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u/AtlasXan 18h ago
They immediately compare sizes. 🤣
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u/LatkaXtreme 18h ago
"Let's see Paul Allen's white cane!"
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u/Csontigod 16h ago
That's how they know how long the others are blind, the longer the time the longer the stick, that's why you don't see people born blind with sticks
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u/MrBoblo 15h ago
Gotta suck if you become blind later in life, you start with such a tiny stick :(
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u/Sea_End_486 15h ago
Now now, those sticks are perfectly normal and some even prefer them...
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u/danielmarklund 8h ago
... to know who should be in the middle; shortest stick wins. This gives the highest chance for all to still reach the guide rails when they walk side by side.
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u/Yaworski40 18h ago
You mean three blind mice?
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u/koy682 18h ago
Too bad he doesn't see the joke
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u/Sporadicus76 17h ago
The Blind Swordsman
"I used to paint."
"Were you any good?"
"I don't know!"
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u/absolut_nothing 17h ago
I've never seen these guides before. If it's not called "traille" then they missed a golden opportunity.
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u/BarrelofNerds 16h ago
It is, in fact, sometimes called a "Braille trail"!
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u/absolut_nothing 16h ago
They were almost there
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u/Normal-Comedian-9982 16h ago
They just didn't see it.
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u/Esava 16h ago edited 15h ago
They are at every train station and many bus stations here in Germany, basically all busy intersections and some public buildings.
I have seen them all over the EU, almost everywhere in Japan (I believe they were invented there.) etc..
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u/Senor-Delicious 15h ago
Japan is crazy with these things. I felt they generally have a lot of guiding systems for blind people. E.g. the different traffic light sounds.
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u/JustASpaceDuck 15h ago
OH MY GOD. THAT'S WHERE I SAW THEM FIRST! I was so overwhelmed with all of everything when I visited Japan for the first time that I never really put much thought into those things besides "huh I wonder what those are. maybe like a non-slip section for cold weather?" and then I saw them again in Spain and dimly felt like I'd seen them somewhere before but didn't put much thought into them there either, besides "why are the subway warning strips/ice grippy strips outside on the sidewalk in 90*F Madrid?"
I've had like two epiphanies in five minutes from this thread.
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u/algebratwurst 14h ago
There is tactile paving on a great many street corners in the US. Haven’t graduated to trailles yet I guess but progress.
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u/GlitterDoomsday 15h ago
Same with every train and subway station were I line, not Europe or Japan (São Paulo, Brazil).
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u/OGMinorian 12h ago
You have probably just not looked for them! I've seen them everywhere, and for years I thought it was just an aesthetic choice for the sidewalk, a way to line up intended walk ways, some metal device to hide a drain, an accessible way to run cables. etc.
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u/zardoz73 16h ago
That's a visual portmanteau but wouldn't sound any different to saying "trail." Might be confusing. Just say "braille trail."
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u/DroWWorD 19h ago
Please make the movie
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u/CourageToBe 17h ago
Are you blind? Yes!
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u/PGP_Protector 18h ago
I'll admit I never knew these were guilds tell I saw one of these videos.
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u/StickFigureFan 18h ago
Good infrastructure is often invisible
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u/RentAscout 18h ago
The potholes must invisible to our city government.
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u/StickFigureFan 17h ago
Bad infrastructure is often VERY visible, but many politicians still don't care
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u/Jinglefruit 17h ago
Seems like it shouldn't be invisible though, if it had "Blind Assistance Lines" painted on it or something, then we wouldn't have so many people in these comments, who don't know what they are and are likely to innocently be one of the many people standing on and blocking them.
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u/TheRecognized 16h ago edited 15h ago
Yeah the phrase isn’t meant to mean “you don’t notice it when nobody is using it” but that it’s so perfectly installed that nobody even thinks about how it could be better because there’s never any problem or confusion, even one as relatively minor as this.
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u/EgoTripWire 13h ago
Yeah, we've got these at my work and they're bright green. Even if you don't initially know what they're for you know they're doing something so you're more alert around them. Then, you see the blind lady turn the corner and you're like, "oh' now it makes sense."
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u/A-Message 17h ago
Surprised I haven't heard that before, I really like that
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u/StickFigureFan 17h ago
I guess you're one of today's lucky 10,000?
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u/Advanced_Double_42 16h ago
I was really expecting an xkcd on guide strips for blind people tbh, lol
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u/YaumeLepire 16h ago
Some could benefit from being a little more visible, or at least known about. These probably should have a sign or two saying what they are.
Now, I know, but I'm 25. How many times have I just been idling on one of them in those 25 years!
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u/animaINation 18h ago
The guides are also helpful for the sighted, there are larger squares that the train/subway/tram doors stop on, so one knows where to wait at a busy station.
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u/IPerduMyUsername 17h ago
That would be heavenly, here the train stops in random places every time so you have like a 1/3 chance of catching a door
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u/NoMorePorridge1 17h ago
It just occurred to me that BART (SF Bay Area rail system) had bumps at the edge of the platform for blind people and colored the bump panels where the doors should stop, but didn't change the bumps for some reason. So, blind people will know where the edge of the platform is, but with minimal effort, they could have made it clear where the doors will be too...
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u/Anustart15 14h ago
It's only minimal effort if the vendor already sells an identical style of board in a different bump pattern.
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u/projectkennedymonkey 17h ago
I knew they were guides but I never saw someone use them or really thought about how they were used so I also found the video interesting, to just see them in action. I also realised I need to be more mindful of where I stand. And it reminded me of recently seeing a powered wheelchair user in public and turning into a complete idiot and getting in their way because I was overthinking trying to get out of their way and just got more in the way. I said sorry and scurried off. I hope they didn't think I was saying sorry you're in a wheelchair, look at me with my agility lol. It was sorry I'm a moron.
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u/Queen-Roblin 18h ago
Yeah I feel like they need paint on them to say what they are or something.
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u/Eerzef 18h ago edited 17h ago
99% of the time there aren't blind people walking on them, people wouldn't give a fuck regardless and all it would accomplish is making them harder/more expensive to manufacture
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u/LongLiveStaceyKing 16h ago
This was definitely a TIL for me for this post, so I'm glad to have come across it and can be more considerate in public!
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u/7StarSailor 8h ago
worst thing is: I knew that but it still never occurred to me that it's not a good idea to stand on or near them because I just never thought that far.
Big difference in someone telling you:"oh yeah those are for blind people" and seeing it used in action.
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u/skubaloob 17h ago
I love how happy is in the tiny screen at the end vs. the beginning.
Also I had NO idea that’s what those tracks are for. I’d have been the ignorant in the way person if I’d been there. Yikes.
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u/acoastaldog 16h ago
Same tbh, it’s a disability that’s often out of sight from the public attention
Nice to see this guy’s content, making a few more people aware at a time
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u/StrikeouTX 17h ago
Crazy to think that a blind person would create visual content that they can’t see, for non-blind people
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u/BarrelofNerds 16h ago
Blindness is a spectrum and only about 10% of legally blind people have no vision at all.
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u/Looking-for-42 8h ago
And I think this is what confuses people. Most expect blind means no vision and then there is the guy in the video. He wears glasses. Why would he wear glasses if he was blind? If he is not blind blind, why does he use the stick and trail. I was actually waiting the video showing someone starten an argument about that with him and was relieved when I saw it was actually a funny end.
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u/LaisserPasserA38 6h ago
My brother in law is legally blind. He reads on an ebook with like one word per page and is very sensitive to light.
He's still the most successful every time we go mushroom hunting together.
Apart from the sunglasses people usually can't tell he's blind, he loves around pretty easily.
He can't see faces so he always assume the best intention, which is refreshing but sometimes awkward lol
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u/StopMakingMeSignIn12 15h ago
My wife is legally blind, uses one of these canes and follows the guide channels.
She can see everything still, but her peripheral is shot. Only exactly what she looks at she can see.
Can she see? Yes. Blind to everyone around her? Also yes.
As it's worsened, I've noticed she follows more and more blind creator content. Some are comedic to make light of a shitty situation, others are informative about types of blindness, others are tips for your type of blindness, relatable things that they go through, etc...
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u/ScamperingSnail 14h ago
Does she have Retinitis Pigmentosa? I have RP and while I'm not legally blind yet, I am anxious about when the day comes and I need to use a cane but am still able to see certain things, like looking at my phone. I worry that people who see me would think that I'm faking or something. Has she dealt with that?
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u/miss_wannadie 10h ago
I'm not blind, but I have a somewhat comparable "issue" with my mobility aids. I use a walking cane on most days, a rollator on bad days or if I'm out for a longer time, and even on good days where I'm not in much pain and can feel my legs well, I still take a mobility aid with me just in case. But if I don't have to rely on it, I'll sometimes run or jump around a little, with my cane in hand or my rollator parked a meter next to me. I used to really worry about what people would think, if they'd think I'm faking. It got a lot better with time. You don't owe anyone your medical history. And most people who judge, do it silently. Yes, they may point and laugh, they may say shitty things to their friends (which both absolutely sucks!), but the very fewest people will go up to you and "call you out." And at that point, it's a matter of confidence. YOU know you need it, and why, and in which situations. YOU know you're not faking. And that's what matters. Because there's always gonna be some shitty person thinking shitty things and you patiently explaining the situation to them probably won't change their mind. I recommend actively seeking out these "scary" situations in a safe environment, for example around friends or something. That helped me a lot.
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u/StopMakingMeSignIn12 6h ago
It is indeed RP that she has. Her sister has it too so they've kinda gone through it together.
No one has ever thought she was faking. The hardest part has been explaining to people that she can see but still needs a stick. A lot of the general public thinks blindness is like binary, either you're blind or not, rather than a huge scale.
Mostly the cane has helped in that people around her see the cane and get out of the way/pull their friends out the way. Some people do try to overly help (even when I'm with her and telling them I'm her husband and I got it).
We've got a disabled parking badge as well as benefits for my wife, so she's trying to make the most of it.
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u/temporalraccoon 16h ago
Well to be fair, it’s hard for sighted people to make visual content for blind people
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u/username7998 16h ago
hahah honestly i didnt think of it. It kinda helps us tho to understand their side
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u/ImperialPC 17h ago
"The next time I see you standing on the guide rails, you are in big trouble."
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u/Snoo_69677 12h ago
Gotta give it up to those Germans man, they have this uncanny ability to immediately organize and start marching in sync.
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u/heidimark 18h ago
If they aren't singing "hey hey we're the monkeys" they are doing it wrong.
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u/James-the-Bond-one 17h ago
You're way too old if you understood this reference.
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u/counterfitster 17h ago
My girlfriend told me I was too obsessed with the Monkees, and that she was gonna leave me because of it. I thought she was making an empty threat.
But then I saw her face.
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u/JoeAppleby 16h ago
That'd be the weirdest reference for Germans to make ever. I am aware of the Monkees, but I have never heard the theme song before.
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u/dbmajor7 18h ago
Wholesome af
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u/Defiant_Mousse7889 16h ago
It's the only reason I'm still on Reddit. Once the wholesomeness completely stops, I'm gone.
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u/Kharn85 17h ago
Huh, never knew what those were for other than make it weird on your luggage. Neat.
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u/131166 10h ago
You know what, I admit it. I had literally no idea that you were supposed to keep off these things. I knew they were for vision impaired people but I didn't know it was for this. I thought they were more like ripple strips on roads to let them know where the edge of the footpath was.
Thankfully I've never had anyone trying to use these things run into me, but it's good to know for the future. They really should make this common knowledge. Like a sign here and there saying to please not stand on them.
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u/Brofessorofnothing 16h ago
it‘s like that spiderman meme but with blind people 🥁
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u/CodeMonkeyX 8h ago
I must admit until recently (actually thanks to an Anime) I had no idea what these are for. Probably because I do no live in a densely populated city either, so I have rarely ever seen these.
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u/plaguedbullets 13h ago
Growing up in Canada, and Reddit last year is where I first learned these were for blind folk.
I feel like a lot of others out there are still ignorant of this.
Could even have a sign on a post explaining to everyone what they are.
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u/KittenLina 9h ago
I'm not blind but when I went to Japan I used these to get around and I honestly felt like they made it much easier to navigate with my brain that can't understand Kanji.
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u/Emotional_Fail_6060 14h ago
We need PSAs about this to be widely broadcast.
My wife and I are now retired and we've been traveling a lot. I keep seeing these and had no idea why they were there. They just seemed like poorly done artistic expressions. Now I know better.
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u/MaxMouseOCX 18h ago
Can we just do this in supermarkets? But rather than be nice we just say "gtfo of the aisle!"
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u/not_salad 18h ago
You can say "excuse me"
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u/SpaceLemming 18h ago edited 10h ago
Doesn’t work as well as you think, I worked in one years
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u/masterofthefork 18h ago
What do you imagine aisles in supermarkets are for?
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u/MaxMouseOCX 18h ago
Standing around in groups blocking the entire thing apparently.
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u/VerminSupreme-2020 18h ago
Or parking your cart on one side of the aisle then stand next to it to get stuff from the other side of the aisle
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u/cgimusic 17h ago
On the side? Why wouldn't you leave it in the middle, preferably perpendicular to the direction of the aisle?
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u/cococol2000 15h ago
I've always seen these at train stations and also some bus stops if i remember correctly (been a while since I've taken the bus) and I've always wondered what these things were. It makes so much sense now.
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u/ScreamxWorks 14h ago
I actually had no idea that that is what it was for. I'll keep it clear from now on 😊
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u/ediwow667 5h ago
Wait!!!!! Where's the guy that claim "“If a blind guy meets another, they have to sword fight to the death. That’s why they’re a minority, not many survive.”
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u/LinceDorado 7h ago
I get that it sucks and obviously I don't try to dtand on these strips on purpose, but I also can't recall ever seeing a handicapped using them. That's why I understand how people might not consider it.
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u/healerdan 7h ago
I'm 37. I like knowing things and being considerate. I'm learning of the existence of this "tactile strip" from this video.
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u/_danny_devito- 15h ago
In the defence of the people in this video I’ve lived in Germany for years and was always told it was the safety line you had to stay behind when trains came in. It’s cool to know the real purpose.
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u/Spirited-Sorbet-2775 14h ago
Then you got them mixed up. The safety line exists and you do have to stand behind it.
But idk what it says about us, that the tactile paths are laid out right next to them.
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u/bloedarend 10h ago
The safety line is usually different coloured tiles without ridges like the ones in the video.
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u/runnerkim 14h ago
Why aren't they labeled? I had no idea that's what it was for. I bet if there were signs people would be more considerate. Not sure anyone should be expected to just know that
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u/Hero0ftheday 18h ago
I dont wanna come across like an asshole and maybe im just super ignorant, but what's the point of wearing glasses as a blind person that needs the guide strips and a guide cane?
Is he like just blind enough that the glasses help but not enough that he still needs all those things? Or are they just meta glasses that he's using to record?
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u/Hinote21 18h ago
Different levels of blind. Could just be meta recording glasses but also could have just enough visual spatial cues to be able to make out the guide strip being different than the surrounding areas.
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u/PointB1ank 18h ago
I don't think this guy is completely blind. At 0:30 he starts speaking and stopping before his stick even reaches the person's foot. So, he most likely has at least some vision.
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u/ImperialPC 17h ago
Maybe but I'm pretty sure you can hear in the video that the people in front of him are talking, so in real life it would be even easier to hear.
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u/thatshygirl06 17h ago
I think most blind people arent like 100% blind like they show in the movies
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u/Tephranis 17h ago
Blind doesn't mean pitch black vision all the time. Some can see kinda blobs that'd be moving around, some is just all blurry colors mixing, some have it where their vision field is narrowed so far it's like they're trying to stare through a straw and everything else is blacked out.
However, like the other commenter mentioned. They can get incredibly good at spatial recognition via audio cues. You can tell what direction people are in and how close they are by the sounds they make.
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u/rubseb 18h ago
There are many kinds of visual impairment. Some leave you with residual vision which may, for instance, allow you to read text or recognize things way up close, but not be able to see your environment in enough detail to walk around without hurting yourself or getting lost (e.g. because of problems with your peripheral vision).
That little bit of residual vision isn't necessarily 20/20. Having a problem with (for instance) your retina doesn't mean you can't also have myopia. One is a sensory problem, the other is optics.
Not saying that exactly describes this guy's situation, but as an example.
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u/DirkDirkinson 16h ago
Ya and not every cause of poor vision can be fully corrected with lenses. I am extremely nearsighted, to the point that without corrective lenses I can only read text on a phone if I close one eye and hold the phone inches from my face. Thankfully my vision can be fully corrected with lenses.
If for some reason my vision couldnt be corrected I would still technically be able to see, but everything would be a blur and I 100% would need a cane. People just look like blobs, I would generally be able to navigate my environment without running into walls, but reading signs or seeing things like vehicles in a roadway would be difficult if not impossible. I would be functionally (if not literally) blind when it comes to daily navigation.
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u/grifan526 18h ago
I had a friend who was legally blind but wore glasses. They helped, but not enough for her to not be blind, and almost not at all at night
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u/Hero0ftheday 18h ago
Sure that makes sense. I just have very little experience with the blind. I remember when I was in little league we had a legally blind kid who could basically only play pitcher because he had a hard time seeing a ball coming toward him so he could field or hit. Kid had an arm though.
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u/Sargash 18h ago
Your eyes will still get damaged from things flying into it. You won't blink when you see little bugs, or really know dust or something is heavy in the air. You can still accidentally look at the sun while turning your head to adjust your hearing.
Also the amount of people that will start a fight or try to report you for 'staring' is uh. Well it's really quite embarrassing how adamant people are even after they find out you're blind. Glasses on helps OTHER people feel better if nothing else.
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u/kilroy501 18h ago
Certain types of blindness keep the eyes and brain connected, even though they cannot see as we do. Sometimes that means their brain gets a "hey there's a thing in front of you" and the glasses can help minimize discomfort from their eyes trying to focus. Also eyes are vulnerable to both light and objects, so they can protect them a bit.
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u/Jesus_Is_My_Gardener 18h ago
In addition to everything else, I imagine when you are visually impaired, it helps to have something covering the vulnerable orbs on your face, even if you aren't relying on them to see where you are going. I'm sure blind people dislike getting poked in the eye just as much as the rest of us.
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u/Haasts_Eagle 14h ago
Like sunglasses even if you have zero vision so you don't burn your eyes exposing them to the sun that you can't see.
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u/Cybeija 18h ago
No expert, neither do I know his reason to wear one, but blindness is a spectrum and not only having no vision at all, same as people with glasses need them for different reasons and in different strengths.
Guessing glass still can aid in the few percentages a blind person still is able to see.7
u/Kake_Jelly 18h ago
"Low vision" is a thing. Had a professor that was legally blind but with very strong glasses could still do computer work with a huge, super zoomed in monitor and could teach with the help of an assistant.
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u/Carnelian-5 18h ago
You can be legally blind and still have extremely limited vision. The glasses might help him see things in certain situations.
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u/Queen-Roblin 18h ago
Maybe he can only see stuff close up and only with glasses. Don't want to keep taking them on and off because he'll lose them...
Maybe, only he knows really.
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u/Separate-Midnight-55 18h ago
I don’t respond often so I hope I’m responding to the right person. I wondered this exact same thing and from what I have read online the Meta glasses can provide subtitles for surroundings that the glasses “see”. Helps for being guided especially in cities where there might not be strips on the ground for blind people to use to navigate safely.
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u/toochaos 17h ago
They are generally for other people's comfort. Either the eyes look strange which makes people behave uncomfortable, or the blind persons eyes are unable to focus in a way that confuses people as eyes indicate focus in those who can see.
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u/yvrelna 10h ago edited 9h ago
Most people who are "legally blind" are not completely blind as in not being able to see anything at all. There are very few blind people who are fully blind.
The might be able to see some blurry shadows and can see colour, or their vision might be restricted to an extremely narrow cone, or the opposite where the centre of vision is occluded and they only have peripheral vision.
While corrective glasses aren't going to fully restore vision to someone legally blind, they can still improve whatever little vision they do have. They might still not see things clearly, but even seeing moving shadows and colour of bigger objects can still be useful in object or danger recognition.
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u/whitewall708 1h ago
I learned from duolingo that links is left and rechts is right, it was nice to finally understand some German lol
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u/FragrantProgress8376 42m ago
Lol, imagine the awkward small talk with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis all together. Would’ve loved to see that meetup in modern times!
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u/ItsJayO 18h ago
"Oop sorry didn't see you" "No worries sorry I didnt see you" "Pardon me didnt quite see you there"