Zoos and Bikes

There are some things a blind child just cannot do.   Going to the zoo and seeing the animals, hidden in the distance of the enclosures, blending into the background is one of them.   Riding a bicycle though is an entirely different story.

My in-laws rented bicycles for our children for our visit to their Florida winter home this week.   They knew our children had been enjoying biking at home and they thought their neighborhood would be a fun location they could get some biking time in.

The bikes were different from the ones they had at home but once they had their helmets on and got out on the street they knew just what to do.   There is a turn right beside their house that goes into a small section of streets that end in two cul-de-sacs and subsequently have very little traffic.   They also live at about ten feet above sea level so the roads are both wide and flat.   In short, it was perfect territory for a blind child to explore a new biking area.

My mother-in-law was the first to take them out.   She went first with my daughter and then was joined later by my son.    When she came back later she told us they had a nice ride.   I didn’t learn more about what they did until the next day when I had an opportunity to go out with my daughter for a ride.

Before we left for the ride my mother-in-law explained to me what they did that worked well.   She rode in front of my daughter and rang the bell on her bike so there would be an audio sound ahead, indicating which way to go.  This worked incredibly well for us as we rode back and forth through the three streets in the secluded area of their neighborhood.

A bit later we were heading in when my husband and son joined us and he took over biking around with the bell and talking out loud so my daughter could follow.    By the time they all came in my blind child had biked over three miles.   Some things are hard when you’re blind, but not eveything.

The Big Boy Update:  My son’s rented bike for this week had the seat initially set too low.   He was having trouble pedaling but didn’t understand why but he had an idea.   He said to Nana, “the pedals are too small!”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter has decided she wants to call her brother, “bro” and would like for him to call her, “sis”.