Eventually she was so close & screeching I stopped & yelled back “I AM BLIND” She started saying “oh no I didn’t mean.” But I managed to navigate around her & just walked away. I encounter this behaviour often, instead of moving or communicating, people force space conflict 2/

It annoyed me before but now it’s putting my baby at risk. If a disabled person needs space so they can safely navigate, move. If you can’t move, communicate. “Hi it’s narrow here, can you wait” or “I’m going to stay still on your left so you can get by” 3/

Unfortunately I also know some non disabled people do this ableist game of chicken to “test” how blind someone might be. I’ve experienced this & have had others anecdotally share similar stories. They choose to potentially harm someone just to make a point about “fakers” 4/

Being blind & using a pram is hard. But I’ve been practicing since before my baby was born. I’ve spent months building up my skills to do it safely. When Ava is back to work full time I’m even going to be assessed by her trainers to double check our safety together. 5/

But the hardest thing about navigating life as a disabled parent is the actions of other people. It’s exhausting. Also, they woke Little One from his nap, & there is no wrath like a sleep deprived parent! 🤬👩🏼‍🦯 6/

@BlondeHistorian I'm not blind, but I use a PWC and am visibly deformed. People automatically think I must be blind & deaf too, because they also play chicken, and other behaviours that makes zero sense around a 200kg ♿️ and a fellow human being 😑

@FabledFelts Solidarity

@BlondeHistorian i really don’t understand why she did any of that?? what was her aim in walking towards you screeching and what was she going to say to try to excuse herself? sorry you have to deal with this

@dancefeverqueen Her aim was to take up space & refuse to acknowledge the space I needed. Honestly some people just panic when they see me & their response is to scream

@BlondeHistorian I am partially sighted and have issues just like this when pushing my Mum in her wheelchair. It's got to a point we won't go anywhere, just the 2 of us, if it is likely to be busy.

@Claire11601244 I’m so sorry, and the rubbish thing is that it’s other people creating this barrier for you

@BlondeHistorian I find your tweets insightful and have definitely learnt a few lessons from them. Sorry you have to encounter this kind of totally thoughtless behaviour😔 I see you around and have to say I'm full of admiration. There's enough obstacles without people creating unecessary ones.

@polkapolkaW13 Thank you.

@BlondeHistorian My Deafblind partner normally uses a red & white mobility cane. When we had our baby, he had a yellow hi-vis vest made with DEAFBLIND on it so he could take the buggy out for a walk without people getting in the way. Not v discreet, though!

@MsLoloJ I have a white cane though! It should be obvious enough. It’s exhausting the extra steps we have to take

@BlondeHistorian My bf's mum is blind. The amount of people who simply do not move when they see her coming with either a white cane, or a dog with a guide dog harness on, is baffling. One time at a supermarket a guy pushing trolleys almost hit her with the trolleys, it was ridiculous.

@teen_headache Yup I think there are some people who genuinely don’t know what it means. But others make a choice to ignore a person & the space they need

@BlondeHistorian I t never, ever fails to astound me how thoughtless people are. My OH is a GDO, we navigate a busy city station on pretty much a daily basis and on the same frequency encounter situations like this. It doesn't take a lot to articulate your intentions and actions. X

@KatyB19733 Exactly. Thank you for sharing your experiences

@BlondeHistorian I don't understand why people get freaked out by seeing a blind person. I'm sorry you had to experience that. I don't encounter many blind people in my daily life but these stories give me an idea of what I should and shouldn't do if it happens, so, thank you for sharing :)

@decayin_scarecw Because they think I can’t be independent. So the idea of me being a parent in public panics them. Or they’re also just being a dick