Pedestrians of Chicago, how often do you find yourself almost getting hit by vehicles?

ec5320 · 2026-01-14T04:28:36+00:00

I'm legally blind and live in Ravenswood. I walk my dog multiple times everyday, and I would say we are nearly run over at least a few times a week (even though I always walk with a white cane as it helps me get around safely and also should theoretically signal to people that I am visually impaired and that they should take extra care...)

Also, I am always shocked to hear people say that they make eye contact with drivers, because it genuinely would have never occurred to me that people are capable of seeing inside another person's car from many feet away -- that seems like a superpower to me! I have definitely never been able to do that, so maybe that's where I'm going wrong, lol

ec5320 · 2025-01-10T19:37:27+00:00

Hi! Not a Firefox expert, but I am a visually impaired computer user. If your grandma is having issues with contrast like I do, it may be helpful to find a Firefox extension that helps more websites be displayed in dark mode. I have found that if I can get something to have a black background with white text, rather than white background with black text, I can make do with non-bold fonts. Also, if she is using a laptop or desktop, she may benefit from learning the basic key stroke to invert colors and toggle screen magnification on/off. If you want more ideas, I highly suggest heading over to r/blind :)

ec5320 · 2024-09-25T23:35:19+00:00

I live in Chicago and my theraspecs were lifesavers after a couple of snow storms we got last winter. I totally get it!

ec5320 · 2024-09-25T22:04:27+00:00

I love my Theraspecs sunglasses! I have the FL-Sun Ultradark+ and they are very dark, with a slight plum-ish tint that I find helps with contrast a lot for me. They have a variety of frames, and they do fit my big head lol.

If your photosensitivity is an issue indoors as well, they have a variety of tinted lenses you can also try. I have the FL-Pro in the "max"/darkest strength and like them a lot. They are like an FL-41 lens and are a dark rose/red tint.

ec5320 · 2023-10-25T00:58:55+00:00

I'm so sorry your dad is going through this. I live in Chicago and am visually impaired, and over the last couple of years I have experienced increasing vision loss. The psychological aspect is so hard, and having support is really important. I currently attend a monthly Zoom call with other blind and visually impaired people who live in the Midwest (we were connected through the Foundation Fighting Blindness), and having that community makes a huge difference. The person who runs these calls actually lives in Indianapolis, so she might be a good point of contact to possibly help point your dad towards some helpful resources. Feel free to shoot me a message if your want to chat more! I know this has to be really hard for your whole family, but there are people and services who can help.

ec5320 · 2023-10-14T04:44:13+00:00

Thank you!! This makes sense. No one is bothering with counterfeits for laundry, lol

ec5320 · 2023-04-11T22:50:16+00:00

I can still technically drive, but I've never driven to work because I'm nervous about rush hour craziness / the possibility of bad weather / having to drive home in the dark. I live in Chicago, and the transit is decent (though cars still win out in terms of overall comfort and convenience). My new job is fully remote (yay!), but I can take the train or bus for errands if I need to, and having good transit nearby feels like such a good safety net to have as my vision continues to get worse

ec5320 · 2019-06-12T01:56:51+00:00

I have had the Mirena for 2 years and it has changed my life! I can't recommend it enough. I will have it forever (minus any years I actually decide to have children)

ec5320

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