Real Life Experts on… Getting Around in the Community in Adulthood

Pictured: Erika, holding her bag and her guide dog's leash, waits to board a Kansas City Metro Max bus.

In the latest issue of Partnering Together, our Real Life Experts shared their perspectives across the LifeCourse on accessing a wide variety of supports to help them get around. Below, is an excerpt from the Adulthood column, written by Erika, an advocate for people with disabilities, who recently moved from KC to St. Louis.

Adulthood life stage iconHow do I get around to places I need or want to go?

 

Pictured: Erika, holding her bag and her guide dog's leash, waits to board a Kansas City Metro Max bus.For the past 20 years I have been fortunate to have a guide dog as my mobility aid, leading me in and out of places where I need to go once I’ve reached my destination. My guide dog, Chandra, a black Labrador retriever, has travelled many miles with me throughout the time we have been together… She is my third guide, and takes quickly to learning new routes, due to her impeccable training received at Guide Dogs for the Blind. The guide dog school houses two top-notch training facilities for breeding and training guide dogs and matching them up with a blind person to forge lifelong partnerships. With the use of my guide dog, various smart phone apps, and public and
private transportation systems I have learned to navigate most any environment.

Photo: headshot of MOF2F Real Life Expert, Erika
Erika,

St. Louis, MO
Erika recently moved to St. Louis with her boyfriend and is an advocate for people with disabilities..

 

Read the full column and check out what the other Real Life Experts had to say in our latest issue at https://mofamilytofamily.org/partnering-together-43/