September 23 - Talk To Me

Today, Lyle and I were waiting at a sales counter where we were both required to sign a document. Usually when I need to sign something, Lyle will point the pen at the particular spot and I will sign my name. Easy peasy! However, today, after Lyle had signed his name and was preparing to hand the document to me, the young girl on the other side of the counter addressed Lyle and said,  “Does she need help with signing?”

I found the use of “her” pronoun especially annoying. After all, I was standing right there. I hadn’t donned my invisibility cloak. Would it have been too much for this woman to ask me directly if I needed any assistance?

I have often been irked by the habit of some people who will ask my guide of the moment some question about me – a question which I am perfectly capable of answering myself. I don’t like being spoken about when the opportunity is there to speak to me directly. On occasion, I have heard similar comments from others who need assistance from a guide or care giver. Once, a friend who travelled with a guide dog mentioned the same thing. She said she was surprised how many people would speak with her dog instead of speaking with her. I have also heard similar comments from people who need to use a wheelchair.   Strangers will talk to the person pushing the chair rather than the occupant.

This week I had been wondering what I would write about on my blog. I hope that you will forgive this little rant. It is perhaps a small point – this communication between the world of people who are blind and those who can see, but for me it is an important one. It’s bad enough that we might not be able to see other people, but it’s not so good when they behave in a way that means that they don’t see us. If you have something to say to me, please talk to me.

September 8 - Assistive Technology

In January of this year, I made a New Year’s Resolution to upgrade my technical skills and the assistive devices I have been using. This resolution has been long overdue. For quite some time I have been using an old version of JAWS and a very old version of Windows on my computer. Unfortunately, these two programs no longer seem to be able to support all the things I want to do. So, last week I finally made an appointment with Stephanie. Stephanie is a Specialist in Assistive Technology at the CNIB office in Calgary.

The session with Stephanie was very informative but the more she talked the more I realized just how far behind the times I had allowed myself to drift.  We spoke first about computers and just which version of Windows would support the latest version of JAWS. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with JAWS, it is an audible screen reading program that uses keyboard commands instead of the mouse used by people who are sighted. I began using this program back in 2002 and even then it involved a fairly steep learning curve and memory work for the different commands.

I was feeling a little flat thinking of approaching all this again when Stephanie mentioned the possibilities of either an i-Pad or an i-Phone. Up until now Lyle and I have shared the same cell phone. Although I am able to call out on this phone, I can’t see to use any of the other functions such as texting, google, etc. I even find it difficult to find the buttons to answer a call. I suppose I became quite excited when Stephanie began explaining all the things that a new i-Phone with voice over could do.

Today we took the plunge and I now have an i-Phone of my own. The next step will be to learn how to use it. Even the staff at Tan-Tech couldn’t explain completely how to use the voice over commands. I am keen to make another appointment with Stephanie for my first lesson.

I look at this voice  activated device as a big step forward in maintaining my independence. Unfortunately it will also be a step backwards in the balance on my bank book but that is where balance comes in. Technology of any kind has a cost and one has to weigh this cost against the benefit of the device or program to the user.