Exploring New Rooms

Exploring a new room on your own can be done safely, no matter your level of vision. But it does help to take a step by step approach. So let's give it a try.

The doorway is the most obvious starting point, since it's a reference you will have for every new space. Now, using light sweeping motions with your hands, explore the doorway area for light switches and wall hangings. Then, turn to the right from the doorway and begin exploring alongside that wall. Place the back of your hand against the wall, remembering to keep your fingers relaxed, together, and slightly bent.

As you go, make a mental note of each wall using the direction you're facing, like North, South, East, and West. Even if you don't know the actual directions, make it up until you do. Or just use numbers, one, two, three, four. Or words like front, back, left, and right. Use the trailing and upper hand forearm technique you learned previously to protect yourself from bumping into objects. If you're not familiar with this technique, look for full details in the workshop Protect Yourself From Bumping Into Things.

Once the room becomes more familiar, you will recognize landmarks, like the TV wall, or the wall with windows. Now, walk back and forth along that wall until you're really familiar with it. Make mental notes of everything you encounter and try to remember where you are in relationship to the doorway. You may find that making an audio recording of what you find along the wall can be helpful too. Now, repeat these same steps for each wall in the room, until you reach the doorway again. Once you feel comfortable and familiar enough with what's along the edges of the room, it's time to explore the center.

Let's start back at the doorway area and stand with your back against the wall. What you're doing is known as squaring off. It helps you walk straight across a room to the opposite wall. As you move across the room, use the upper and lower protective techniques you previously learned. A rolled up newspaper or ruler is a great way to extend your lower hand or forearm protection until you become familiar with the space. Try to keep your shoulders lined up with the rest of your body so that you don't veer to the right or left.

Now, either make a mental note, or continue the audio recording of any furniture or objects you encounter along the way. Once you reach the opposite wall, put your back against it and move about two to three feet to the left or right. Whether you go left or right doesn't matter. Just make sure you keep going in the same direction every time so that you don't end up covering the same area more than once. Repeat these steps, always using the upper and lower techniques to protect yourself until you reach a corner. At this point, you'll make a quarter turn to get your back up against the next wall. Continue exploring each wall using these same steps until you're back where you started.

As always, contact a learning expert if you have questions or your own tips to share. Of course, as with anything new, give yourself time, patience, and practice and you'll get there.