October 29 - Accessible San Diego

For the past week, Lyle and I have been in San Diego for a mini holiday. One of the best things we did after our arrival was to pick up a little booklet titled, Accessible San Diego.  The booklet outlines services for seniors, veterans, locals and travellers with disabilities.  It is an impressive publication. Inside the pages we found which tourist attractions offer discounts to persons with disabilities or their guides, and even which restaurants offer large print or Braille menus. Lyle found the website for the San Diego Centre for the Blind:

www.sdcb.org

Although Lyle and I didn‘t have enough time to investigate all the tips given in  Accessible San Diego, I can comment on a few. We were given two for one admission to the Midway Museum (aircraft carrier) and to the San Diego Zoo. We enjoyed the wide promenades at San Diego State University and along the waterfront of Seaport Village. When we walked at SeaWorld I encountered no curbs anywhere. Unfortunately the seating for the shows at SeaWorld was not set up for the visually impaired. Possibly the handicapped seating is further back because spectators sitting in the front rows end up frequently get soaked when Shamu, the dolphins or other sea creatures cause a wet splash.

I think that I enjoyed our visit to the San Diego Air and Space Museum as much as anything.  Lyle is a pilot, so whenever there is an air museum in the vicinity of our travels, we go! In San Diego, as I approached the entry with my white cane, Rob, one of the gate attendants, asked if I would like to touch the exhibits. Would I!  He handed me a pair of white gloves to wear.  With the white gloves to protect both my hands and the aircraft, Rob encouraged me to touch everything I could reach – the props, wings, fuselage, and even in some cases, the engines.  It was a great tactile experience. Now that is the way for someone with little or no sight to enjoy an exhibition.

The picture below shows me touching the wooden prop of a Spad VII aircraft from the WWI era.  Of course, I am wearing my little white gloves. 

October 26 - More on Accessibility

I first met Baldur when we walked together on the Prince Edward Island segment of the White Cane Connections walks. Baldur is an O&M (Orientation and Mobility) Specialist so accessibility for people who are blind or partially sighted was a natural part of our conversation. After the last post on Universal Access, Baldur emailed me with the following comments which I would like to share with you. I have quoted him verbatim:

Regarding accessibility in public buildings and on the streets of cities, one important point that always needs to be highlighted is that when making the built environment more accessible for one group of people, sometimes the needs of other groups are jeopordized. For example, as crossings have become more accessible for wheelchairs and strollers, the blind find that where there once was a curb the pavement and sidewalk now blend together, making it more difficult for the blind pedestrian to detect the crossing with the cane. The important point in this discussion is that when consideration is given to the needs of the blind and partially sighted, safety is improved for all. Increased contrast of lines, more audible signals and textured pavement improves safety all around, for everyone. A good example of this is when larger cities in England started putting bubble pavement at all crossing. The pedestrian death-rate in these cities was drasticly reduced. For sighted people, we often hear that eyesight is the dominant sense and that people use their sight to confirm information from other senses. Terriffic as it may be, eyesight is not infallable. Our eyes have limitations, and they can trick us. Having information from not just one sense but from several, hearing pedestrian signals and feeling the texture under our feet, all this helps to create a more acurate picture of the environment through which we want to travel more safely.

Best regards,

Baldur Gylfason

Psychologist, O&M specialist

National Institute for the Blind, Visually Impaired, and Deafblind

Hamrahlid 17

105 Reykjavik Iceland

October 24 - Universal Access

I am not sure whether or not you have noticed, but every time I post a picture on this blog, I also post a short description. Some of you will know exactly why I do this, but if you can already SEE the picture, you might wonder why I am describing it. For people who can’t see, hearing the description is important. I can’t see the images on the monitor of my computer, but I have an audible screen reading program that reads aloud what is on the screen. For example, in the last post about Amber, I might not be able to see the colour of her jacket in the picture, but my program will read to me that it is “red”.

All this is called "accessible programming" and many web sites are now designed to facilitate access for people who use audible screen reading programs. This same protocol can be used in the design of buildings.  I find that I am increasingly aware of flaws in building designs that impede access for people with vision challenges. I find elevators especially tricky. When I step inside an elevator with no Braille markings on the buttons, no large print lighted numbers and no audible floor announcements, I am lost!

Of course, it is usually less costly to implement design features at initial stages of construction than to do so at a later date. This is one reason that I was especially impressed with the proactive stance taken by the National Institute for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Deafblind in Iceland. Last week, as part of the celebration of International White Cane Day, the Institute held an open seminar on accessible design to which architects, interior designers, urban planners, politicians and the general public were invited. 

Universal design, which results in universal accessibility, means opening the doors for everyone. We can all assist by advocating for the removal of physical barriers to universal accessibility. Next time you are in a public building, take note. Is there adequate lighting? Are the elevators equipped with Braille or large or audible numbers? Are the washrooms clearly signed? Is there a ramp to the entry/exit doors? If you feel that your concerns aren’t properly addressed, I hope that you will take the time to contact the appropriate authority to have the problem rectified.

The picture below shows a pedestrian crosswalk sign. I often smile when I cross the road here. This is one of my regular crossings but it took me a full year of phone calls to the town to have the crosswalk marked!  

October 20

In 1964 in the United States, President Lyndon Johnson declared October 15 as White Cane Safety Day. The day was to be a celebration of the achievements of people who were blind or visually impaired. So, I thought that this week would be an ideal time to celebrate the achievement of a young woman from Canada.

Amber Thomas has recently returned from the Paralympics in London, where she won a bronze and a silver medal for herself and for Canada. Way to go, Amber!

I met Amber about four years ago when I interviewed her for my book, Out of Sight. Her story is quite incredible.  Amber became blind after surgery to remove a brain tumour. The damage to her optic nerve meant the complete loss of her sight. Amber was only ten years old.  

When I met Amber she was already a competitive swimmer and had gone with the national team to the Paralympics in Beijing. That was at age fourteen. Now at age eighteen, Amber has a silver and a bronze medal from the Paralympics held in London last month. The silver was won for her swim in the 400 metre freestyle and the bronze for the 200 metre Individual Medley. In her six swimming events, Amber broke five Canadian records and three records in the America’s Region.

When Amber swims in a race, her focus must be absolute. There will be no visual images to assist her in her swim. Amber sees no more and no less in the water than she does on land. She must concentrate on swimming in a straight line, knowing only that if her fingertips graze the bristly rope that divides the lanes that she has swum off course. Most often Amber will count her strokes to give herself some idea of when she is approaching the end of the pool and when she can expect to feel the pressure of the tapper that will signal she is ready for the turn.  All of this must be balanced with the adrenalin rush that comes from competing in a major international event. This is when the endless hours of training and practice come into play.

 As a Canadian, I feel very proud of Amber`s achievements and I feel privileged to know her. More than her achievements as a blind swimmer, I admire Amber for her dedication to her sport. As with other athletes who compete at an international level, Amber has put in countless hours of training for her chosen sport. I admire her perseverance.

Below is a picture of Amber in her red Team Canada jacket and her silver medals. 

This photo was taken by Matthew Murnaghan CPC.

October 15

When I was little, I thought that everyone who used a white cane was blind – that they couldn’t see anything at all. Of course, some people who use a white cane don’t see anything, but there are many others, myself included, who have some sight. I think that this is one of the messages I have tried to convey with the White Cane Connections journey.

My white cane is a tool and I use it as such, but there are also times when I don’t need it. I suppose I could compare it to a hammer. A hammer is a tool which is very useful when it comes to pounding in a nail but it would be a bit of overkill if used to push in a thumb tack. I use my cane constantly and consistently when it comes to independent travel and mobility, but I don’t use it when I am in my own home, or walking in familiar and easy places with Lyle by my side.

When I was little, I saw things as strictly black and white. Now that I have more experience, I can see that there are many shades of “in between”. I am always grateful for what I do see, but I am also grateful for my white cane as a mobility tool for the situations when I am unable to see enough.

October 4 - Home Again!

Lyle and I are home and it is a strange feeling to be writing this particular blog entry for the White Cane Connections project. The whirlwind of activity, the commitment of the daily routine, and the excitement of meeting new people and experiencing new places has come to a halt.

These past six months have been challenging. Now that I have finally had a chance to sit down and look at the numbers, I see that Lyle and I have walked in 82 different locations, not the 80 as I originally recorded. We have walked with many, many different people and there was a common denominator for us all. All of us wanted to promote white cane awareness. Some, and I know that you will recognize yourself in this statement, were especially passionate in their support and commitment. The walks and conversations I shared with the people I met gave me encouragement and hope. I feel truly blessed.

I do remember everyone who joined me on each walk. I remember the ninety-nine year old woman who joined me in Hanna, Alberta and the four year old boy and his family who joined me in Kingston, Ontario. Like many of life’s curve balls, vision loss is no discriminator of age. Some people who joined the walks used white canes, some were assisted by guide dogs, some were helped by human guides and yet others were the helpers. I am especially grateful to the staff in the cnib offices where I was made to feel so very welcome, and yes, I am sure that you will recognize yourselves. I am grateful that there are almost too many of you to mention here. Keep up the amazing work you do!

Lyle and I would also like to thank the many people who showed us personal kindness. Thank you for the meals we enjoyed, the coffee and refreshments, the small gifts and remembrances. I think that these personal touches are the ones that made our journey so very memorable.

I would be remiss if I didn’t express my appreciation to the media outlets that followed the White Cane Connections journey. Over the course of the past six months I have been given the opportunity to speak on radio, on television, and with numerous newspaper reporters. It has been through the media that the White Cane Connections has been able to advocate for white cane awareness and also to highlight accessibility issues.

On this note, I must mention the politicians who took time to meet with me and to walk with me and others in their communities. You and I have given our elected representatives the responsibility to make change, but it is our responsibility to alert them to those changes that need to be made in order to make our communities safe and accessible for everyone.

When I first chose the name for the White Cane Connections project, I didn’t realize just how appropriate it was. Over the weeks and months of the walks, I have reconnected with old friends and made many new connections. Some of you have added links in the chain by connecting me with your own friends and relatives across the country. The time you have taken to do this certainly smoothed many pathways for me. Thanks also for the links to several libraries, Lions Clubs and CCB (Canadian council for the Blind) chapters.

Although my original intent was to walk one thousand kilometers and to write a book about my experiences, I am not sure that I achieved the first goal and I have doubts about the second. I lost count of how far Lyle and I walked, but I am now on my third pair of shoes! I have enjoyed writing these blog entries and although I might not immediately set out to write another book, I would like to continue the blog on a semi-regular basis. How does this sound to you? Would you be interested in checking in every couple of weeks?

That brings me to a final note.  I am hesitant to mention names because you have all made a contribution to this project, but I need to write a special acknowledgement of the following few. Thanks to Jo who made the green vests which travelled with me from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Thanks to Bill and the people of Sechelt for giving me such an auspicious beginning to the journey. Thanks to Andrew for posting each and every entry on the blog. You are a great son-in-law. Thanks to Dorothy for following so faithfully. You are a loyal friend. Finally, thanks to Lyle. You are my constant support. We might not have walked the 1000 kilometers, but I know that you drove for over 12,000 kilometers and without you the White Cane Connections journey would have stayed a dream. With you, the dream became a reality.