Chicken, red rover or the line of scrimmage?

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I am not sure if this is an autism thing, or something else. I really do not want to go into my life story about this. I have talked with "doctors" about this, but I am on Medicare and Medicaid, so the mental health and medical workers I see are not exactly the "best of the best" with some not even qualified to deal with any "real" mental health issues. My "therapist" at the mental health center I go to is a social worker. Most of the people that go to my clinic have substance abuse problems or domestic violence issues. When someone like me comes along with problems that are not a direct result of bad life choices, they do not know what to do.

Anyways I have some trouble with "situational awareness". I have myopia and astigmatism and I can barely see without my glasses. I have not seen an eye doctor since 2009 and I cannot get new glasses until I save up enough money because medicare does not cover them. I also have trouble with depth perception. Things that I know are in 3D look 2D to me. An example would be if I try to throw away trash, the trash can will look flat. It's even worse trying to play basketball. The hoop will look like a flat circle. Anyway, my trouble with "situational awareness" has caused me to be extra careful walking around because I have trouble judging the distance of things. It seems like I have to take more time than those around be to navigate without bumping into things. This is really hard with "tight" squeezes like doorways. I will also sometimes bump my head on things that I forgot were above me.

This is a real problem when I am in public. I get very anxious walking near people because it seems like most people in a group of two or more will keep walking right next to each other, and not leave room for me and/or my group. It seems like they are trying to walk right into me. I call it the line of scrimmage. But it is also like the games red rover or chicken. This happens all over upstate NY from Albany to Lake George, but also happens in Washington DC. Those are the only places I have been to since 1998. It seems to have gotten really bad in the past 5 years or so. Only a few people will be polite and make room by going single file. Most of the time a group of two or more people will walk right next to each other and not give way to people coming the other way. Sometimes they will break away at last moment, but a lot of times they brush me or even walk right into me. This has caused me to try a few new tactics. Most of the time I will try to avoid the thickest part of a crowd and take the path of least resistance. This will usually mean taking a different route. If I do have to deal with the line of scrimmage I will just stop, which usually works, but they will sometimes walk into me if I am standing completely still. Sometimes the only thing to do is just turn sideways, put my head down and brace my shoulder for impact.

What can I say? Life can be a real b***h sometimes.

Sorry you have these problems but I find it's better to focus on the positives rather than dwell on the negatives.

At least you've still got all your limbs (and please don't tell me you're an amputee)