Janine’s Story
Janine is a 70-year-old woman who loves spending time in the outdoors. Janine is blind and with her guide dog, Brinkley, she enjoys walking the trails of Forest Park. I connected with Janine recently for an interview to learn more about her experiences as a user of Forest Park who is blind.
When I asked about her history visiting the park, Janine told me, “I just started [visiting Forest Park]. I was introduced [by a friend] in late spring or early summer [of 2021]. I was going three times a week for a while.”
I asked Janine what her favorite part about Forest Park was, but she couldn’t pin down just one thing. She responded to my question with: “Everything. I love the smells and the sounds. You can hear traffic, but not a lot. Just the birds and the fresh air, and the fact that I don’t have to worry about streets to keep crossing so I can build up some speed and walk fast.”
Janine told me that Leif Erikson is her favorite trail as it’s easier for her to navigate.
“That trail [Leif Erikson] is great, I can go straight forever and not worry about getting lost or traffic.” Since Janine often likes to go on 5-mile walks, having a straightforward route helps her navigate easier.
For Janine, Forest Park is great as it’s a place she can access to recreate outdoors without some of the obstacles posed by navigating streets. But while this is the case, Janine has encountered some significant barriers and issues.
Not All Disabilities are Visible
One barrier Janine faces is transportation. Janine uses TriMet’s LIFT service, which is able to take her from her home to the park. While the LIFT service is useful, Janine says the service can just generally be tricky to utilize sometimes. It can also be difficult for the buses to maneuver to the trailhead, especially the larger ones.
Janine has also, unfortunately, had negative interactions with some patrons who can be less accommodating on the trails. Many patrons don’t know how guide dogs are trained, which can cause misunderstandings.
“Guide dogs are taught to walk on the left, which is the opposite of what humans do which is walk on the right side. We’re always walking opposite to that, so I’m kind of walking against the flow of people. Sometimes people expect me to move, they will see a dog but might not notice that it’s a guide dog or that I’m blind. So sometimes I get rude comments or people not understanding that I can’t see them and be the one to move over.”
As Janine’s disability is not immediately visible, an issue sometimes arises when other patrons expect her to move out of their way, except Janine is unable to see them in order to do so.
This is especially true for bicyclists expecting Janine to move out of their way. “…the bikes move pretty fast and they [bicyclists] expect you to be on the right.”
Janine says that other patrons have started to get used to her in the park. As a result, she now encounters fewer issues from other patrons, but people still fail to notice her and be accommodating.
While Janine’s disability has posed some obstacles to her, it hasn’t stopped her from venturing out into the park. But you can do your part to help be more accommodating to others on the trails. We ask that you be aware of the other people around you on the trails so that you can be responsive to them. By being more aware while on the trails, you can be more accommodating to other park patrons. Forest Park is a spectacular place that we are all so lucky to have right here in Portland. So help us make sure that everyone has the chance to explore it.
Photo Credit: “Into the Woods” by Melissa Vinson