The Braille League Week begins on March 20 and this year, it is focused on creating awareness about the mobility issues that blind and visually impaired people face. According to a survey conducted by the League, more than 80% of blind and visually impaired individuals go out almost every day, compared to 70% in 2013. Public transport remains the primary mode of transportation for the visually impaired, with 73.2% of respondents using it in 2022 compared to 53% in 2013. The main obstacle cited by respondents is the increasing number of scooters on public roads. Gérard Barillot, an active 71-year-old who is almost blind, uses an electronic cane to move around and faces difficulties encountered by shared electric scooters that are often parked in the middle of the sidewalk making it harder for individuals with reduced mobility to navigate around them. Belgians are increasingly worried about the prospect of becoming blind or visually impaired.
This Monday, March 20, the Braille League Week begins, an edition which this year will be marked by an awareness campaign around the mobility of blind and visually impaired people. According to a survey carried out by the League, more than 8 out of 10 blind and visually impaired people go out today almost every day. They were 7 out of 10 in 2013, the year of the previous large-scale mobility survey.
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“Ten years later, we asked the same questions and took stock of what has been done and what remains to be done, it turns out that 73% of our respondents use public transport, says Sylvie Degrelle, spokesperson for the Braille League. 53% are satisfied with it but 55% do not feel safe on public roads and the main obstacle is the scooter. An obstacle that obviously did not exist in 2013”. As in 2013, we learn that the primary means of travel for blind and visually impaired people remains public transport. 73.2% of respondents in 2022 use them (compared to 53% in 2013).
“These are really obstacles that are unpredictable”
From the height of his 71 years, Gérard Barillot borrows them on a daily basis. Virtually blind due to degenerative myopia, he uses an electronic white cane to get around. “I lost my sight two years ago but I continue to move every day, confides this sports enthusiast. From the age of 18 months, I was assured that I would be blind at the age of 14 and finally, the deficiency of my retina only really accelerated from the age of 68. Today, I see everything blurry and I can’t distinguish people but I remain hyperactive and I move as much as possible. In transport, it’s not easy every day but I don’t hesitate to ask people around me for help”.
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In 2022, the organization asked its respondents to rank the obstacles encountered on the public highway, in order of dangerousness. Unsurprisingly, scooters and scooters come out on top. For 22.9% of those polled, it is the obstacles that pose the most problems – especially in Brussels where nearly one in two respondents (49%) cites them as a priority. In addition, 22.7% cite the poor state of the roads as the main obstacle.
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“Shared electric scooters are the biggest disastersays the one who has been a pensioner for two years. Some pass us as if they were driving, make fish tails or hit our cane, it’s unbearable. In any case, I don’t give up. And the most disturbing thing is that many scooters are parked right in the middle of the sidewalk or public road. The problem is that if it’s in front of me, with the handlebars on the left for example, I don’t see it when I sweep with my cane. So it very often happens that I hit my lower legs on it, so I end up with wounds or bruises, and sometimes even on my knees”.
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Since the appearance of shared electric scooters, it must be said that driving on the sidewalks of large cities has become complex for people with reduced mobility. Faced with this problem, Gérard is categorical: the public authorities must offer a framework that requires scooter users and organizations that provide self-service scooters to park in specific places.
“For us, they represent obstacles that are really unpredictable, he laments. We move them so often that we don’t know how to anticipate anything, so they are really very annoying obstacles. Result, I hurt myself every week because of it. Recently, there was even a scooter parked in front of my house and I couldn’t get in, I got stuck for a moment in front of the entrance hall. I’ve been asking for well-defined and dedicated spaces for this purpose for months but I feel like we’re never heard, and it’s quite annoying. Still, it would be much easier for everyone.”
The survey carried out by the Braille League serves as a reminder that blind and visually impaired individuals face numerous obstacles in their daily lives. Mobility remains a challenge, with shared electric scooters posing a danger and poorly maintained roads increasing risks. As the League Week begins, it is critical to not only raise awareness but also push for concrete actions from public authorities to make public spaces more accessible and accommodating for all individuals, regardless of their level of disability. Every effort counts in creating an inclusive society where everyone can move around with ease and feel safe.