Posted by Muni rider Whole Wheat Toast
It was really pouring today, if you guys didn’t notice. What were my original plans of going to Grandview Park fizzled when it was raining in the Sunset.
Of course, me riding the N with nothing happening is not interesting news, but when I got to Embarcadero Station, I came across this guy, who was blind and deaf, and had a sign that said:
HELP ME GET ON THE N OR THE T
I AM DEAF AND BLIND AND NEED HELP.
So I helped him on the train. Then I went off, but when I already got on the escalator, I decided to go back and help the guy. There, I saw him talking to the operator of the Muni train, and from how he looked like, he didn’t speak much English either. He tried to use his finger to “write” on the operator’s hand, and she didn’t get much of it. She offered him to sit up front but he refused.
As we got to Folsom Station, I decided to get to him. I “wrote” on his hand “Are you trying to get to Caltrain?” Then he held up four fingers. I didn’t get it at first, but I eventually found out he wanted 4th and King, which was essentially Caltrain, right?
We got to 4th and King, and I told him that we were there. I don’t know whether he thanked me or not, but I noticed his backpack was open. I tried to tell him but he was pretty incoherent, and walked away from me, crashing onto three people who were trying to buy tickets. I was, like, “Watch out!”, but apparently they didn’t escape in time.
That was something interesting for me to see there. At first I thought it was a waste of time, but you can never waste your time by contributing to your community or helping someone out, disabled or not disabled.
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Good grief. I wonder who wrote his sign?
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seems this feat must’ve required amazing amounts of patience and skills. good on you, WWT.
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Yay! This is a great story. Thank you, WWT, for publicizing the need to help out the blind, deafblind, or any other person who might ask for help. Mobility teachers, who teach blind and deafblind people how to take public transit, make these signs for the users. That way, they can ask for assistance when needed. Did you guys know that there is a whole deafblind training program right here in the city? And DBs from all over the bay area learn to independently travel using several means. Next time you see someone who needs help, take the time to assist (or ask if they want assistance if you’re not sure). Way to go with the finger-on-palm spelling too!
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I also realized I need to learn ASL, I don’t know any. Thanks you guys.
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