A new survey conducted among NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) service users has revealed that approximately 40% of participants, who are blind or vision impaired, have been injured because of unexpected hazards on footpaths.
The survey results come as NCBI today launches its annual Clear Our Paths campaign which will run across social media from today until Friday.
Of the 104 respondents to the survey, 40 people confirmed that they had experienced an injury due to falling over unexpected obstacles on a footpath.
When asked whether experiences such as this affected respondents’ confidence to walk on footpaths independently, 69 out of 104 people answered that it did affect their confidence.
