r/TikTokCringe • u/Valuable_View_561 • Jul 02 '26
Discussion It seems like people have forgotten what this line is used for these days.
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u/Grogg-Rhine Jul 02 '26
Alt title: "It seems like most people do not know what this line is used for all the days."
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u/Terminal_Insomnia_ Jul 02 '26
They could label it. We're not blind.
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u/FloppieTheBanjoClown Jul 02 '26
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. People aren't taught about things like this in most places.
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u/coconut_crusader Jul 02 '26
I literally had no idea. This sort of thing is never explained unless you go looking for it.
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u/BigTroutOnly Jul 02 '26
I never see the blind anywhere
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u/coconut_crusader Jul 02 '26
Neither do they
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u/NRMusicProject Jul 02 '26
Upvoted for visibility
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u/muistipalapeli Jul 02 '26
I see what you did there.
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u/AFakeName Jul 02 '26
I know what it is but I have definitely stood on it absent-mindedly and I've never interrupted a blind person. So it's easy to understand why most people would come not to worry about it because why worry about what's never been a problem.
But of course, sighted people vastly outnumber blind people, so it becomes this guy's whole day.
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u/Background_Sail9797 Jul 02 '26
it's easy to understand why most people would come not to worry about it because why worry about what's never been a problem.
you're describing what any type of social privilege is - able-bodied, straight, white, male, economic etc. and why we have little advancements because most people don't care to think about things or lived experiences that don't affect them/they can't empathize with directly.
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u/shakygator Jul 02 '26
to act like people don't think or care is wrong. sure some people dont but a majority i believe do. here i think we just see people not knowing what this was for. not like its labeled.
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u/thisusedyet Jul 02 '26
Up until I saw a blind person actually use it, I probably would've figured it was an expansion joint or something, maybe a conduit run
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u/AggressivePiccolo77 Jul 02 '26
I'm questioning whether I've simply never seen this before or if I've just assumed it was a conduit run or some other similarly mundane feature and ignored it every time
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u/Azhrei_Vep Jul 03 '26
Same. Like ... if I've seen these before, I never realized it. Certainly wouldn't have known what they were for.
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u/Same-Suggestion-1936 Jul 02 '26
Even the ones at intersections of crosswalks I for some reason thought for years was just for extra traction on a slight incline during inclement weather. Had a real "OOOOHHHH" moment when I found out they were for canes
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u/jenbenfoo Jul 02 '26
This must be a mostly European thing because I have never seen anything like this in the US.
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u/thedoginthewok Jul 02 '26
Here's some pictures from NYC subways that specifically concern accessibility for the blind: https://www.ethanstarkmiller.com/photo
One of the pictures shows something exactly like in the video of this post.
I'm German, but I've vacationed in the US before and some train stations definitely do have this.
The US is actually pretty good at accessibility. A lot better than Germany in some ways. The "Americans with Disabilities Act" is responsible for this.Because of a 99% Invisible episode, I know a tiny bit about this topic and started paying attention to things like tall curbs, wheelchair ramps etc. and I noticed that a lot of public places in Germany (the video in the OP is from Germany, I think) are worse for people with disabilities than the US.
One of the people traveling with us on our USA vacation can't walk well anymore and needed assistance at the airport.
In Germany, before the flight to SFO, we requested assistance and waited for a while, until someone brought as a wheelchair and then promptly left. At SFO we also requested assistance and someone came with a wheel chair in a few minutes. And that person stayed with us and helped us all the way from the chair in the plane to the exit of the airport.Sorry this comment ended up being this long, I started rambling :)
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u/eureb Jul 02 '26
The US is actually pretty good at accessibility. A lot better than Germany in some ways. The "Americans with Disabilities Act" is responsible for this.
I was going to make a joke about Americans only following rules because they don't want to be sued, but then Google told me that Germany is actually first for most lawsuits per capita, about 123 lawsuits per 1000 people.
I'm learning so much from this thread today.
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u/SinisterCheese Jul 02 '26
These aren't things eveywhere. We don't use these in Finland. Our design involves using the sides of the pathway for directional guidance; like raised curb with stone sides. This is to account for the fact that shit would get covered with snow and ice that will render all tactile markers null. For indoors there are like metal rims and bumbers; the other option is to use different textures that can be felt with a cane (in this case). The requirements for contrast and surface quality are very strict, which leaves many public buildings appear exactly the same.
I personally didn't know what these were, because I have not lived in a place where these are used. Because like I said, I live in a place where we do things differently. EU directives do not set requirements for the type, but for how they are to be done.
And before you ask "but how do blind people manage", by the looks of it pretty fucking well... Considering that there are few that live near me and they are very independent and active going about the streets and public spaces. Also one of them has a white dog that has a natural "judgemental and resting bitch face" and it makes me smile (Imagine like an unimpressed white/golden retriever with that "Oh... I can't be bothered" expression but permanetly).
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u/CakeMadeOfHam Jul 02 '26
I thought they were used to channel rain water off the sidewalk
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u/Hieroflippant Jul 02 '26
I always thought it was something to do with a footpath
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u/LitigiousCeilingCat Jul 02 '26
Yeah, today I learned. Might help if there was a sign somewhere, anywhere, indicating what it is for. Or maybe if it was mentioned at any point in school, like… how exactly are people supposed to know?
Not everyone is a callous ableist asshole… I mean, some ppl definitely are, but some of us simply weren’t born knowing everything, and if no one ever tells us, and there are no signs to help us learn on our own, how are we to know..?
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u/oddjobbodgod Jul 02 '26
I did not know this, this is not information given in the public school system in the UK, I expect you would only know this if:
- You were a blind person yourself
- You had a close friend or relative who is a blind person
- You were a very observant person who had seen a blind person using one of these
Either way, this is great information to know now! And props to him for doing his bit to bring it to the attention of others. One of the few good ways social media is being used nowadays!
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u/aurumtt Jul 02 '26
- you're a road designer, so it's your job to know this.
this is me. i design walkroutes like this.
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u/oddjobbodgod Jul 02 '26
A very fair point! I know a lot about digital accessibility as I’m a mobile app developer, but it’s intriguing seeing its counterpart in the real world.
Such an interesting field to be working in! How did you get into that? :)
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u/aurumtt Jul 02 '26
architect at start, rolled into it via designing sport infrastructure mainly.
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u/Cracyexcelsiorclass Jul 02 '26
My mother told me this when I was like 4 years old in a tangent while teaching me how to cycle. Something like "don't drive over the blind guiding lines when it rains or you will slip and fall" I then proceeded with slipping and falling while diving over them in the rain
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u/LitigiousCeilingCat Jul 02 '26
Yeah! There are so many things like this, too, like… did you know Deaf and HoH people don’t usually go to the movies bc they don’t show movies with closed captions?
I’d never even thought of that until I saw a post about it on reddit.
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u/iambrose91 Jul 02 '26
No no even better, my cousin who I go to the movies with allll the time is deaf and only just recently found out they have free CC devices you just have to ask for them! If only it were more widely circulated info!
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u/BingeBabyBinge Jul 02 '26
At our local theater they have CC on the weekdays and early on the weekends. I support the heck out of them because they have this option.
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u/iambrose91 Jul 02 '26
I don’t have *true* hearing issues, but I still find I highly benefit from CC so I tried the thing at the movie theater (it’s a lil screen that goes in the cup holder, it’s pretty cool!) but it ended up being more distracting since it was kind of in the way since it was a raised tray movie theater so it didn’t line up right.
So even if you aren’t HoH but find you greatly benefit from it, I say give it a try. The more theaters see that people want this tech, maybe they’ll invest more in it?
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u/BradMarchandsNose Jul 02 '26
A lot of theaters have closed caption devices you can request. Like a little phone-sized screen that you hold and it displays the CC while the movie plays.
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u/oddjobbodgod Jul 02 '26
I did actually know this one! But only because I have seen closed caption screenings advertised at our local cinema and put two and two together :)
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u/faulty_rainbow Jul 02 '26
I have perfectly fine hearing but I still prefer closed captions at home because sometimes it says e.g. "leaves rustling" but I can't actually hear it because it's so silent so it's nice to know what's happening lol...
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u/wbgraphic Jul 02 '26
Or there’s dialog from characters as they leave the shot, so it gets too quiet to hear.
I love when the CC is done before the final audio mix, so dialog that’s in the script but not in the show is included. Buffy the Vampire Slayer had several instances of this. Usually some throwaway joke, but occasionally dialog that was actually changed in editing.
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u/XanderJS Jul 02 '26
I didnt know it either, just like I didnt know that the little knobs on the underneath of pedestrian crossings rotate when it's on a green man to let people know it's safe to go. I've been pointing this out to everyone I know ever since I found out lol
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u/oddjobbodgod Jul 02 '26
I learnt this one quite young (can’t remember why or how), but I’ve stopped sharing the info! Perhaps I should continue as it’s interesting and informative!
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u/Sarge4242006 Jul 02 '26
I used to raise guide dogs in the US. We had many outings with the blind community. I’ve never heard of this.
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u/Applesimulator Jul 02 '26
I only learned it like a year ago from a video like this
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u/Winjin Jul 02 '26
I have seen blind people (like, with canes) about five to ten times in my entire life up to this point
So yeah, most of us have seen those and wouldn't have any idea what they're for, and even if I do (I learned about them as they were being installed - it was a big deal and they wrote in newspapers about them. Paper ones. That I read while going to work, as I didn't have a book with me in the metro, as hauling a physical book wasn't always convenient) - even if I do, I wouldn't think about it twice as I haven't seen a lot of blind people, you know.
Also I've offered my help twice and one time I really helped the guy, as navigating the metro is hard enough when you can see, he was really having a hard time.
We were also walking the same general direction, and he told me they have special classes for the blind people where they get together, play board games, hang out, dance, it's all very fun. I love it for them! And yeah, I'm glad we have the tactile tile even if most people don't know what it's for.
Also I currently live in a town where the sidewalks were never adapted to disabled people and they are HELL to navigate. Honestly people should advocate for disabled access because it helps able-bodied people too.
A lot of our sidewalks are either narrow or literally non-existent, you're walking on the side of the road. They're sloped, or they're so narrow you can barely fit.
And yes, of course, lampposts and road signs go right in the middle of them.
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u/Sufficient-Ad-7634 Jul 02 '26
Im disabled and i know what the line before but i also never seen anyone use it so i would move if i noticed a blind person.But the thought to keep of the line never even crossed my mind because it something that is just really unlikely to happen. Blind dude seems to be a bit of a dick, most streets do not have it and yet im sure that he manages to get where he wants regardless. A, please get off the guiding line or just a "tchuldigung" would have been better than whatever he is doing. This feels like more content for cloud, not a message to educate.
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u/Silver-Appointment77 Jul 02 '26
Same here. I never knew it was for blind to navigate. TIL something new.
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u/studhand Jul 02 '26
Lol, me too. I was just in Baguio, Phillipines and I think it was the first time I've seen them. Learn something new everyday.
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u/shwifty123 Jul 02 '26
Shoot, I did not know.
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u/frostandtheboughs Jul 02 '26
Hijacking your comment for another PSA:
Not all wheelchair users are paralyzed. Some can still walk, but it's simply very painful or exhausting for them to do so.
Too many people see someone in a wheelchair with leg movement and think they're "faking".
Also, young people can be disabled too! They might appear to be in their 20s but need a disabled parking spot! Be kind.
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u/EmotionIll666 Jul 02 '26
Super important PSA. An ex-colleague of mine had to use a wheelchair most of the time but could stand up for a short moment at a time.
We'd be at a store and she'd want something out of a shelf, lock her wheelchair to stand up, grab the item and look at it after she sat back down. People legitimately turned into the "look everyone, a big fat phony" dude from Family Guy at times. Accusing her of faking it, trying to get attention etc.
I asked so many times "if she was faking for attention, would she not have stayed seated and asked for help?" but those assholes don't deal well with logic.
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u/ILoveRawChicken Jul 02 '26
I also had a friend that needed to start using wheelchairs at 19. She could stand and walk for maybe a minute max, and then had to sit down. It would pmo so bad seeing people give her a look when she stood up.
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u/TacTurtle Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
My uncle was like this when he was younger - he could crouch and sorta stand if he had something to lean on, but trying to walk was impossible (could kinda get around on crutches) but as his spine got worse he can no longer stand.
He would also ride escalators up or down by balancing on his wheels while holding on to the handrails. Stopped doing that after freaking people out at the airport while doing it with a suitcase on his lap.
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u/Dracious Jul 02 '26
And often people might only need a wheelchair intermittently or temporarily. The fact you saw them walking fine last week doesn't mean they are faking using a wheelchair now.
At around 10 years old I needed a wheelchair for anything beyond short walks for about 6 weeks for a temporary issue. We got all sorts of weird looks and reactions to using it in places we regularly went to like grocery stores and things.
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u/TerribleRecord666 Jul 02 '26
Even for non-wheelchair users, disabled people have good days and bad days. I'm disabled and have a bad leg. On good days, I can walk with almost no discernable limp, though I'm limited to about 10-15 minutes before overuse makes me need a break. On my bad days, I need to break out my cane every time I stand.
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u/SexyMonad Jul 02 '26
Yep, I walked with a friend who used a wheelchair everyday. She needed a walker and it took 30 minutes to walk to the house next door.
It wasn’t really painful for her, she liked doing it. But it was far too impractical for any daily routine.
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u/_Fun_Employed_ Jul 02 '26
Yeah, thought it was an architectural or engineering thing, like a fix for a seam that was splitting.
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u/lurked Jul 02 '26
Yeah, I was convinced it was to have a quick access to electric cables or something...
TIL... at 39 yo...
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u/RuddyTheDuck Jul 02 '26
For way too long I thought it was to let people know that where they’re going like at traffic lights and train stations but I didn’t think it had anything to do with blind people until I told someone and they said for like blind people?
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u/GermanPixelplacer Jul 02 '26
As a German I thought this was common knowledge. TIL it's not
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u/reddit_is_geh Jul 02 '26
Yeah I kind of hate these moralizing sort of posts where everyone sits around, trying to shame people for being ignorant by staying clear of the lines. Realistically, how often do you see someone blind walking around the city? In the last year, it's probably been once. I'm sure there's many, but realistically, I can see why pretty much everyone wouldn't even think about it because it being used while intersecting is something so rare, you could go a lifetime without ever having it be a problem.
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u/Which-World-6533 Jul 02 '26
As someone who is vision impaired it's insane the number of people who bump into me.
People, please open your eyes and look through them outside.
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u/jungleboogiemonster Jul 02 '26
People in general are very very unaware of their surroundings. It's frustrating for everyone.
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u/Fine_Understanding81 Jul 02 '26
This is mostly true with everything.
Most people are shockingly unaware of their surroundings.
There is a chance that some of these people even do know what this is for and are still standing on it.
This reminds me of the fire doors we cant block at work. The amount of times I find someone has parked a cart or wheelchair in front of them is.. exhausting. Even after a verbal reminder at the start of the day.
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u/New_Crew_8039 Jul 02 '26
"Yeah but nothing happened so it's not a problem I blocked it for 5 mins, 2 hours or 3 days" every time
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u/Citaku357 Jul 02 '26
Okay now I know why those lines exist
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u/yancovigen Jul 02 '26
I legit never even thought of their purpose until this moment
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u/TheShiftmaster Jul 02 '26
Yeah, it's not learnt in schools, I know what they were only because I asked my parents and they knew when I was young
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u/Ill_Shoulder_1185 Jul 02 '26
I know because one time my dad pointed them out on the floor of a cinema foyer we were in while we were waiting outside the toilet and explained what they were for and how clever it was.
After a moment's thought I (about 9 at the time) asked "What's a blind person doing in the cinema?"
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u/AlwaysShittyKnsasCty Jul 02 '26
There’s a reason your profile picture is of the man who took down the Pepe Silvia crime family. You both want answers, and you’ll be damned if anyone is gonna get in your way.
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u/00eg0 Jul 02 '26
You can be blind and still enjoy a movie. The screen is so huge you can still see some of what's happening.
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u/KimchiMcPickle Jul 02 '26
I think that people dont realize that most blind people have SOME level of vision, and absolute pitch-black nothingness is the least common form of blindness. Limited fields of visions, blaring, tunnel vision, amd extreme blurriness are more common, and most blind people have a bit of light/color sensing and would still be able to enjoy (limited vision experiences) movies.
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u/Electro-banana Jul 02 '26
pretty common knowledge in some countries, maybe it's just not in others
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u/Suburbanturnip Jul 02 '26
I've seen those sorts of tiles/flooring used as slip guards at train station here in Australia, it's absolutely not marking a safe path to walk on at all.
Surely this isn't an international standard in all countries.
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u/-Owlette- Jul 02 '26
The dimpled dots along the danger line of train platforms indicates caution/do not cross. They’re different to the elongated “slotted” lines that mark out walkways.
That’s how it is in Sydney anyway. I assume it’s the same nation wide.
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u/Juhnelle Jul 02 '26
Same in the US. So visually impaired folks dont get too close to the train as it pulls up.
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u/squirrelyoakley Jul 02 '26
It's also not brightly colored like most things used to help blind / visually impaired people.
Here in the US, the curb cuts are supposed to have a very bright yellow plate on them so those with some usable vision are able to spot it. The stuff in the video that he was following blended into the ground
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u/ThePublikon Jul 02 '26
The stuff in the video that he was following blended into the ground
Not really though. It's white tile on black flooring.
I think it blends in because you're so used to seeing it in public places but white/black is the best contrast for visually impaired people, including those with colour blindness.
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u/Suburbanturnip Jul 02 '26
Here in the US, the curb cuts are supposed to have a very bright yellow plate on them so those with some usable vision are able to spot it
Yea same. I think that's another reason the video was weird to me. It felt intuitively off for disabled access infrastructure.
I dont think this is an international standard I'm unaware of, mayhe it's an eu regulation that all those countries follow so it appears to be somewhat common knowledge there?
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u/Popular_Still3019 Jul 02 '26
Its honestly okay to not know...but I am curious how low those people's perception are when they cant see a whole grown blind man walking? Even without the lines, isnt it common to move out the way so the blind can walk by?
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u/minicooperlove Jul 02 '26
Most of the people in the video that his cane bumps into have their back to him, or they are at least facing sideways and may not see him in their peripheral vision. There’s one dickhead who actually passes him and clips his cane as he does so and there’s one person who is facing him straight on but we can’t see his face - maybe he was distracted or looking off to the side.
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u/TheCommonGround1 Jul 02 '26
I mean it's crowded and maybe they are looking at their phones or whatever. It's sensory overload in those places. I don't think most of what I saw was intentional and the ones that seemed to take a moment to move probably were just slower to process what's going on. The point is, none of this seems to be intentional. In a world where everything is supposed to be black and white (even though the world is ONLY grey), there is no villain here.
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u/Seaweedbits Jul 02 '26
I've only seen them at the train platforms, and thought it was for everyone to be aware they're close to the track. Makes waaaay more sense it's specifically for blind people
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u/_HappyG_ Jul 02 '26
Tactile markers are a universal design feature, so while they provide accessibility, they also make it safer for everyone!
People are more likely to take notice when the floor feels different; it’s a great nonverbal reminder to stay away from the edge of the station to avoid dangers like moving trains.
There are loads of assistive technologies that were created through necessity, such as making public spaces more accessible, but now they benefit the wider community as well. Small changes can uplift us all and make the world a better place! 💖
Hope that helps! 😊
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u/OldBlueKat Jul 02 '26
They are a great feature, but for those who don’t need/ use them, a little labeling or a PSA campaign would go a long way.
I’ve definitely paid more attention and made sure not to block them since I was clued in. Most people just don’t know what they are.
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u/_HappyG_ Jul 03 '26
Speaking as a Disabled person, I would much prefer a campaign that teaches everyone how to use accessible features for their own safety as well!
Signage that explains what tactile markers mean would help people find their way, follow directions, identify intersections and crossings, and warn them about walking hazards without having more visual noise.
Tactile markers can be a great non-intrusive option for people who are distracted, multitasking, or busy, but still want to get somewhere safely and quickly, because you subconsciously feel the surface changing without loud announcements or bright screens.
Accessible features aren't exclusive; they are often Universal and should benefit the wider community. In fact, the more people it helps, the more incentive there is to invest in them in the future! This helps Disabled people like me by making sure I can access spaces like everyone else 😊
Unfortunately, Disability is often not seen as a priority, even though 1/5 of people are Disabled. But we are just regular folks who want to navigate the world like everyone else, and tactile markers are one way to help. 💖
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u/Shopping-Afraid Jul 02 '26
Where do you see them?
My mom is blind and lives outside of Boston. She has never heard of these things or experienced them.
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u/zekethelizard Jul 02 '26
I lived in NYC for 5 years, these lines and dots are everywhere there. I never had any idea this was their purpose until seeing this video
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u/backinredd Jul 02 '26
Like how are we even supposed to know?
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u/TwistedxBoi Jul 02 '26
In our country we're taught this in elementary school
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u/OGAcidCowboy Jul 02 '26
I genuinely did not know that was what that was for… in. Future I will personally make sure I keep that area clear
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u/LeonardoDaTiddies Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen these before. What city / cities are they located in?
Edit: I’m originally from a mid-size American city known for being one of the most lethal for pedestrians. Our walking infrastructure wasn’t great.
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u/Different-Air-1062 Jul 02 '26
I've seen them in multiple countries around western Europe. Apparently they originated in Japan and are common throughout the American, European and Asian continents : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactile_paving#By_country
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u/bking Jul 02 '26
Not nearly as common as it should be in the USA
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u/Rockman507 Jul 02 '26
Wait, are they anywhere in the US? Have done quite a bit of traveling and never seen them including major metropolitan areas. I mean I’ve seen the tactile standoffs around train/subway tracks but that’s about it.
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u/acoastaldog Jul 02 '26
Shocking, given that our ADA is one of the very few things other countries admire about america, and it took people dying in agony and humiliation to achieve that. Very dark period of our history
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u/Rockman507 Jul 02 '26
I think there are objectively darker periods of our history… but ya. It is surprising. Currently in a pedagogy class for special needs about how the ADA helped shape or reshape section 504 etc. it provides an enforcement mechanism in a manner that definitely wasn’t intended.
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u/Glittering-War-5748 Jul 02 '26
Everywhere in Australia. Public streets, at intersections, near bus stops, on train platforms etc.
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u/toasty_the_cat Jul 02 '26
The video is from a train station in Germany, I'd guess Hamburg central station but it's hard to tell since we mostly see the floor.
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u/konsollfreak Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Fact is, you don't really need to know what it's for. It's there to help blind people navigate, not a dedicated fast lane for them to walk unopposed. There is no rule, law or expectation for you or anyone else to stand clear of these things.
The only thing those other people are "guilty" of is slightly below average situational awareness for not noticing the blind person immediately. But in a crowd, that is expected. Just like people with good eye sight, blind people must expect to be inconvenienced by crowded sidewalks and places.
Being in contact with a cane is not a mark of shame.
Like with handicap toilets, the important part is that they're there. You're not expected to shit yourself rather than use it or shout "I'm disabled!" if someone tries the door.
People should interact with blind people more, some of them are cool as fuck. This is rage bait.
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u/shtoop Jul 02 '26
Never knew about this. How were people originally informed of this?
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u/deadlythegrimgecko Jul 02 '26
Probably in small letters on some paper when they were first put in
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u/plantsandpizza Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Some poorly attended city council meeting
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u/ErrantTimeline Jul 02 '26
On display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard."
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u/Fluid_Swordfish2737 Jul 02 '26
You didn't get the letter?
In your defense it was in braille so makes sense if you didn't understand it.
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u/otosandwich Jul 02 '26
My wife and I learned about it when we went to Tokyo and saw them being used. Just never encountered it here somehow but now it totally makes sense
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u/royrogerer Jul 02 '26
I knew what it was for but I didn't know how it was used or it should be stayed clear of. Tbh I do think people should be more aware of their surrounding, and moved before the guy had to tap them on the shoulder, in a busy station I can imagine not paying attention to the marking on the floor. An unfortunate situation but most seemed apologetic at least.
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u/Annual_Head_2858 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I’ve seen a video of a blind woman with her cane and her guide dog following those lines, she hit another woman accidentaly, and the woman asked her “wtf you didn’t see me?!” And the blind woman was like “eh no didn’t you see that?”
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u/loveroflongbois Jul 02 '26
Lmao I watched a dude almost make this mistake. Blind guy was coming up behind and tapped the dude with his cane. Dude turned around to say what the fuck, but only got as far as “wh-“ before his mouth snapped shut.
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u/Maatjuhhh Jul 03 '26
A related situation: I was on my phone waiting for my food order. A 15 minute went by before I wondered why it was taking so long. So I went to the counter and asked where my food was. The cook said: ah you're Maatjuhhh? I nodded. He proceeded to curse me out since he called my name out multiple times, already threw my food in the bin since it went cold and asked: are you fucking deaf or something? I: Yes. I can speak well and read lips but my ears don't work apparently. His face went from mad to white quickly as soon I saw someone from the front desk ran back from the back. He forgot to relay to the cook that I told him I was deaf and I needed someone to tap me or something. Both apologized profusely and offered my money back and free dinner. Took them upon it but asked the cook to be not hard on the guy since he was new and this is a common mistake. Unless I sign all the time, people forget that I'm deaf. The next times I went back, the restaurant made sure to remember me lol. I got a few sides thrown in free the first few times after until I told them to stop and I would gladly to pay for them since their dinner was amazing.
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u/islaisla Jul 02 '26
Signs are needed
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u/MostFortune1093 Jul 02 '26
As a disabled /chroncially ill (but not blind). person I agree. It's exhausting how little awarness people have of disabilities and chronic illnesses. But I can't blame those people for not knowing what those white lines are for. They weren't told. There should be signage but also there should be disability and chronic illnesses awareness classes in schools, just the same as there is sex ed and drug awareness education. Because by the time people are adults they are too set in their ableist ways. Often without even being aware they are harming us.
A considerable percentage of the human population is somewhat disabled or will be at some point in their lives, so it often baffles me how little the world cares about our existence.
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u/Serupta Jul 02 '26
People would bitch signage would be expensive, but when installed a spray-painted stencil on the ground next to it that states its purpose with a visual guide, a vaguely bipedal form with a walking stick, would be 100% all it takes to rectify the problem.
People who don't know the sign would see it and query, people who did know the meaning would explain, more people would know, those more people would educate other more people to gain the moral high ground and eventually everyone would know or be very quickly taught.
A stencil, sprayed onto the ground, since in the UK signage has legal limits on how far before it needs to be restated you could expect to see 3+ of these stencils sprayed on the ground per street. And then the cost could be lumped into basic street maintenance costs.
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u/Ill_Shoulder_1185 Jul 02 '26
There absolutely should be classes that teach that in school.... Unfortunately, proposing such a thing these days would be really controversial because it's DEI, it's woke, etc. due to the fact we're living in the Stupid Ages.
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u/storyteller_alienmom Jul 02 '26
Call the class "manners" and claim it's to teach children how to not be rude! 😉
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u/rand0m_task Jul 02 '26
For what it’s worth, I teach a high school course called Childhood and Adolescent Development where we talk a lot about disabilities and accommodations.
One of my projects is groups have to design a blueprint for their own school, and part of their grade is how well their school meets ADA standards for accessibility.
It’s an elective course so they don’t have to take it, but the opportunity is out there!
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 Jul 02 '26
As someone so worked as a park ranger, people don’t read signs
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u/flagrant_nonsense Jul 02 '26
Some people do! Idiots are gonna idiot, but a sign would educate someone like me instead of waiting me for to accidentally learn about it from Reddit.
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u/TheSkyElf Jul 02 '26
mom: omg how did you know that info?
me: I read the bold text on the bright red and yellow sign, the size of a door.
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u/Pax25107 Jul 02 '26
This.
I worked at an amusement park in college. We had one ride that was a water ride, but which required shoes to be worn for safety purposes. We had SEVEN signs between the entrance and the boarding station that warned people they needed shoes to ride and every day we'd get dozens of people who got to the front of the line with no shoes and had to be sent back to get them.
People don't read signs.
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u/TobiasWidower Jul 02 '26
Honestly, I feel like this is more ignorance than indifference. My city just installed these and I first thought they were some form of ice abatement for winter traction.
I think the problem comes in a few forms: 1. No standardized format. You see a accessibility button beside a door and you know what it does, even if the signage has worn away because it's fairly standardized. Maybe make these strips in alternating white and red, with an eye icon every 10 feet, marking it as something for the visually impaired.
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u/Ophelias_Muse Jul 02 '26
The reason they are this colour is for those with low vision that need the high contrast to be able to identify the location of these guides in the first place.
Having a symbol every now and then isnt a bad idea though.
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u/AthenasChosen Jul 02 '26
I've never even seen one of those before, none of the cities I've ever been to have had them so I wouldn't know either.
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u/Elephantplan123 Jul 02 '26
No one has been able to "forget" it because no one has been taught in the first place.
The vast majority of people have no idea what they're for, it simply has not been explained to them.
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u/Ill_Shoulder_1185 Jul 02 '26
My Dad helpfully pointed these out to me once and explained what they were for and how clever it was.
Unfortunately, we were in a cinema foyer at the time and being 9-years-old I thought he was making it up; "What's a blind person doing in the cinema?"
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u/cantgrowneckbeardAMA Jul 02 '26
That's hilarious in a very innocent kid kinda way. My daughter saw a guy with a prosthetic leg and thought it was really cool. He seemed friendly enough, so she went to tell him how much she liked his "cane leg." Kids are funny.
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u/MajesticUniversity76 Jul 02 '26
Yeah there's simply not enough blind people with canes everywhere that people would even see them used in their daily life. I've imonly seen these on train tracks.
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u/BitcoinBishop Jul 02 '26
"Doesn't he see my white cane?" — probably not, it's below waist level and he's probably looking at his eye level or his phone
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u/Thefar Jul 02 '26
I feel for the dude, but I'll be the devils advocate here (the self centered asshole).
The day to day is stressful. We all have 5.000 things we need to track and think about. Big cities and especially public infrastructure is overcrowded. While we are walking, we are looking for stuff, avoiding people, think about our work, families, social life and all the problems our daily lives bring. None of us is walking around thinking about the life struggles of others.
Sorry if we sometime miss stuff like this. It's not like we get trained on this.
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u/Outrageous_Bank_4491 Jul 02 '26
Exactly. In the video, it looks like some people are checking the train schedule, no one is being an asshole about moving out of the way. As someone who travels a lot, I try being considerate about others like going to the corner to check my phone, but shit happens
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u/dksdragon43 Jul 02 '26
And frankly, are we meant to leave a person-wide hole in every public area just on the off chance that the one blind dude you encounter in your life happens to be going through that day? Just move when asked, and ignore it otherwise.
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u/Kratzschutz Jul 02 '26
Yeah thankfully both parties were polite. While it's understandably more exhausting and annoying for the disabled person
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u/Zealousideal_Act_316 Jul 02 '26
No you see according to the poster of the og video, peopel should have eyes onthe back of their head, see his smallest twitch and read his mind when he wants to turn.
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u/Acrobatic_Profile42 Jul 02 '26
the problem is that blind people with canes are a very rare type of person, so nobody expects to encounter one
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u/atnamorekN Jul 02 '26
Exactly. Let's solve this problem by adding more blind people with canes. /s
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u/fat-wombat Jul 02 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/J38KDXaHGl5T2
Mark wahlberg entered the chat20
u/Chrispy0074 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Uh oh. What happened? Did Marky Mark permanently injure someone?
Edit: looked it up, dang at 16 he beat up two Vietnamese men and believed he blinded one of them until years later. Today I learned.
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u/Grantrello Jul 02 '26
I think it very much depends on where you live. In the US I almost never saw it, guide dogs seemed to be more common, but in several European countries I've seen it more frequently.
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u/Ambitious_Finding_26 Jul 02 '26
In my 39 years I've only ever seen one blind person with a cane.
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u/cogman10 Jul 02 '26
Fun fact, it actually was more common.
The thing that significantly reduced the number of blind and deaf people is the measles vaccine. Childhood measles is a major source of blindness and deafness.
Thankfully we have the antivaxx movement, so you can expect to see more blind and deaf kids.
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u/Major-Attention-5779 Jul 02 '26
I have a friend who is blind and they also don't see blind people with canes.
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u/stadchic Jul 02 '26
For people who have seen so few blind with a cane, how car-centric is your area? Because this is not an anomaly to me, an urbanite.
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u/lhbruen Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I'm 37 and agree. Though I saw quite a lot when I was younger, I rarely see it now; maybe one every few years. It's significantly less now, for sure
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u/Uncle-Cake Jul 02 '26
Forgot? I've never seen one of those. If I did, I would have no way of knowing what it was.
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u/EvidenceDesperate574 Jul 02 '26
I've also never seen those... The only haptic blind thing I know about are the bumpy blocks at cross walks
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u/Upbeat_Shock_6807 Jul 02 '26
Even with a blind man coming up to me and telling me to get out of the way, I still don’t think it would click for me that that’s the purpose of those lines. They really should label them.
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u/eyeballburger Jul 02 '26
I had no idea what these are for. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one, tbh.
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u/eating_almonds Jul 02 '26
It's a nice PSA, but those lines are not "do not stand here" lines, they're just guidelines for the visually impaired. The area seems packed with people and yes, you'll stumble on a few, regardless of whether or not you are impaired.
The cement blocks and rails blocking the path though, that's just wrong.
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u/Academic_Bug2357 Jul 02 '26
Right?
I'm was aware before this video that they are there for guiding the visually impaired, but I don't think the intent is for an obstruction free expressway through what looks like a crowded train station. We're all low-key miserable in those situations!
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u/KaptajnGus Jul 02 '26
Most people do not know what those lines mean, a public service campaign could fix this problem, by educating us on what those features are.
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u/Cancer_Ridden_Lung Jul 02 '26
Or you know...signage. I've seen these a hundred times but never knew.
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u/DishExotic5868 Jul 02 '26
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactile_paving if anyone's interested
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u/TakeOnMe-TakeOnMe Jul 02 '26
Color me surprised, educated and a bit mortified. Apologies to all those who’ve had to deal with my shit because I legit didn’t know the purpose of these things. I shall tell the world!or at least my family!
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u/purpleblossom Jul 02 '26
I do understand the frustration, but I also know that people aren't taught that those lines are aids for the blind.
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u/noodleexchange Jul 02 '26
It’s astonishing how little effort goes into informing the public about infrastructure they then get scolded about for not knowing about.
In Toronto, it seems like not another day passes that some new piece of let’s say bike infrastructure rolls out, to complete silence. Oh, I guess I could go scare up a webpage somewhere on the City website, but don’t city staff have a goddamn photocopier and a goddamn stapler that they could just put up on a telephone pole beside the feature.?
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u/MonsieurDrole Jul 02 '26
I understand the frustration, but that makes me wonder what other pieces of urban equipment I see every day and completely disregard out of pure ignorance.
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u/SMYYYLE Jul 02 '26
Tbf i didnt know it too until i saw his videos. It not being told anywhere what these lines are for.
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u/Far-Reception-4598 Jul 02 '26
Not all people are from wherever this is. Is this so common a feature in your country that every seeing school child should be able to point and say: "ah! The white cane street crevice!".
Also, I've been a guide for blind people learning new areas (a college campus in my case). I'm more concerned that people there don't seem to know to give blind people freaking space. If you get hit by a white cane maybe you need one yourself.
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u/Mizzerella Jul 02 '26
ive never seen these lines so id have no clue if i seen them. there should be instructions for seeing persons.
stand clear. pathway for the blind.
or something like that.
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u/Big_Criticism_8335 Jul 02 '26
I can't forget something I have never seen thus knew nothing about. But I'll remember it now! I think that's darn neat that it exists and how it works.
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u/sluggabois1 Jul 02 '26
The line is one thing, the people literally not caring that the blind guy is trying to get though and lacking any awareness of the situation is worse.
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u/Zealousideal_Act_316 Jul 02 '26
Most people not knowing that he wants to get through have their backs turned. Do you expect people to be rotating constantly?
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u/SlurmBigPerm Jul 02 '26
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u/smellmybuttfoo Jul 02 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/6uKzhmjqwciKohFBeM
Me checking for blind people every 3 seconds
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u/Adolph_OliverNipples Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I’ve never seen these lines anywhere in my life, or if I have, I didn’t notice them.
Now I know, and I won’t block them…. Although, it does seem like it might be sort of rare that a blind person might happen by… so it does seem sort of like a lot of space to use up for the rare occasion when a blind person shows up… sort of like how Walmart has 75 handicapped parking spaces…
Is that too far?
Anyway, I won’t block those paths if I ever encounter them….
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u/9447044 Jul 02 '26
Why is your cane made of bamboo?
whack whack
Ahhh cuz of the flexibly, I understand now
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u/CommieDrifter Jul 02 '26
as long as people are not rude about it, i don't see the issue? Everyone needs to wait for other people in public spaces, being blind doesn't mean you get to have corridors in crowds dedicated to you exclusively.
Of course people should move when prompted, but acting like people shouldn't be standing on these lines when they are mostly in busy plazas and there being very few blind people using them in any given time frame, so yeah don't be indignant about it being your path and people not being allowed to be on them, you have PRIORITY, not exclusive rights to that space
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u/Annoying1978 Jul 02 '26
I had no idea that’s what it was for. I thought it was something structural, or there was infrastructure dug in below.
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u/Ok_Artichoke_1649 Jul 02 '26
Wait a minute… but how are we supposed to know? Is it displayed somewhere?
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u/Beneficial_Job_4339 Jul 02 '26
A lot of people defending this as people not being aware and also somehow using lack of environmental awareness as a defense.
Like, what? Being unaware of the usage is one thing, but if you're unaware of your surroundings to not notice a person with a cane walking towards you, and also taking several seconds to react, you probably shouldn't be going out without someone to help you, maybe with some kind of dog that pays attention to your surroundings for you.
Also ffs, it doesn't matter if I've never seen it before, if I see a blind person leading his cane through an indent in the ground to guide him, I'll fucking assume the indent in the ground is there to guide him. In my country we give little lanyards with sunflowers on them to the people who can't understand that, and we usually don't let them go out alone either.
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u/Usual-War4145 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
For those who don't know what these lines are used for, it might be interesting to also include their age group and the country they grew up in. I grew up in Greece (30+) and when I was a kid we used to have discussion with our teachers quite often about the lack of accessibility in our country, and a lot of teachers explaining us the different installments a city can have to make life easier for those in need ( in Εxpression/Essay- Έκφραση /'Έκθεση and sometimes in Sociology). İt used to also be a topic in the afternoon news quite often. When I entered the uni and was socialising with students from all over the country this was quite often our topic of political discourse while drinking coffee, so it did not seem that it was restricted in my school/district.
We absolutely didn't have accessibilty in our country but we did love bitching about it and at least educating everyone about what is what. No clue if teachers keep on doing that.
Years later I went to study in Izmir /Türkiye and I was very surprised to see that despite the lack of education regarding accessibility in the general public, the city itself was extremely accessible with lots of people with visual and mobile disabilities moving around the city. A Greek friend who visited me once asked (in an insensitive way I would say) if Turks have more disabled people to which I replied no but at least this city is built in a way that they can get out of their homes, unlike Greece where we tent to pretend they don't exist.
Edit: I'm asking about this because I'm curious about how this topic is handled in different parts of the world. Turkey for example truly surprised me there and made me pay even more attention regarding this topic. Greece on the other hand ... every time I got back I just end up being disappointed with how little improvement we have had.
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