Shoreline Technique

An orientation and mobility technique used by people who are blind or have low vision in which the traveler follows a consistent edge or boundary — such as the edge of a sidewalk, a wall, a fence line, or the border between grass and pavement — to maintain orientation and stay on a path. The technique involves using a white cane to detect and track the shoreline while walking alongside it. This method is effective on well-maintained infrastructure with clear delineations, but becomes unreliable when paths are poorly maintained, edges are broken or inconsistent, or when environmental conditions like flooding obscure boundaries.