Helping your child travel in adverse weather conditions will be a skill that will be used for a lifetime. In most areas of the world, it is not 70 degrees and sunny all year. Proper clothing will help your child stay comfortable so they can focus on their O&M skills.
Traveling in rain can be a condition that occurs throughout the year. Proper attire should again be used to keep them warm and dry. If an umbrella is used, students will need to learn to hold their cane in one hand while keeping the umbrella in the other – positioning it high above their heads or out of the way when listening to traffic or other auditory sounds to avoid confusion while localizing those sounds. Any additional head coverings should also be removed. Helping your child identify the direction from which the rain is coming will help them position the umbrella between themselves and the oncoming rain. This will also help in windy situations so the umbrella does not get turned inside out.
Often car sounds are easier to track as the sound from the wet wheels can travel further distances. Standing perpendicular to the traffic with your child and identifying near and far traffic will help them localize the sounds and understand the distance of the cars and the time it will take for the cars to pass in front of them. Crossing streets in the rain requires your child to increase their attention on their surroundings since they will have to negotiate puddles, water pouring into gutters, and hands getting wet which could decrease their sensitivity to the information received from their canes.
Whether there is snow, rain or heat, help your child dress appropriately to keep them comfortable while traveling.
Have fun exploring the world with your child!