Almost 50 per cent of blind or vision impaired people have been injured as a result of unexpected obstacles or hazards on footpaths, according to a new survey from the NCBI.
One person who took part in the survey said they broke their ankle because of unexpected street furniture on a footpath.
Another respondent said that a car parked on a footpath left them with no option but to walk on to the road and as they came off it, they tripped and sprained their wrist.
A third told researchers that an object hanging out of a truck hit them in the face.
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Respondents were also asked to pick the top three most common unexpected obstacles they encountered on footpaths.
Cars parked on footpaths were the most common obstacles encountered, followed by dog fouling and wheelie bins.
The research was conduct as part of the charity’s annual Clear Our Paths campaign.
When asked whether experiences with unexpected obstacles affected their confidence to walk on footpaths independently, more than two thirds said it did.
“The findings of this snap survey are extremely disturbing and highlight the very reasons that we all need to clear our paths,” said Aaron Mullaniff, chief services officer with NCBI.
“It’s unacceptable that children and adults who are blind or vision impaired can be injured in any way because of the dangers of unexpected obstacles on our public walkways. The physical impact of a fall or injury in these situations is bad enough but that is compounded by the finding that nearly 70 per cent of all respondents in this survey are less confident to get out and about independently because they may encounter dangers going about their business.”
He called on the broader public to get on board with the campaign.
