy you won’t learn from it and you would stand still. And the most important thing is making steps and that’s why you are doing it in the first place. This is also what I meant when I said corey is spoiling you a lot and I would trow you more in the deep. Helping isn’t always a sweet soft hand. Sometimes is nessesary to kick someone’s butt for their own good. I really am very proud of you that you did it and going for more. Because a few of those hard moments will eventually lead you to your bigger goal and that’s independence without that feeling of being embarrased or what ever. And people won’t die if you sometimes incidentically tapped their feet with your white cane. It’s a nice chance to start a nice talk with someone. You said you had problems with connecting well take your chance. Do you 2 things in 1. Learning orientation and mobility training and immediately have the way to start a conversation 🤣🤣🤣🤣. But serieus I am not joking. Love sabrina
Hi Sabrina! You have such a great point, it is not that people are actually sitting back watching and observing me and making a fun game out of it, but rather it is my insecurities thinking that people are actually doing that when in reality they are not. You truly do have a lot to say because you have so much experience and you always offer me so much support and encouraging words, that means so much to me! Thanks Sabrina, your examples and comments always mean so much to me, more than words can ever describe and catch emphasize. You truly are an amazing person and our friendship means a lot! Have a wonderful day and thank you very much for this awesome comment! Matt
Stay positive looks like you have a good o and m instructor I like how you show the behind the scenes of the process of mobility training don’t worry about the people keep trucking along it will all fall in place for you and become so easy for you to navigate places
Hey Josh, thank you so much for all the encouragement, that means so much to me! I hope you’re having a great weekend, you’re an awesome person and friend, I sincerely appreciate this comment :-) your friend, Matt
That is so awesome, Matt! I’m so excited to hear that your first two sessions went well!
Hey Ryan! Thank you, well, I mean they went well for the most part. LOL. Thanks Ryan, I appreciate it. I saw that you sent me an email and possibly a message through messenger, hopefully I can get to them soon. Thanks Ryan, Matt
Hello Matt! So glad you started your training. I hated every minute of my orientation and mobility training. However, I am so grateful for the experience now that I am older and my vision has continued to get worse. It also enabled me to get my guide dog who makes traveling so much easier. I think some of your feelings are completely normal. I know I was embarrassed when I first started using my cane and felt so Fearful and conspicuous I have fallen many times, I am steer still feel fearful of traveling at night. But, we have to keep going and trying. You will do great as you gain more skill. Take care and hang in there.
Hi! Thank you so much for the very nice message and for all of the encouragement. Catch it’s very nice to hear that the feelings any motions that I am experiencing are similar to what other people experienced after a few sessions of all when I’m training. It is nice that the skills you learned have given you so much more independence and ultimately giving you the opportunity to have a guy dog which allows you to do so much more. That is very exciting and inspires me to continue learning so that I can gain independence like you did. Thanks again, your words and comment means so much! Have a nice day and see you again tomorrow in the next video. Matt
Yes, I felt just as humiliated and embarrassed in those situations when I was learning. I don’t even give them a second thought now though. As a priest, I am in front of people every day, especially on the altar, going up and down steps and those kind of things and I don’t even worry about people staring at me. A little bit of humiliation doesn’t hurt when your independence is just around the corner. Good job brother, keep up the good work.
Hi! You have no idea how much this comment truly means to me. I know that you were in front of large groups of people every week and it is very encouraging to hear that it started out a little bit rough for you but after continued training and time with confidence, you don’t think twice about it anymore. And you are absolutely correct, independence is hopefully right around the corner. Just keep my mind and focus on at the end result, freedom and independence once again :-) thanks so much for your very kind words and comment. I sincerely appreciate it :-) Matt
Blind to Billionaire 😉
You are absolutely 1,000,000% right. There is going to come a day, probably in the not too distant future when you will literally be able to travel anywhere, from your local supermarket to downtown Minneapolis or through an airport. Walking through resorts as you like to do when you travel, will soon become easy. There will come a day when you can leave your hotel room independently, go find the elevator, go downstairs, by coffee, and come back upstairs by yourself, it’s not a problem. You got this. Do you have the exact right attitude, and yes, you will have frustrating experiences, the key is knowing how to fix them. Also, if you start learning braille which is a very very important skill, you can use an elevator independently.
Hi! This is very encouraging, I know that it can be done since there are so many people here on the channel who have gone through oh and M training and I have so much independence and freedom now. You included, you basically do everything independently which is very encouraging and exciting to think about the possibilities. I’m excited for the day and in a few months from now when my skills have improved and I have the ability to go out and do so much more on my own. I may not be proficient with cane use in just a few months, but I will certainly have far more skills than I currently do right now. Thanks again for all of the amazing encouragement, it means a lot
Uncomfortable, yes i agree but i feel like we should stick with it so we can be independently. Keep it up Matt. Toure not doing this alone. We will get through this.
Hi Sean, I completely agree with you, we will stick through this so that we can have independence! When both of us complete our training, we will need to have a celebratory photo of us with our canes possibly even in a sword fight! LOL, oops, I guess I forgot the purpose of the cane, it is for independence and travel, not sword fighting! LOL. I’m just kidding ;-) thanks again Sean, you’re an awesome person and friend! Matt
I think you did very well. I'm also glad your choosing to continue even with all the feelings of it. I felt every bit as embarrassed and had to really get used to having to talk to various unknown people at large, even when I didn't feel like talking to anyone, and that it is just how we have to do it now, in order to negotiate getting things done, in a very sociable way, where it's obvious we take other people into account acknowledging that they might be there, not just ignoring it, but it is our world too, just like Beverly said. I have to accept that sometimes I will feel really embarrassed for countless possible reasons, (a lot of them not having to do with being blind) but that I have to proceed, and think of ways to bridge that situation where it's not all that embarrassing each new time. Everybody sitting there, is human too.
You did fine!
Hi Audrey! Thank you so much for all of your very nice words and all of the support. Your message truly means a lot to me! Although it was traumatizing, it definitely was a very interesting experience, nothing like I have ever experienced before. But just like you said, with this training and blindness, we definitely turn into a little bit more extroverted by default as we need to talk to the people around us sometimes for assistance, otherwise for navigation and orientation. I appreciate all your very nice words, coming from someone like you who is proficient in Keene use and has so much independence, it gives me the motivation and encouragement to continue on with the training so that I can be like you someday :-) before we know it, we will be swimming around in the pool independently :-) have a great day, see you again very soon! Matt
Hey Matt loved your video. When I started I was the same way, but after 3 to 6 months was able to navigate malls, buses, and trains. Keep going and you will get over people staring at u. Have a great week.
Hi James! I’m so happy that you love the video. Wow, after just that short amount of time you were able to navigate through malls buses and other places? That is so amazing! That is definitely very encouraging, I look forward to the day that I can independently do that. This gives me so much hope and motivation to continue with the training. Thanks James, I really needed this :-) Matt
Blind to Billionaire hey Matt anytime my friend from one Minnesota to Chicago in. Enjoy your week!
Hi James! That is so awesome, thank you! I hope you’re having a great weekend, from Minnesota to Chicago! You’re a great friend, thanks so much for being here :-) Matt
I remember when I first learned how to use my cane I was ashamed of using it back then because I was afraid of people making fun of me but now then I'm an adult I don't care what people think because my peripheral vision is bad from glaucoma and my other eye conditions I have and I care about my safety and letting people know that I'm visually impaired and I can't see too tough and I have to use my cane. I use my cane every time I go out so i don't get hurt and I practice my Mobility skills. My advice to anyone who is blind or visually impaired is don't be afraid to use your cane because it's about your safety it's not about what people think about you cuz at the end of the day you're the one that can't see too tough and needs to use the cane to keep you safe.
Hi Matt, you may remember I commented on another video about getting a white cane from the CNIB. I had my first encounter this past Friday. The trainer brought in a coup,e of folding canes, a 62”and a 65”. So we decided on the longer one as it came to my armpit and that is what she uses for measurement. Well before I get to my lesson I have to say that the jury is still out on my decision, I really do think I would be better with a support cane in white as a warning to others and some lessons as to how to use it to find obstacles as I do need some support and I’m used to having a regular cane at my side. So her suggestion is to use both! So here’s how it went, we ventured outside along the driveway to the roadside sidewalk. We made it about 5 houses down the street and as we made our way along she gave instructions on how to hold the cane and find the grass and locate driveways and the side walks leading to peoples houses as well as pointers to help distinguish my driveway from the others.and we walked to the corner, two houses in the other direction from home. Since it was a dry day, no snow and not too cold out my wife and I took the new white cane for a walk in the afternoon to the drugstore, which is around the corner and up the block. Well let me say j have no coordination! So difficult to keep my pace. Left foot forward and cane to the right and then right foot forward and cane to the left. Holy crap! That is not easy, and I had my regular cane in my right hand while holding the white one in my left hand using it to guide my way. I messed up so many times. It did remind me that when I swim I find it really difficult to use my arms and kick my feet at the same time. I swim by either kicking or by using my arms only, can’t do both at the same time. In a few days my trainer/specialist will be back for lesson #2. I hope she doesn’t take me to the mall !
I think I’ll talk to her again about a support type of cane. But she did say with time the white cane might give me enough balance and I might recover enough from my knee replacement 6 months ago (I’m having a slow painful recovery) that I could possibly get away with only the mobility white cane. Perhaps she is right? I hope so, my other knee isn’t too healthy but if the new knee gets stronger who knows? Thanks for the video and I hope you progress nicely with learning how to use your cane.
Hi! Oh yes, I definitely remember our previous conversation. I’m glad to hear you’re meeting with the CNIB counselor went well. I’m glad that you went out for a walk with your new white cane. As for walking and though sweeping of the cane back-and-forth alternating sides from your steps, don’t worry if you don’t have that down yet, it took me a couple sessions to get it. The first couple sessions I had, the only thing I was focusing on the entire time I was walking was the proper swinging of the cane, I was unable to focus on anything else because that’s all I could think about. LOL. I’m glad you were able to walk down the street a little bit and take the cane out for a spin with your wife later on in the day. I think you’ll definitely get the hang of it. I appreciate you sharing your experience with me, I will definitely be interested to hear more about it after you meet with your counselor again. Of course, only if you are comfortable sharing with me. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, thanks again for reaching out and giving me the update. I think it’s completely reasonable to also use a support cane while using your white cane if that is what you need with your knee replacement. I hope this is helpful to some capacity. Talk to you again soon! Matt
Hi and thank you for the encouragement.
You are very welcome, please keep me updated with the progress of the training if you are comfortable doing so. I would love to hear more. Thanks again my next video will be out in just a couple hours. Matt
so cool to hear a clients side of things!
Hi, thank you for watching. I’m glad that you enjoyed this video and found it to be informative. Thanks for the support, we really appreciate it :-) see you for the next video
@@BlindtoBillionaire definitely, keep getting your perspective out there. making the work is how we get better.
Thank you, I really appreciate that :-) I will definitely continue to do that :-) thanks again for your support, have a nice day and look forward to seeing you again soon in the next video
@@BlindtoBillionaire you might be interested in my channel on similar themes th-cam.com/video/guZ2rFT_FKQ/w-d-xo.html
Thank you, I appreciate that. I will try to check it out :-)
You’re awesome Matt. I was not thrown in like you were but I would say you have a good trainer based on what he did. Compare it to learning ow to swim in very cold water. Would you rather stress over getting your toes cold then feet, then legs and shrinkage or would you rather focus on the task at hand and get right in to the task at hand. You don’t want to have your worry of embarrasment to hinder your learning through each lesson. Thanks for the shout out. I’m such a novice.
Hey Scott, thank you so much for the initial lesson that you gave me. I have to say, because of you it encouraged me to go out on my maiden voyage with my cane a few weeks before my official training session. I have never gone out walking and trying to use the cane until I read your email with a few tips that you gave me. I applied them as Corey and I went out for a late night walk in the dark and it was pretty fun. So I do need to thank you, you were the person who inspired me to pull out the cane and use it for the very first time. I do agree with you, it is so much better to just jump right in versus trying to tiptoe in slowly, it is so much more painful doing it that way versus just jumping it in directly and getting it over with and you’re welcome for the shout out, I appreciate your friendship and having you here on the channel! Matt.
Hi Matt Great video x My first day I was learning in my home so I felt comfortable. 2nd day up and down my street and around the block and the easier way to walk my daughter to school . 2nd week I had to go into a shop with stairs and escalators I learnt the stairs but wasn't ready for escalators I did panick hearing people around me some people did comment and say your doing very well keep it up I did feel embarrassed. My experience I did find it hard but I got through it but I still dont go into town by myself I have tried but I feel better when I go with my family or just my husband.
Hi Tony! It sounds like our training experience with somewhat similar to the first day, at home training from there. It is nice you were able to navigate around your immediate area in your neighborhood before going to the store this is the third training session. Stairs and escalators are definitely interesting and can certainly be embarrassing when people are around watching. I love the fact that you have such a supportive family and your husband is always there for you. And of course, your daughter who loves you so much :-) thanks Tony, it was nice hearing about your experience as well! Huge hugs :-) Matt
Hey Matt
What a great experience you are having with your cane training. I’m very excited for you and have all the
Looking forward you will nail. Great video;
Hey Lenny! LOL, great experience, I guess you could call it that in so many words. LOL. It will be exciting to look back in a few months from now and see how much I have grown and how much independence I have gained as a result of the training. I will definitely keep you posted. Thanks Lenny! Matt
I am so glad that you were doing this. I am also glad that you are using echo location, and that he has to define the door of the way he did. You can hear things such as walls, doors etc. As you see, you found them, as for going through them all and such, if you had hit someone with your cane, that would have simply meant that you were using your cane correctly. Your cane is there to find things for you, before you find them with your face. I know it is intimidating, but you just have to do it. You are doing everything absolutely correctly. I know this may sound a little harsh, but get over it. At least he took you to the mall is not downtown Minneapolis, and ask you to cross the street. The mall is one of the safest environment for such training, because there are so many things there that your cane can find. You have to know how to use a cane indoors, define things such as a chair before you can ever even think about being outside. Besides the fact you live in Minnesota, and it is now November, you are about to turn into the great White North, and you are nowhere near being able to use a cane in snow trust me on this one. If you have specific questions, let me know. I have used a cane for more than 30 years, and I have used a Dougog
Hi, thank you for watching the video! It is nice to hear from you and to hear your input on the situation. I know that you have been I can use her for many years and your level of independence is very encouraging to me. I completely agree with you, the mall is definitely much better than going to downtown Minneapolis. And just like you said, with the colder weather and snow, it is realistic to be training indoors rather than outdoor. I am still learning the echo location, I think it’ll take more time to horn in on my skills, but it certainly was an interesting portion of the training. Thank you once again for the nice comment and for making so many great points. See you again tomorrow and the next video. Matt
I am new to this channel. I am actually going blind. I would like to say thank you for this video that you made you helped a lot. I'll be starting my orientation and mobile session soon. I'm already a nervous wreck, and excited at the same time. You talked about echolocation, I'm not sure how that is done. I do have my cane, I close my eyes, and allow my king to help me move around.
Matt,I also was insecure,I had no confidence in myself as my low eyesight and vision loss were getting worse and I found out that there was a cnib foundation with staff and o&m specialist instructors that helped me to gain confidence in myself and they helped me to trust them to help me out in many ways.
Thats awesome. I just haf my third session today. We've been working on crossing streets. Im having trouble trusting my ears with traffic. Ill be starting with cane use soon. So glad i decided to do this. Hope you and Corey are having a great Monday.
Hey Sean! That is great you completed your third session, congratulations! That is very exciting you were working on crossing streets. I’m excited for the advancements you’re making and that you were also going to the training the same time as me, it is nice to have a friend going through the training at the same time! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and for watching the video, I hope you’re having a great day, see you again on Thursday, I think he will enjoy Thursdays video ;-) see you again Sean, thank you so much :-) met
Hey Matt it's me again, all these replies that you have the people are very brave. I would really like to congratulate them much. Much more braver than I am. I think I would've had be my eyes out within 10 minutes trying to find that chair from the end. Hope you do good and keep up the good work
Lois
Hi again! All of these replies are so incredible. There are so many amazing people on this channel and I love reading through the comments and hearing from everybody. It’s a very important part of my day and of keeping this channel. I love the connections and all of the continued support and hearing from everyone’s experience. It’s so amazing to see everybody here. Thanks again :-) Matt
I am also legally blind middle aged adult with limited vision and I have been using a white cane since I was 19 years old and I am 57 now.I have lots of experienced using my cane.I have cataracts in both eyes that affects limited vision a lot more now,and on may 31 I have my first o&m with my specialist instructor which went well.I have my second o&m specialist instructor on June 13 at 1:00pm in my Edmonton city for some more training with my white cane
Hey Matt my lovely friend. wow, you certainly were thrown into the deep end.
What you are feeling, in my opinion is absolutely normal under the circumstances. I think we are similar in our feelings - dont like to be looked at etc, and doing anything in public, I hate!
I have never done the finding a door handle with my cane, and to use your words - I grope! haha
I use the trailing method a lot, to keep track of where I am - but, I do touch the wall with the tip of my cane - you seem to be good with the echo location - I have never experimented with that.
Personally, I think the trainer is being too harsh, forcing you into things like that immediately - but thats just my opinion. Im all for being encouraged to do something, but, my fear sometimes leaves me cold, and stops me from performing my best. e.g if you had some more local exercises, so you felt you had a handle on the basic cane skills before being propelled into finding a chair in a public place like that, I think you would approached it very differently, and actually felt like you had achieved something, and felt more reassured.
to me, your training should be a mutual supportive partnership, and to work towards mutual goals in a subscribed and agreed way. Not, wondering what the hell is coming next, and suddenly being propelled into something terrifying. I still get panic feeling when going out alone in some places etc, I do it - but, under my terms and in my time.
I think you should, absolutely continue - but, I also feel that you should be able to have a conversation with the trainer, and absolutely spell out how this made you feel, and to agree a way forward, where, you learn, of course, and gain confidence, but in a much more controlled manner. At the moment, you feel NO control over what you are doing, and that isn't a comfortable position to be in.
I TOTALLY get that you feel like a clown, and all the other feelings you explained. my heart goes out to you my friend - but you won't always feel like this
take care, and if you ever want to chat or e-mail, let me know - there for you and Corey always
Terry
x x
Hi Terry! Thank you for your very kind and supportive words. It was certainly a terrifying and hideous experience, but I’m happy to hear that that is not how it is always going to be. If it would always be like this, I would probably need to wrap up the training right away. LOL. I agree with you, if we had more localized training and then go to the mall and approach a seating area, I would be happy and proud of the accomplishment versus feeling absolutely terrified and embarrassed of the situation when I accidentally touch somebody. Thank you once again for affirming that it is not always going to be like this, it is nice to know that this is hopefully only going to be a short term experience. Thanks again Terry, you’re such an amazing friend and I look up to you all the time. We are always here for you as well if you ever need to reach out and talk about anything, huge hugs :-) you’re an amazing person. Matt
Low-Vision UK - Terry's View yes I agree completely. I think it was a bit much.
Low-Vision UK - Terry's View good point I practised in the school hall just so I could get the feel of the cane also different surfaces of floor like carpet laminate concrete grass and other things like that
Great video Matt, I can say after my first brain surgery my vision was so bad greyscale and vision was badly distorted, I thought I was doomed as I was still physically weak. Had physiotherapy in the hospital climbing stairs over the course of several days. Wasn't easy at first but as time went on I was set up with a home therapy program the lady stated that I had to scan my area to be able to see left. I am rooting for you Matt, your a strong guy I believe in you don't give up 👍😊 flexed bicep hehehe
Hi Sean! I cannot even imagine what you have gone through with your brain surgery, I guess when I’m doing my training, I should just be thinking about you and the surgery surgery that you had. You were so much more strong and brave than I am and you have gotten through so much more than me. I am just simply going through training how to be independent as a blind person, you have gone through so much more and I look up to you as such a strong and incredible person. Thank Sean, you truly are amazing! Huge hugs and flexed bicep to you too :-) Matt
Blind to Billionaire that’s ok Matt Like myself your a strong soul and I know that you will overcome your daily challenges. I only use my experience as a reference for strength for others so that they may push ahead especially those who are suffering from illness or blindness as it is not an easy task to overcome. I’m always here for ya buddy 💪# we got this
Wow, you are such an amazing person, I love your attitude!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm so happy that you've started your training and have progressed.
About feeling bad for hitting a person with your cane, as a sighted person I'd would say they would feel embarrassed for not getting out of the way heheheh. So don't worry, you're fine.
Keep up the good work. Slowly you're getting there as everyone who starts something new ❤️
Hi! Thank you so much for the encouragement and very sweet words, it truly means a lot to me! I had my third session today and my fourth is scheduled for tomorrow. I would say that the training is still pretty tough, but it is getting a little bit better as we go. I really appreciate you reaching out to me and all of your very kind and supportive words, you are very sweet! Hopefully the training gets even better as we continue to prep progress or than that following days and weeks. I will definitely keep you informed through more videos. Have a great night and thank you again for watching! Hugs, Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire hey, Matt. Sorry that I took a while to reply you. I haven't been around here.
I just saw your progress and I'm really happy for you. Hope to see more and more improvements. I'm cheering for you.
Best wishes
Hi! No worries at all, I just enjoyed hearing back from you anytime you can whether that is right away or a month later. It does not matter at all to me, I just love communicating with everybody here on the channel! Thanks again for reaching out and for your very nice encouraging words, it truly means a lot! I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, happy holidays and I look forward to hearing from you again soon :-) MATT
@@BlindtoBillionaire Happy holidays for you two too❤️❤️❤️.
Melissa Pereira thank you, you are so nice! Have a very nice Christmas and new year :-). 😘😘😘
Good job bat. I'm a firm believer though that will never get trained in how to become totally independent when we are blind and can't see nothing but shadows. I would be terrified also I am terrified even going out with my cited guide. He is very good but I am always a little bit leery of what's going to happen. As far as people go I don't care what people think anymore it is what it is I do my best and so will you
Lois
Hi! Thank you so much for the very nice words and for watching this video. It is nice to know that you no longer care what people think of you when I see you out in public. I completely understand your hesitation when you were out with your cited guide, even though you trust the person, you still never know what is going to happen simply because we cannot see our surroundings. Thank you once again for affirming that this definitely is going to be a short term thing rather than how I’m always going to experience my training sessions. I sincerely appreciate your very kind words :-) see you again soon. Matt
Hey guy your doing great give yourself time as you practice those skills slowly but surely you get there hang in there ok we have your back guy.
Big hugs! My first sessions with actual training were sighted guide. I honestly feel like you need your partner there for those sessions. Don't tell, but I lost the paperwork my trainer gave me to give to Mike. It seems like we did sighted guide two sessions, then she measured and figured out which cane would be best for me. I have the roller on the end since my dominant hand is the wrist I broke this spring. I've had two sessions with the white cane, on the JCSU campus. First session was on the hallway where VERC has their offices. Basically, I walked up and down the hall. 60 million times. There were obstacles (benches, jut outs, posts, and side hallways to deal with. The second session, we went upstairs to the third floor, the floor plan up there is different than the second or first floor. I walked she followed. Each time we stopped, she added something to pay attention to.. like my arc was small on my left side. After the third floor, we went outside. Sidewalks, stairs, ramps in the cold, damp air. It was nice to get outside, but that was a whole new learning curve with the uneven pavement. I'm not sure when she'll set up the next appointments as my trainer is retiring soon.
I totally get what you mean about being embarrassed out in public. I carried my cane with me this weekend, but didn't get it out of my jacket pocket. I know I need to get over getting it out in public.
Give yourself credit for going to the mall with your trainer! Lots of credit! It was hard, but look at what all you learned. Continue to push yourself. expand your horizons! I'm thrilled for you that your trainer listens and is giving you skills that will serve you for the rest of your life. Have a great week!
Hi, big hugs to you too, congratulations on all the progress you are making with your cane training and cited guide techniques. It sounds like you were definitely getting in a lot of time with your trainer and learning a lot as well! That is very encouraging and exciting! It is fun the both of us are going through this process together, it makes me feel like I have a friend who is right there beside me and going through the motions along with me :-) thanks for being that person! It sounds like you definitely experienced a lot of different scenarios in your training sessions which is great. I know it’s been tough the first couple sessions, but I know that I’ll look back on this in a few months and realize how far I have gone and how much I’ve learned. It is all for the best :-) have a great night, see you soon. Matt
Just wanted to say that i am very happy that you guys are so lucky to have this kind of training available to you in philippines we don't have this much to be honest it is sad but it is the reality of it all it does help a lot to somehow know it's somewhere else there are more for people like us to learn and enjoy kisses from manila philippines
Hi! I do have to say, we are very fortunate to have this training available to us. I think you should come to the United States, you’ll be able to get all of the assistance and the training that you need! You can come here to Minnesota, we would love to welcome you :-) kisses from Minnesota, Matt
I hope your learning new skills and get better at using a white cane. Good luck! I believe in you.
Hi, thank you very much for your nice message and for believing in me :-) that truly means a lot! I am definitely learning a lot of new skills and navigation with the weekend, I have only had two sessions, but I will definitely be learning a lot more. Thanks again for watching this and for all of your very kind words :-) see you again tomorrow in the next video. Matt
Hey haven't seen your post is while....or wait that sounded wrong...i been busy,..thinking of you ...and you got this... I like how you said he is a professional I am not...you got this...I know you do .
Hi! Thank you so much for watching, it is great to hear from you! It has been a while :-) great to hear from you once again. He is definitely the professional, I am not and I do not know how the training should go. But I appreciate you watching the video and reaching out with your encouragement, that helps a lot :-) I hope you are doing well, huge hugs, your friend, Matt
name something straight away that bothers you...
Hi, I’m not really sure what bothers me initially. I suppose there are a few things, I’m not sure exactly right off the top of my head what would bother me the most. I suppose it is when there is not consistency among people, for people who are blind or visually impaired, it is very important for the sighted people to put things back exactly where they found them otherwise we can lose things or trip over chairs they’re not pushed in. Maybe that is something that bothers me a little bit. :-) Matt
I was super nervous when I started. The first time we walked from my house to the store was very uncomfortable. We had to main roads to cross and a parking lot to navigate. Now it's a lot less uncomfortable. I still get nervous when I'm crossing the street by myself. I've had a few close calls. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Hey Chad! It is so great to hear from you, I hope you and your family are doing well! Thanks for sharing your experience, I know that you and just recently started going through training, so it is interesting to hear your perspective since you recently went through this. I’m glad that you have gained so much more independence and confidence using the cane, that is very encouraging! Thanks again for watching this, hope all is well :-) Matt
Such a good video Matt! X
Thank you, that is very nice of you to say! I’m glad that you enjoyed the video. Thank you so much for watching :-) have a nice day and see you again in the next video very soon :-) Matt
I feel that your feelings are normal. At least if I compare them to mine when I did my training. My first day was around my house. Then the second it was at a CVS store and I was not emotionally prepared at all and felt extremely uncomfortable and scared. It was awful at the time. Your and my personalities are the same in the way I don’t like to be watched at all. So this made it very tough for me. But looking back on it, it was obviously valuable lessons and I made it through it smoothly. I’m here for you in anyway that I can be. Keep your head up, the confidence will come naturally as you venture through this my friend
Hi David! It does sound like our personalities and training was somewhat similar. It is interesting hope none of us like to be watched when using the cane or during training. It sounds like you also had somewhat of a difficult time the first few training sessions, just like me. But we know that things typically get better the longer we stick with it. I am confident it will be one of those situations. I’m excited for the thought of all the independence and freedom that it will allow me to have. Thanks again David, it truly means a lot to me that you are always so supportive! I will definitely reach out if I ever need to talk about anything privately :-) you’re an awesome friend. Matt
Blind to Billionaire you are a strong person and very motivated. Just maybe a little apprehensive and nervous. I get it. You got this!! Let’s get a friend meeting together and all go walking with our canes when you’re finished! Lol. RP won’t stop us.. we are too strong and determined with great support behind us. You are a wonderful person and I’m happy to be a part of your journey
Hey David! You are exactly correct, a little bit nervous and I am apprehensive, but I know a few months from now looking back on this I would think it was ridiculous how nervous I was at the time. It will be exciting a few months from now to see how much I have grown with the skills. I agree, RP will not stop us! We will get together and go on a cane road trip! LOL thanks, I’m glad that you are part of this journey with me! :-) Matt
Good timing. I just back from school of the blind. My cane training was fun. The scary part was catching the bus at the nus depo. I was scared of getting lost. I would recommend the VR program. I also learned some braille. I also want to comment On your other video on dreams. I can also cam see good in my dreams. Keep on doing a good job.
Hi Edward! Congratulations on completing your training, that is very exciting! It sounds like you did have a couple scary times, but it sounds like you made it through and learned a lot which is really exciting and encouraging! Thank you for the recommendations and thank you so much for watching the video about if blind people see in their dreams. Thanks for all the encouragement Edward, I sincerely appreciate it! Have a great day, you are a great friend. Matt
Hi Matt how are you gs
Good to see how is Corey thanks for the valid information always wish you the best and more Success 🌷🌷🌷🌷
Hi my amazing and beautiful friend! Thank you, you are always so sweet and supportive to me! It means more than words can even describe. I hope all is well with you and I wish you so much happiness and success as always! Huge hugs and cuddles from Corey and me :-) Matt
Good job matt, i had similar feelings when i first started. I felt the most scared when learning to cross busy intersections.
Hi! Thank you so much for watching this video and for sharing your experiences. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to try to cross a busy intersection right now. That would be very frightening as it would be a dangerous situation. Thanks for sharing your experience, it is nice to know that I am not the only one who felt this way after the first few sessions. Thanks again for watching, see you again on Thursday :-) Matt
You're welcome my friend. Mr rising rock star. :)
LOL, thank you! That is so nice of you! Your messages always make me smile :-)
Hey guy yeah I’ve been there guy my first session was scary to got on a bus and go down town Nashville.
Hey guy I use it pretty often at work because at the factory where a lot of my coworkers are blind or sight impaired at different levels of sight.
Hey there Matt, I understand where you’re coming from. It didn’t bother me too much, but I am quite an extrovert so it was no big deal but I get it. When I started my mobility training I was in the fifth grade, so it was kind of an adventure. But later on in high school I received some more, and was kind of embarrassed because of the age that I was. I felt awkward and out of place and felt like everyone was looking at me, they probably weren’t but that’s what I felt. I have a feeling that the reason that he did that was to get you going quickly and to immerse you in the whole thing instead
Hi, it is nice that you are more of an extrovert and it didn’t bother you all that much. You also started at a very young age compared to me, I am 35 now. But I know what you mean about going to the training in high school, I would’ve been absolutely mortified to do that. A little bit similar to how I am feeling now. LOL. I feel like everybody at the mall was watching me which I really don’t like, but at the same time it was nice that I couldn’t see anybody watching or observing. Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s nice to know that other people felt the same way as me during some of their training sessions. Have a great day and see you soon :-) Matt
Hi Matt that took a lot of courage and strength way to go!! I had the same feelings when my teacher took me outside for the first time. I still have some useable vision but I'm not allowed to use it during training . my hardest lesson is walking off curbs and not looking down. I go right into panic attacks. For me it's all mental. I know one day I'll defeat these stupid curbs lol.
Your doing amazing stay positive and keep the great work up !!
Hi! Thank you so much for your very kind words and all of the support as always. It is nice that you are also working with your trainer but too bad that you were not able to use your residual vision during your training sessions. Curbs are definitely very tough, I do not know what it is like for you, but I do agree curbs and steps can be a little bit alarming when you suddenly, can’t find them. Thanks so much once again for your very kind words and so much support :-) huge hugs! Matt
I give you a ton of credit for even going through with the first days of training I have so much to say about this video but I might have to actually email you about it I wonder how many people after an experience like you’ve just had continue with their training
Hi! Thank you so much for watching this video and for the great comment. It is interesting, I would be interested to know how many people continue with the training after an experience like this. It was definitely a very difficult and traumatizing day. LOL. I appreciate you watching the video and reaching out to me, I sincerely appreciate all of your very nice words and support :-) talk to you soon. Matt
It sounds like you did great. All of your feelings are normal. When I first became Legally Blind, I did not want ANY THING to do with that White Stick, lol. I was embarrassed and it was going to cramp my style. That was over 10 years ago. Then, I became Totally Blind and had to get re-trained. That was about 6 years ago. My first few lessons were very traumatic and mentally exhausting. With more practice and confidence, I was able to get a Guide Dog. Some times when my husband and I do things without my guide dog, I always carry my White Cane so people know I can not see...because I do not look blind, don’t you know! Actually, the White Cane parts the seas of people and literally opens doors and gets you perks some times as well. You can do this. It will take time. Be patient. Knowledge, love and humor go a long way!!! :-) xx P.S. Another thought - when the snow comes and when it rains, it is a whole different ball game. All the sounds change and are more muffled. There were a few times, in the earlier days, when I got off track and was lost briefly...let’s just say it was not pretty and I was saying quite a few curse words.
Hi, thank you so much for watching this video and for sharing some of your experiences. LOL, when you got lost that time and were saying a lot of curse words, I didn’t realize that was part of the training, can I start them now? LOL, I am just kidding. Actually when I was at the mall, even though I was absolutely humiliated and it was traumatizing, I was actually laughing most of the time because I thought, this is absolutely ridiculous and I’m sure people are thinking, hey everybody look at that clown over there. LOL, it was like my own little circusFree admission, you didn’t need to pay anything to watch that show! LOL. But I completely agree with you, I wanted nothing to do with the cane, still feel that way a little bit. And his cramps my style, but at the same time I know it is going to offer me so much independence and sharing your experiences with me has given me so much more encouragement and is getting me excited about all of the possibilities. Thanks again for reaching out, I know that it can’t be possible it’s just going to take time. I’m excited how much further along I’m going to be in just a few months from now after more training. It will be so exciting to be able to go out on my own and do my own thing without always relying on somebody else to help me around. Very exciting! Thanks again for your very powerful words and comment. Huge hugs, your friend, Matt
so, this is the part that scare the hell of me. I am 58 years old and have been legally blind since birth. I received braille training in elementary school. and switched to large print and tape recordings and magnifiers in middle school and used just magnifiers in High school and beyond. I used to bicycle ride and worked at low wage labor intensive jobs most of my life. about five years ago I lost a significant portion of what vision I had. I am ok around the house and some familiar surroundings, but mobility training was always my down fall. I received a lot of training in elementary school, but without fail, every time I took off my sleep shades, I would see I was no where near where I thought I was. I can compensate when it comes to wood working with power tools, cooking, and playing music on multiple instruments, but mobility is still my greatest fear and limitation. Like I said, it still scares the hell out of me.
I started using a white cane when I was 12, so I was in the middle of a junior high school, imagine that. Also I was a 5 foot tall 75 pound seventh grader so I was very petite, and was bullied. That was not fun, then I learned that I could go a lot faster than other people with a cane, so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Also, what the rest of the world thinks absolutely does not matter. What will matter is when you are able to use a cane, and eventually a dog and all you hear is someone saying oh there goes a guy with a cane, not there goes a guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing. Looking like you don’t know what you’re doing simply perpetuate the myth that blind people are in capable, I know it feels awkward to have things like what you had to do with finding the seating area, but that is actually a very effective technique. You will have to go into meetings eventually, church services etc., and finds it, that is a very important skill. I would also recommend that you practice using your cane in a familiar area such as your house, your parents house, etc., ask them to leave something in the floor for you to find, find it, figure out how to go around it etc. Your cane is now part of you. Use it all the time. You look a whole lot better using your cane to figure out how to get around something then you do your hand, besides the fact you’re cute and cannot reach things on the floor, without you literally crawling, that is what the cane is for. Use it. I said your cane can reach things that your hand cannot. Besides the fact you would probably rather have your cane find mud, snow, or something else rather than your hand find it. This is a new tool, and it will become as valuable to you as your iPhone. Think of it in that way, because that is now the tool you have.
Holly McKnight
Holly you are so right and I 💜❤️ what you just said and that probably gave so many blind people so much encouragement......... I couldn't imagine meeting a Visually Impaired person or a blind person who wouldn't be encouraged by this comment and the video Matt has shared.
💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙
💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚
💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜
💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛
Hi, another great comment, thank you very much for this one as well! I really appreciate and enjoy the suggestions that you have given me. You are absolutely correct, just like the iPhone, the cane is going to be life-changing and give me so much more independence and freedom just like the iPhone did. And just like you said, this is going to be part of me now, it will be with me all the time and I will use it as my next tool to help me assess my surroundings and to give me the much-needed independence I have talked about for so long. Thank you for sharing your story and your experience went first using the weekend at a younger age. It’s very interesting and I always enjoy getting to know more about people and their experiences. Have a great night and talk to you again soon :-) Matt
Keep going with the training mat i beleve in u and with my other had befor it got stolen i was shown how to hold it by my friend but i was not shown how to use it tho i had to rely on a stighted guied most of the time even now im still relying on a sighted guied but in the night when my friend has gone home im having to feel my way around everywere and its really hard for
Thank you, it’s so nice that you believe in me. I also believe in you! You are a very talented, intelligent, and capable person. I believe that you can do everything that you want as well! :-)
Hello, I share your videos with all my blind groups. So also I have more ideas for t-shirts to.
Hi! Thank you for sharing the videos with your Blind groups, that is very nice of you! I appreciate your friendship and support :-) that is cool that you have some ideas for T-shirts, I would be interested in hearing if you were willing to share :-) Matt
Nice one. You know what that's is I am lacking for the echo location.
Wish I can master it. 😍
Good morning! Thank you so much, it is exciting! As for echo location, I do have to say it is something that I did not pick up on initially when starting my training, but after a few weeks of doing my training, it’s 30 to come to me. I definitely rely on echolocation a lot now. Of course I am not perfect at it because it is still relatively new to me, but it is definitely something that provides a lot of additional feedback. Thank you so much for checking out this video. I hope you have a wonderful day and hope to see you in my next video in just
slammed you into it , you are Blind people understand ... I have problems finding a seat every time i get on the public transit ... I have swallowed my pride and always ask the driver if there is a seat.. Put you in your most uncomfortable and helps you move forward
Hey Neil! So great to hear from you again! I guess that is one way to look at it, put me in the most uncomfortable situation right from the start and it will be easy to acclimate to less stressful situations. I guess it is just a matter of getting through the uncomfortable portions of the training and the rest will be a breeze, right? LOL. Thanks again Neil, I hope all is going well with you and your daughter :-) see you again soon. Matt
I'm proud of you brother. You have taken the first steps to truly being independent. I know this stuff is scarry as shhhhhh.... but you are doing it. :) You will get to the point where you will care less what people are thinking about you or saying around you about you. It's their stupidity and insecurities that make them stare and talk like you can't here them. I am somewhat sarcastic and will ask people who I hear talking about me: by the way I'm blind not deaf and I can hear everything you are saying about me. :) Anyway, again, proud of you brother. You're going to be traveling alone through airports and gift shops on you trips to those beautiful beaches... Keep it up.
Hi! Wow, thank you so much for all those very nice and encouraging words! It is very exciting to think of the possibilities in the future with all of the independence that I will have as a result of this training. It is scary to think about right now because I don’t know how it can be done, but yet it doesn’t matter if I know how it’s going to be done at this point, but I know it is possible based on all of the people on this channel who have gone through the training and have so much independence now. It is very exciting! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and for sharing some of your experiences, it truly means a lot to me
That was my problem with going through mobility training as a teen I didn't need it and could see every one and see them watching. As far as using sound I do this appt at night my driveways is gravel so I use the sounds when walking at night to figure out where I am.
Hey Jessie, that would be tough going through orientation and mobility training as a teenager, that would be really hard because that is a vulnerable age even for someone who is not going to training. I love how you use the sound of your surroundings to help you determine where you are. Awesome Jessie! Matt
Hi Matt I have only recently came across your videos I have been told I am going completely blind every day my eyesight changes I am currently about to start white cane training next Friday I’m anxious and don’t know what to expect is there any chance you could share with me what they get you do that will be greatly appreciated I’m from Australia and I’m 25 years old with a 2 year old daughter all the tips and help I can get will be amazing love your videos you are amazing and a role model Thankyou again you probably won’t read this
Another comment, remember when you first started doing your TH-cam channel? Remember how uncomfortable that was and how through perseverance you got through those first 10 or 20 terrible videos and now look at you, you are completely comfortable in front of the camera and are becoming a rock star. That's what these early days, weeks and months of mobility training will be like. It will be humiliating, embarrassing, clumpsy, uncomfortable... but it does get easier and even natural, like your videos are now natural.
Hi, excellent point! Oh yes, I remember those days, wow that was rough. So embarrassing to look back on those early videos, but just like you said, look at the channel now and my comfort level in front of the camera, it is so much better than it was just a year and a half ago when I created my first few videos. I know this is going to be just like everything else, rough at the first start, but eventually will get so much better and I will be so happy with the outcome in just a few months. So exciting :-) Matt
I think he just brought you to the deep end of the pool to show you that even when you don't know how to use the one once it's in your hand you will figure it out.
Hey Jessie! I appreciate the comment. I think that makes a lot of sense for why he brought me to the mall right away. I saw your text message, I apologize I have not responded yet. Typically Mondays and Tuesdays are very busy for me. Thanks again, I hope you’re having a great week! Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire no worries get to it when you have time
Two hundred and fifty five comments and yet to responded to each and every one, that was really really sweet of you, wait I just made it two hundred and fifty six 😅
LOL, you are way too funny! I love all of the comments and responding to all of them. I am so lucky and grateful to have so many amazing people who watch my videos, support this channel, and reach out to me through the comment section. I always enjoy them even though it takes a long time to comment on all of them, it means a lot to be able to connect with so many different people. Thanks for being so amazing! :-) Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire you are not only nice but really humble too 😊
Thank you, that is so nice of you to say :-)
Wow! I learned less than 10% of what you learned! Oh my god! That's insane!
i'm sorry it was so hard for you. It was a really tough time for me too. Attracting attention from others is not my thing at all. However i attracted way more stupid attention without the cane cos i kept bumping into things, or miscomunicating my movement/intentions. Honestly it was really tough being out in public with the cane, it sometimes still is, but it is better than never leaving the house or feeling like there is something i can't do. My orientation was only a couple of days, and i went out to the neighborhood on the first day. The training i got was with the ball tip and i was just taught how to swing it from left to right while i walked , and hold it straight near steps... thats sorta about it. The rest of the stuff was like home strategies for cooking. The door thing you learned sounds amazing and i have never thought of that. also i think the way you described stairs sounds great though am not sure how to do that either. Echolocation sounds incredible, i have on occasion stopped walking inches before i bumped into something, like i know something is there but it takes me a while to figure out what it is. Did not know this was a thing you could get trained in. Hearing you talk about all this is really making me think about taking up training again cos it seems to have a lot more useful techniques. Do keep at it. And yeah dealing with other people noticing you is a huge hurdle, but being able to conquer that will make you better. What helped with me was being honest with myself and asking myself why it bothered me so much. (being judged, looking helpless, or stupid or looking like a an easy target).
Hi! LOL, it did seem like we were learning a lot in the very first day. We just kept going on and doing new tasks. I figured we would work on one thing and master it before moving onto the next, but it seem like we were doing a crash course in many different techniques on the very first day. I’m guessing we will go back and work on all of these again, or at least I hope so because I do not feel like I have mastered or even have build my skills very well in any of them. Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed the video :-) see you again soon. Matt
You actually have some really good points. Although I felt absolutely terrified and hideous walking around the mall with a cane that I didn’t even know how to use, you do have a really good point that walking into things and feeling around probably makes us look even more ridiculous. At least if we are walking around with a white cane and then spend some time feeling around some thing, people will understand, but if we are just walking around bumping into things, bumping into people, and feeling around like we are lost, people are probably observing us wondering what is wrong with us. Like I have always said in my videos, let the cane do the talking for us. Hopefully you are able to pick up some training again because of this video and a future videos that I will be producing showing my if you do pick up training once again, please reach out to me, I would love to hear how it goes and we can bounce ideas off each other. I am always here to support you as a friend, never hesitate to reach out :-) huge hugs, thanks again :-) Matt
hey matt i am going to finish my traneing in 2020 also i had a pretty great time because i did my training in pear's and it was not as har as you say it is, now, i don't want to be rood or sound meen but the first half of my training was pretty easy
I deal! I’m so happy to hear that you had a great experience with your training and that you’ll be finishing next year, that is very exciting! I’m so happy that the first half of your training was easy, you were definitely far more brave than I am :-) good job with everything you are doing, I’m happy for you :-) Matt
hey Matt, i will not say i was brave, but maybe it was eazyer because i was with a partner, an she help to keep me confident, an i help her to keep looking strate, lol if you know what i meen.
LOL, you are way too funny! I suppose having a partner would make it possibly a little bit easier. You are definitely a very courageous person, I admire you for that :-)
i guess because you have a friend who you can chat while you walk
Hey Dale, that would definitely be helpful. To have somebody there to chat with and learn together.
Hey matt I know a nother way of useing the cane besides two point touch the other way is called constic contact it is very easy its easyer than two poit touch I think you should use constick contact from Kylie
Hi Kylie! Thank you for the recommendation. I think we will definitely be using that technique at some point, but I appreciate you reaching out and giving me the suggestion! After all, you are an expert :-) thanks Carly, hope you’re having a great day. Matt
Matt it is scary and nerve racking to go through these sessions with your o&m specialist instructor,please trust him or her to help guide and train you while using your cane,I promise you this training will get better and eventually you will be confident in yourself etc
I did that today so my orientation and mobility teacher walked to the bus stop with me and waited until I got on the bus by myself and traveled to the local mall about 15 km away he ran back to my house and got his car and followed the bus then we walked up to the shopping mall and I did some orientation around the food court so we walked around twice and he explained everything and then we went outside and then I had to do it by myself and then go back outside then he said now you're doing it in reverse I was so nervous
Wow! Congratulations, you are way more advanced than I am! I cannot wait for the day that I can do that, but it sounds very scary right now. You are amazing, thank you for sharing your experience. I am very impressed by you and it makes me smile to hear your experience even though it sounds very scary. You are doing an amazing job, continue with it! Good job, very excited for you :-)
Matt have you ever tried bringing a small magnet with you when go out? I do this sometimes to help pick up coins that I drop.
Hi, I have never tried carrying a magnet with me when I go out, that is interesting. The coins in the United States are not magnetic. Are you in the United States? That is a pretty cool concept and idea if the coins in other countries are magnetic. Thanks for sharing that, cool idea! Matt
I actually live in Canada. Many people here call our money “funny money” since it made out of odd material and it’s an odd colour.
Hi, that makes sense why you were able to pick up the coins with a magnet. That is interesting. I hope you’re having a great day :-) hope you enjoy the video that will be released in a few hours :-) Matt
Hang in there. It will get easier.
Hi my friend! Thank you so much for the encouragement, I do trust that it will get better. It’s just like everything, when we take on something new typically it is pretty difficult at first, but then eventually will get better. Thanks so much! Matt
HEY MATT!!
SORRY FOR BEING LATE. I BEEN SPEDING MY WEEKEND CATCHING UP ON LIKE TONS OF TH-cam VIDEOS I HAVE MISSED.
I CAN DEFINITELY SEE YOUR nervousness ON YOUR SECOND DAY. AND I AM GUESSING THAT IS WHAT THE INSTRUCTOR WAS HOPING. HE WAS TESTING YOU ON HOW CONFIDENCE ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU ABLE TO DO ON YOUR OWN. IF YOU CAN SHOW HOW CONFIDENT YOU ARE THE MORE THINGS WILL GET BETTER, BUT IF YOU HAD DONE LIKE CROSSING THE STREET OR WALKING ON SIDEWALK WITH LITTLE CONFIDENCE, YOU MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HURT OR SOMETHING. SO I THINK THE MALL WAS A GREAT IDEA TO START WITH.
(TIP: WHEN APROCHING A TABLE WITH CHAIRS, I WOULD SIMPLY ASK, IS THERE ANYONE SITTING HERE?) IF NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING THEN YOUR SAFE, BUT MOST WILL SAY YES IF THEY ARE SITTING THERE.
DO YOU REMEMBER TELLING ME AWHILE BACK HOW WHEN YOUR AT GATHERINGS AND YOU CAN SENSE SOMEONE EITHER NEAR OR AROUND YOU? WELL IT IS THE SAME TECHNIC THAT YOU WOULD USE AT THE MALL. I GUESS WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS TO USE ALL THE OTHER SENSES YOU HAVE TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE AROUND. EVEN USE THE ONE THAT I LIKE TO CALL THE SENSE OF SENSE. IT IS BASICALLY WHERE YOU USE YOUR WHOLE BODy TO SENSE SOMETHING IS NEAR OR SOMEONE IS NEAR. WHEN USUNG THIS, IT USUALLY MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO MOVE A LITTLE SLOWER AND YOUR WILL START TO FEEL THE FEELING OF SOMETHING NEAR. KINDA LIKE USING YOUR WHOLE BODY AS A ECHO.
I DON'T REMEMBER MUCH OF MY O AND M TRAINING OR THE SECOND DAY OF IT. BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND AT BUSY INTERSECTIONS AND EVEN AT A BUS STATION. I DON'T REMEMBER GOING TO THE MALL, BUT WE MIGHT HAVE. I DO KNOW THAT I NEED TO GO BACK AND GET RETRAINED IN CANE TRAINING MYSELF AS I FEEL THAT THERE IS MORE I NEED TO LEARN OR GET A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENT IN MYSELF.
I AM GLAD THAT YOU HAVE THE ATTITUDE YOU HAVE MATT. THE ATTITUDE OF ONCE YOU START SOMETHING, YOU SEE IT THROUGH. NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT GETS, YOU JUST KEEP GOING. I BELIEVE IN YOU AND IN ALL THAT YOU DO AS YOU CONTINUE ON YOUR AWESOME JOURNEY TO MORE INDEPENDENCE!!! WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!
HERE IS AN IDEA, HAVE CORRY JUST APPEAR IN A ROOM THAT YOUR IN. AND SEE IF YOU CAN FEEL HER PRESENTS THERE WITHOUT ASKING ARE YOU THERE? THEN ONCE YOU KNOW OR HAVE AN IDEA, THEN USE YOUR CANE AND SEE IF YOU CAN MOVE AROUND THE AREA AND WITH THAT SAME PRESENT SEE IF YOU CAN LOCATE HER. I THINK THIS MIGHT HELP YOU USE YOUR WHOLE BODY AS A ECHO AND IT WILL HELP YOU NOT HAVE THE FEAR OF RUNNING INTO SOMEONE OR SOMETHING. EVEN SETTING UP A OPTICAL AROUND THE HOUSE COULD HELP ALSO AS YOU USE YOUR CANE AND YOUR ECHO TO FIND WHERE THOSE THINGS ARE.
AGAIN, YOU WILL DO GREAT AND IT IS SCARY, BUT THE MORE YOU PRATICE, THE MORE YOUR CONFIDENCE WILL GO UP. I LOVE YA MATT AND LIKE CORRY I WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO CHEER YOU ON. AND IF I CAN HELP, I AM ALWAYS HERE TO HELP IF I CAN. TAKE CARE MY AWESOME FRIEND. BIG HUGE HUGS YOUR WAY!!!
Hey Stephen! Wow, thank you so much for all the suggestions. I will deathly keep it in mind the next time I am training or throughout my process of learning with the trainer. That is great advice, I love your support and motivation. I’ve definitely learned so much from you especially in this comment. I think you have so much to say and a lot of grated vice which is so helpful. Thank you Stephen! I love your ideas, I really appreciate all of the recommendations you have given me, I will give you another updated video probably in about a week or two and let you know how the training is going. Thanks again Stephen, I hope you have a wonderful Monday and see you again then in the next video :-)
I use a folding cabe
I'm back , i was so busy because lots of things happened in this past two months and the big event was my first lovely baby her name is iline Sofia i hope she don't have RP like me
I'll watch all what i missed
Hi! Thank you so much for being back, it’s great to hear from you again! Wow, congratulations! That is so incredibly exciting, I’m very very happy for you! Congratulations, that is so special and very excited for your new addition :-) I hope all is well with you, we are just so incredibly excited for you :-) have a great day we look forward to hearing from you again very soon! :-) Matt
Friday when you when Cory did the video about the hotel? You had a session with your O & M instructor?
Maria’s Life
I am Visually Impaired and I have actually used echo location one time in my life........... everyone thought I was going to need a cane and I didn't have it. But I did not need a cane. Here is what happened, when I was nine years old in 2003-2004 I went to a church with my sister. We did this thing called Missionetts and royal rangers was for the boys.
All the girls were in a missionette house and we were all up stairs. The youngest age was like age 3 and one of the children's church leaders was in the house with all of us. There were other adults in the house as well. I asked one of the adults if she wanted to play a game. We had a security guard with all of us making sure we were all safe. So I said to the security guard take Trish downstairs and I told everyone else we were going to play a joke on her. So we all sang a song called I am free by the news boys.............. but we sang the song in the dark and the security guard brought Trish back up stairs and we all sang in the dark...... I also put handcuffs on her because I figured out that she killed the head pastor of our church. The church was called NorthSide Assembly Of God and the leaders that were in charge of the children's church were atheist but no one knew that. I was the one that figured it out.
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The church later on got shut down because of the fact that there were disabled people that came to the church. The children's church leaders also treated church like a freaking military camp. I had a camp that I loved as a child and the camp got taken over. It was on the news as well and everyone in my family was sick to their stomaches. There was a day when me and my older sister went to church and Pastor Carol one of the children's church pastors urinated in a giant red crayon and threw the crayon across the room.
Hi! The video from last week was recorded on Wednesday night, I had a session with the trainer on Thursday and Friday of last week, I have another session scheduled for this Thursday. I hope that answers your question :-) keep up all the great work you’re doing, you’re doing an amazing job! Your friend, Matt
I use a folding cane
So you have an NFB long cane that doesn’t fold? Based on what you said that’s what it sounds like.
Hi, great to hear from you again! It has been a while :-) yes, I have a rigid white cane from an FB. The one that I was using at the mall was actually a folding NFB cane which was from the trainer. I hope that answers your question :-) have a great day, and thanks so much for watching, see you soon. Matt
Matt I think we are a lot alike. I am really shy and introverted too. Maybe to the point of a social phobia honestly and I know that RP is the main reason why. I am trying to start O&M training soon and I am really nervous about it. I dont think I will feel any better than you did. You are lucky that you could not see any of the people at the mall though lol. I still have a lot of functional vision but my low vision therapist said she thinks I would benefit from using a cane while walking especially at night. How long does O&M training take? Like how many months or weeks does it take to learn to use a cane proficiently? Thanks for sharing your experience with us! :)
- Rambling Millennial
Hi! Thank you for so much for reaching out to me and sharing some of your traditions with the orientation and mobility training. As for how many weeks or months it takes to become completely proficient in king use, they completely depends on the person. My instructor said the fastest anyone that he knows of and trained has it gone from no skills to completely proficient was two months, but he said generally it is about 4 to 6 months. But again, he completely depends on the person and how often training sessions take place as well as a variety of other factors like how extensive the training becomes. I hope that answers your question to some extent. I would say the training was incredibly stressful for the first five or so sessions, then it became much easier.I’m here for you if you ever have any questions or need to reach out to talk about anything, never hesitate to reach out and ask, I’m here for you! I hope that answers some of your questions. But I think you will find to build so much more confidence once you start with the training even though it may be tough. Either way, never hesitate to reach out to me, I’m happy to talk to you through anything
@@BlindtoBillionaire I was not expecting such a quick reply. It seems I am not the only one up at the dead horus of the night lol. Thanks for answering. I am not sure if you would know this or not but do you think that having usable vision makes O&M training easier? I assume it would since I would not need to use the cane as a replacement for my eyes but rather as extra help. I would not need to use the cane to find doors or walls for example. And would this also reduce the time it would take to complete the training? Thanks again!
Hi! Yes I was up very early this morning. As for your question regarding having some residual vision helping you with orientation and mobility training. That is hard to say because some instructors will require you to wear aBlindfold during training. So yes you may have some residual vision, but if you’re wearing a blindfold it won’t help much. LOL. The reason for that is they want you to use the skills rather than your vision. If you still have residual vision, you were possibly not learning the necessary skills. Either way, as difficult as the training is, I would highly recommend just learning because it will ultimately help you in the long run. I’m here for you if you ever need to reach out during the training, I understand it is very stressful, at least it was for me. I hope that answers your question. Talk to you soon
@@BlindtoBillionaire Wearing a blindfold yikes lol. I actually read that somewhere but I totally forgot about it. Welp so much for me thinking I would have an upperhand lol.
Rambling Millennial LOL, I agree with you. Wearing a blindfold it does not sound fun at all to me. I do not wear one with my training, but I do know that some institutions who are for orientation and mobility training as well as some instructors require the students to wear a blindfold. If mine told me I had to wear one, I would simply say no. LOL. But yeah, that is just something else to think about. Hope you’re doing well! See you soon like tomorrow in the
Navigating corridors must be particularly tricky if you're blind.
Hi, thanks so much for watching. Yes absolutely. That is why I travel with a cited guide, it would just be way too difficult to do it as a blind person, but there certainly are many out there who do it independently. I am just not at the skill level that I can do it by myself quite yet. I hope you’re having a great day, thanks so much for watching and see you soon! Matt
Hi mate well done good video you may need to buy a wrist support after a while it can hurt the wrist mine definitely did take care have a great day my friend
Hi my friend, thank you for the suggestion! That makes sense, I could see how the rest would get very tired after a while of using the cane. Thanks so much, hope you’re having a lovely day :-) Matt
I used to look down to the bottom of the caine but that was what is giving us the information but that not good for the posture tcss
Hi, it is interesting that you say that because I find myself doing that now. Staring down at the ground where the tip of the cane would be touching. I need to get out of that habit, but interesting that you do that too. Thanks, you are so cool. Matt
Blind to Billionaire you will pick up your own way of doing things my friend i look down alot in new places the head tilts down as im using my hearing insted of feeling the vibration running up the cain finger wrist arm etc have a relaxing shower or bath after enjoy the rest of weekend buddy
That is so interesting, I love hearing about how other people use their cane and navigate around. I admire you, you were so talented and brave. I look forward to the day that I am as skilled as you :-)
what you are feeling is completely normal
Hi Molly! Thank you for the feedback, I’m glad that this is normal :-) I don’t know if you saw it, I gave you a shout out the other day in the language barriers, accents, and body language video. You may want to check it out :-)
thanks for the shout out. so sweet 😂
You are welcome! I wanted to give you a shout out when we were on the beach because I know that you love the beach and wanted to mention you while we were there :-) I was thinking of you standing there on that soft powdery white sand! Wishing you were there so that we could make some sand angels and little castles in the sand :-) and of course, go out and play in the ocean and in the sun :-) maybe next time you will be there with us! :-) Hugs, Matt
i sometimes dislike my cane.
Me too, I just like it all the time. LOL. Hope you’re having a great evening, thank you so much for the emails, those mean a lot to me :-) you definitely make me smile a lot, wish I could just give you a huge tight hug :-)
was up Matt.
Hey my friend! :-) Great to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well. :-) Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire i am ty
I honestly think your trainer was taken aback by your statement of a progression outline. (I think you were wanting a little control.) I think he intentionally pushed your comfort level to get you to trust him and release your fears by facing them! Obviously, once you faced the scariest scenario, everything else would be easier.
Be careful on stairs and narrow corridors!
Thank you, I will definitely do that :-)
I think your feeling are pretty normal. You know people are staring. I haven't done the cane training I have one but I'm petrified to use it in public. I don't want to bring attention to myself. For me it's personal and it makes me uncomfortable. My husband tells me to pull out my cane because when we are out so many people give me dirty looks it makes my husband crazy. But I don't care because I'm just trying to act normal. If that makes any sense. Lol
Hey Michelle! That is so interesting you say that your husband tells you to pull out your cane went out in public because he is getting dirty looks from other people, it’s so interesting you say that because Corey experiences the same thing. However, it is hard to get a straight answer out of Corey, but on some occasions I have asked her if people looking at me weird and she’ll say they are just observing me and possibly looking a little bit confused. She has never said that they give her dirty looks, but I’m guessing that is probably the situation but she is just avoiding telling me that. I completely agree with you, I am just like you wear I don’t want people to watch me or judge me I would have to say I am very insecure and self-conscious when that cane is out. Just know that I am here for you as your friend and offer your support anytime you need it, never hesitate to reach out. I hope all is going well with you! I apologize I didn’t contact you when we were in Toronto, we only had about one hour as our layover and most of that time was spent going through customs and running to our next gate. We literally did not have any extra time. Hopefully we will be in the area again sometime soon :-) thanks again Michelle, Matt
@@BlindtoBillionaire hi Matt I just speak the truth i told my husband to use the cane and walk around and see how that makes him feel. My god we are human. Nobody wants to be stared at. No worries about not contacting me I totally understand with customs it can be a pain in the ass. If you ever come to Canada our door is always open. And thank you for being there for me any time. It means alot just know that same goes for me. Your friend Michelle
Hey Michelle, I liked how you gave your husband the keen to have him walk around with it. I think it is a good experiment to let the sighted spouse check out the cane. I definitely agree, definitely do not like anybody watching me. The same goes for us if you ever happen to be in Minnesota :-) thanks again Michelle, I hope you’re having a great night :-) Matt
Matt I completely understand your embarrassment and every Henschen. Let me just share my most embarrassing moment with you.. I was in a clothing store and because I can sort of see busy patterns but not clearly. I reached out to touch a garment and... surprise! It was on a woman and I straight up palmed her breast! 🤦🏼♀️ it happens
Cyndi Woods
I would've started to cry, because I would've been so shocked and so surprised.
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Hi Cindy! Thanks for watching the video and for reaching out to me, I also appreciate the encouragement. LOL, I love your story even though that was very embarrassing. I cannot even imagine, I hope you at least had your cane with you so that the woman understood the situation. LOL, thanks for sharing your embarrassing moment and giving us a good laugh :-) have a great night we will see you again tomorrow in the next video. Matt
Blind to Billionaire unfortunately no I did not have my cane. However she seem to already know the situation because she was very understanding and kind of laughed it off herself so it worked out OK. All in a Day of a life with blindness lol
Hi Cindy, LOL, that is nice she left it up and was nice about it. That is still embarrassing, but nice that she was so excepting. :-)
Hey Matt. I am going to email you later on today. I have a lot to say.
Hey my friend! Thank you so much, I look forward to the email! In fact, I think I sought in my inbox, but I’m not got into it yet. This video has produced a ton of comments as you can see. Just trying to catch up on comments right now and can hopefully respond to your email sometime soon. Thanks my BFF :-) Matt
yo
First!
Hey Chris! LOL, first to write a comment, but typically last to be responded to from me. LOL. I start from the top and work my way down, I am finally making my way through all the comments on yesterday‘s video. LOL, thanks again Chris! Matt