The coronavirus pandemic has caused daily difficulties for everyone. But what if you are visually impaired? Blind journalist Kate Pounds explores the particular challenges the virus has thrown up.

As the train approached London Waterloo on my last journey home from work before lockdown, a fellow passenger remarked he didn't want to press the button to open the doors because of Coronavirus.

It got me thinking. As someone who cannot see, I have to touch objects and surfaces much more than your average person.

Just at the station I have to feel around the ticket machine to find the card reader, touch the escalator's moving handrail to see if it's going to take me up or down, and touch the side of the train doorway to gauge the width of the gap I'm so often reminded to "mind".

Added to these obvious hygiene problems, it's also harder to find a bathroom or alcohol gel point when you want to wash your hands.

So how are other visually impaired people adapting?

Image copyrightSAJID ALI
Image captionSajid Ali has found going shopping more challenging recently

Sajid Ali, a 40-year-old market researcher from West Yorkshire, says a trip to the supermarket is difficult - holding a week's shop in one hand and a white cane in the other makes navigating a challenge.

He says he can lose balance and that it's hard to walk in a straight line.

He says he usually asks for help to find the items he needs, but getting that vital assistance has proved challenging recently.

"They said they were not sure they could help because of 'current things going on,'" he says. "I guess it was a contact thing, because of having to take someone's arm for guiding. I waited around for over five minutes, and in the end they did help."

Just getting to the shops is a challenge for Reanna Parkinson, 22, from Lancashire.

Image copyrightREANNA PARKINSON
Image captionReanna values her independence

"There are a lot of main roads around here and hardly any crossings so I can't get to other shops safely on my own," she says.

Her dad gave her a lift last time but she feels this threatens the safety of her mum, who is classed as high risk and needs to shield for 12 weeks.

Reanna, a graduate in criminology and sociology, values her independence but says she now may have to move in with her parents to survive.

"Normally I get a delivery, but all the slots have been taken," she says. "Some online services say they have prioritised people with disabilities for delivery slots. I've seen a lot of tweets from blind people asking how they get these priority deliveries but I haven't seen any responses."

But even if you manage to get a slot, shopping online is no picnic. For blind and visually impaired people, the process involves many more steps and is far slower, which matters when everyone is rushing to buy.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-52118942