Nino to the rescue!

The South Station in Brussels is a real maze. I know from when I could still see well that I had to pay very close attention to the signs if I didn’t want to get lost. It doesn’t exactly give the impression that it was designed that way. More that it has grown – that it has tried to fill the space next to it throughout its history.

That has its charms, of course. But also its drawbacks. One of them, and for me perhaps the biggest, is accessibility. For anyone with low vision, it’s a real nightmare.

Central, North, South

In Central Station, I very rarely get lost. It’s not as big as South Station, and in any case it’s much more manageable. I very rarely need to be in the North Station. But I need to be at the South Station from time to time. And the more often I go, the more confusing it gets.

Ridges

It’s not that they ignore accessibility for the blind and visually impaired. On the contrary, all over the station you can find the ridges on the ground that help white-stick users get their bearings. Before I had my guide dog, I was very thankful to be able to use them. During that time, I mastered the main routes through the station.

But when you use a guide dog, everything happens twice as fast. And your dog doesn’t use the ridges in the ground. In other words, you always need to know where you are; to always have a map of the station in your head so you can find your way around. And GPS systems don’t work there either, since you’re inside and not connected to the satellites.

With me, that map is obviously very inaccurate, if not completely wrong.

Last week I had to be there again. I got off a bus around 6 p.m., just outside the station, and I needed to get to the stairs of the metro entrance near the Engelandstraat to go home. I went into the station, but I suspect I went by the wrong door, because once I was inside I couldn’t find anything. Not to worry, I thought, just go back outside, turn on the GPS and find the right door. 

GPS

My GPS gives spoken directions, and I have a headset that leaves the ear canals open so I can still hear everything around me clearly. It’s a system that has served me well very often. It’s easy and safe. 

But now my trusty GPS suddenly doesn’t know the way. I have to go in one direction first. And then, for some incomprehensible reason, I have to go back to where I started from. And then suddenly in a totally different direction. Eventually I don’t know at all anymore. Maybe it’s because of the tall buildings on all sides, but that machine didn’t know what to do, and I knew even less!

Finally we came to one of the many doors of the station. By now I had no idea which door it was, but I gave Nino the command to enter anyway. And then we just stood still. I didn’t know whether to go left, right or forward, because I hadn’t a clue about where I was.

I could have cried with frustration. It was almost seven o’clock now. I had arrived at the station an hour ago and I still didn’t know where I was. Only that I was somewhere in South Station.

Nino to the Rescue!

And then Nino shot into action. He took off in a particular direction – I don’t remember which one – but he was very decisive: this is where we needed to be. Unsure myself, I just followed him. 

At a furious pace we went left, right, who knows where we went – it was all much too fast for my poor brain to follow – and then suddenly he stopped.

After a few seconds I suddenly knew where we were: in the food court of the station, at the counter of the chip shop, exactly where you place your order! And so that’s what I did…

A little later, after eating and drinking well, I felt much better. Now I did manage to find the right exit, though not necessarily the first time….

I went home with the firm intention of coming back again, together with someone who does see well, to learn my way around the station properly. Back home, in addition to his regular food, Nino got the piece of sausage and the few chips I had saved for him. Yes, of course, it is always polite to say thank you!