PAVEMENT obstacles are putting blind people at risk of injury, a sight-loss charity has warned.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is now calling for A-boards, as well as bins and parked cars, to be banned from pavements.
By Trudi Davidson for The Hull Daily Mail
A survey by the charity, entitled Who Put That There!, revealed 95 per cent of blind and partially sighted people have collided with an obstacle, with a third suffering injuries.
Mother-of-three Dianne Woodford, who became blind at 39 as a result of meningitis, says she has collided with A-boards many times in Beverley, where she lives.
She said: “Trying to get out and about in Beverley is a nightmare.
“If I want to walk with my young son to the ice cream shop from where I live, I have to negotiate 15 different A-boards.
“On one occasion, I bumped into a mannequin outside a shop and lost a toenail – although the owner was very apologetic when I pointed the obstacle out.”
Mrs Woodford, who gets about with her guide dog, Darcey, sits on a disability rights group in the East Riding.
She is also calling for A-boards to be banned.
