Mobility in adults with visual impairment: Results from an online survey

This article aims to describe the travel habits of a sample of French adults with visual impairment, and to identify personal and environmental factors associated with independent mobility in a sub-sample of blind adults. Descriptive analyses performed on 1,859 respondents aged 16 years and above, with visual impairment ranging from mild to blindness, indicated heterogeneity in participants’ travel habits. For example, 32 % of respondents travelled independently on all types of routes, 50 % on some types of route and 18 % of respondents only left home with someone else’s assistance. Use of public transport and paratransit also varied, depending mainly on the severity of visual impairment. A multinomial logistic regression performed on a sub-sample of 772 blind respondents revealed that several factors are significantly related to independent mobility: age, presence of other disabilities, ease of internet use, feelings of danger in mobility-related situations, use of white canes, guide dogs, electronic canes and paratransit, adequate access to local facilities, and level of urbanity. These findings illustrate the complexity of mobility for people with visual impairment and the need to improve their physical and social environment.