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Directional disability

May 17, 2012 04:53AM
This is a real thing and that is not the actual medical terminology. I was born w/ this (See Lady Gaga) and it took me until recently to realize that it was not just me being weird. It is a brain thing where you cannot place yourself correctly in space. I do not drive because of this and have gotten flak re this all my life. So glad to know I am not just lazy or crazy. I have to have landmarks to get around. But I do. Just putting this out there in case anyone else has this annoying thing. Oliver Sacks writes about this. He has it too. I am fairly certain that I am at home in front of my computer now. (:
Cyn
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May 17, 2012 11:38AM
The standard joke here at my house from my husband is:

"I bought this place with 2 acres FENCED in so you don't get lost when you go outside."

Ha ha. I could not tell N/S/E/W if I was standing on a compass on the ground. I cannot read a compass, it makes no sense. In PA growing up, we were told, "It's on the left side at the corner after the railroad tracks". Out here in Arizona - they tell you, "It's on the NE Corner of blank and blank." My husband gets a "huh??" look from me. I constantly have to say to him, "Is that on the RIGHT OR LEFT side before or after the intersection going into town? Do NOT tell me the compass direction!"

However, I can honestly say that since I started shopping in October - I can find my way around this city better than my husband now. If I have the street name, I actually know where it is! I think I've gotten all of the streets memorized now (but I still couldn't tell you a compass direction to save my life!)

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Proud To Be A Soldier's Mom


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2012 11:48AM by r@inyDayZ3.
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May 17, 2012 12:47PM
Wow! Whenever I call a place to find out where they are I always ask if they are on the north or south side of the road only to be asked which direction I'm coming from:O I never realized how lucky I am to know north from south and which direction most major rivers flow, etc.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
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May 17, 2012 01:10PM
I've always known North, South, East and West, and am the only one I know who actually uses it. BUT I still have trouble telling my right side from my left side. And expecially in the gas shops that want phots form the right and phots from the left. WHO'S LEFT? Mine or the statinos?.....
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May 17, 2012 11:14PM
A major city here has residents with a disability. They think that when someone asks directions to their business, it means to give directions from the north--the rich section. I live in the next county to the south, beyond the minorities. When they say turn left,I ask if they mean north or south and sometimes they can't switch in their minds. I didn't know there is some kind of medical condition. Maybe it's in the water here. I can tell that a person is a local by how directions are given--badly.
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May 18, 2012 04:30AM
Yeah forget NSEW I have enough trouble w/ left and right. I always have to wait a minute and look at my left and right hand and then decide what to do. As I said I have to go by landmarks. Googlemaps works best for me because they have better sited landmarks. Well we all have some weirdness. Otherwise, why would we be MSing?
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May 18, 2012 01:14PM
My college roommate had to look at her hands and decide whether to tell someone to turn, "ring" or "not ring."

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2012 02:18PM by walesmaven.
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May 18, 2012 01:53PM
r@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The standard joke here at my house from my husband
> is:
>
> "I bought this place with 2 acres FENCED in so you
> don't get lost when you go outside."
>
> Ha ha. I could not tell N/S/E/W if I was standing
> on a compass on the ground. I cannot read a
> compass, it makes no sense. In PA growing up, we
> were told, "It's on the left side at the corner
> after the railroad tracks". Out here in Arizona -
> they tell you, "It's on the NE Corner of blank and
> blank." My husband gets a "huh??" look from me.
> I constantly have to say to him, "Is that on the
> RIGHT OR LEFT side before or after the
> intersection going into town? Do NOT tell me the
> compass direction!"

It is so funny you post this. I grew up in PA as well. I lived in Phoenix for a couple of years and could never understand why people gave directions as N/S/E/W. But after I flew in a plane over Phoenix, I understood...it looks like someone took a piece of graph paper and laid it over the city. The directions then made sense. AND since the road go on forever there...the N/S/E/W directions made even more sense. Numbered roads are N/S and named roads are W-E. So funny.
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May 18, 2012 08:20PM
Shoot...ou think you got problems? Here in Kentucky they tell you "go down where the Walmart used to be and turn there. Then go to where Kroger used to be and turn again and it's next to where the Muhaneys used to live"

Today I Will Choose Joy!

"Finally, whatever things are good, true, noble, lovely, of good report...if there be any virtue, if there be any praise...think on these things." ....It's a command, not a suggestion!
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May 18, 2012 08:57PM
Cynb, a friend has the same disability - only hers started after her brain was damaged in an auto accident. It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes she has no idea where she is and has to call for help.

Iblessyah, it's kind of the same way in Ireland, only all directions are based on pubs. "Well, you go down this road a bit and when you get to Murphy's Tavern you turn right, the go for awhile and turn left when you get to O'Reilly's Pub...."

NOTE: I'm not on the forum every day. If someone comments on my post, I might not reply right away. I've been a shopper since 1991. I've never done any work for a MS company in any other capacity.
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May 19, 2012 03:02AM
Before MSing, I was forced to learn NSEW writing driving directions for RVers. When driving a big rig in an unfamiliar area, exactly-correct directions are invaluable. If we screwed up, we sure heard about it. Making u-turns, etc. are much more difficult when you're up to 60' long.

The most difficult ones were in metropolitan areas where the sign said E or W, but your compass showed you traveling due N or S. Orlando is a perfect example. The I-4 signs say E or W, but when you drive through, you're traveling N or S. Getting to Disney for those with directional disabilities can be a nightmare. Using right or left wasn't allowed since it wasn't known in which direction the RVers would be traveling at any given time. As a result, I still have to recheck which is which.
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May 19, 2012 03:37AM
Yes like most every thing it is on a spectrum. Like I said , I need landmarks. But I am shopping every week and deal with it. So glad that I found MSing to make some extra $. It has really helped me out.Thanks for posting. Makes me feel better.
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May 21, 2012 11:55PM
I’ve never been a good navigator. Though it didn’t become obvious until well after I got my driver’s license, the signs were there in elementary school. Geography was never a strong subject; My teacher’s patience was stretched trying to explain the difference between latitude and longitude, and then there’s the torment that was finding coordinates using degrees and minutes.
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