As a blind person, there are a few things to keep in mind when scheduling an appointment. The visually impared can’t drive themselves so good timing and public transportation are vital. With the right method of planning, you can get to any location despite not having the ability to drive.
The first place to start is scheduling transportation. To do this, you need to know the address, the date, the time, and the time it could take to drive there. Some may come to your house and others may only pick you up on the street. For the ones that pick you up from your house, call them and keep the time of travel in mind. In other words, if your appointment is at 6AM you will want to search for the possible time it would take to drive to that location. This means that if it says it takes 45 minutes to get there, schedule to be picked up at 5:15.
Now that your ride is scheduled, what should be done about the day of the appointment? Know the time of your transport’s arrival and try to be waiting outside about 15 minutes prior so they will pull up and see you. Once you’ve been picked up, a great thing to do is alert the location you are going of your needs. Call them and say that you are blind, are on the way, and will need assistance checking in and getting to the right place. Now they will be fully prepared to assist you with the whole process.
Once you’ve arrived, they do know that you will need help but may not know that you are there yet. The two things you can do are either go in and ask for help from the first person or stand at the door and call them through the phone telling them where you are. This makes it so you will not be left wandering through the building and not knowing what to do.
Once you’ve completed your appointment, the best thing to do is plan for the future. If another appointment is already scheduled, you’ll also want to schedule your ride again. Following the process above, make sure that you plan it to be picked up at your house with the travel time in mind. The best thing you can do from here is set a reminder on your phone with specific details of your upcoming appointment so it isn’t forgotten.