For the past seven years, since I became disabled and visually impaired, I have had many things to contend with.

Just walking around is hard enough. My guide dog Richie, makes things a lot easier but he can’t solve every problem.

Walking around the narrow streets of Eynsham, I have had to cope with no end of problems.

For example, wheelie bins in the middle of the pavement, damaged pavements, potholes, other dogs and people, especially those looking at their mobile phones or not concentrating on where they’re going.

But my biggest fear has always been treading on children and hurting them because I really can’t see them and am not very good with moving objects.

I have faced children charging towards me on scooters and kicking footballs along the street, among other things.

I have two children of my own and I know how they love to enjoy themselves. They are not always mature enough to understand that they share the world, including the streets, with other people.

I love to see them having fun, but for seven years since I became visually impaired I have been fearful of the day I might tread on a child in the street and hurt them.

If I have to go out of the house in the afternoon, I always try to avoid the period from 3pm when children have just been let out from school and are excited and boisterous.

But unfortunately on Monday I had to get a letter in the post at about that time and had to walk up to the postbox.

I could make out a group of children clustered together on the street outside the corner shop and shouted “excuse me” as I approached with Richie my guide dog.

Most of them moved close to the wall but unfortunately one child seemed to stray out from the pack and wander out into the middle of the pavement.

I had no way to avoid him and Richie, my guide dog, tried to pull me to the side but it was too late and I stepped on this child’s foot.

I knew I had hurt him because he shouted “ouch” and tried to push me away.

It all happened in a split second and I hope he was OK but there was really no more I could do to avoid him.

We all share the streets and public places with people who may pose a hazard to us with their pushchairs, prams, skateboards, scooters, lighted cigarettes, mobile phones and all kinds of different obstacles.

Of course there are some basic rules of courtesy that we should all bear in mind.

I know as well as anybody that it’s not always easy to supervise your children perfectly.

But there have to be ways for them to learn for themselves when to behave on the streets.

I would like to see it as part of the National Curriculum that they are taught how to share streets safely with other people, whether they are on a bicycle, scooter, on foot or anything else that could pose a hazard.