February 25 - No White Cane Needed

No white cane needed!  What do I mean?  Well, in spite of the image of a blind person walking along with white cane stretched out in front, there are also multiple times when I have no need of the cane at all.  The picture of the blind man walking with his cane stretched out in front of him leaves out some relevant pieces of the picture.  For starters, it is not only men who are affected with blindness or reduced vision.  Women and children are part of the blind population.  A small percentage of people who are blind choose to use a guide dog instead of a white cane.  And as I have written in a previous post, some people choose to use a coloured cane instead of the traditional white one.

This week I have been thinking of the many times when I have no need of a cane at all.  My hand isn’t welded to the handle of a cane. I am able to move around my house without the aid of a cane. Right now I am sitting at my computer and using both hands on the keyboard.  No cane needed for this.  Last week I had coffee with my friend, Peter.  Peter is completely without sight but we both managed to drink our coffee and have a pleasant chat at an outdoor cafe while our canes were folded up and lying on the ground beside us.

A cane is useful to be sure, but it is really only used for certain activities – mostly those involving mobility. I am reminded of a time when I was going through airport security.  As I bent over to retrieve my belongings from the storage bin, one of the security personnel rushed towards me, unfolded my cane and handed it to me. “Here,” he said. “You will see better with this.”

 How I was to see better by holding my cane in addition to retrieving my jacket and backpack from the bin, I am not sure.  Still, the young man was doing his best to be helpful and I was grateful for his consideration, if not somewhat puzzled by his assumption about the abilities of my cane.

With this post, there is a picture of Peter and me sipping our coffee. 

Sue and Peter having coffee

February 17 - Walking the labyrinth

This week, Lyle and I walked a new labyrinth. At least, it was a labyrinth that was new to us. We have walked a number of labyrinths in the past, ranging from one painted on the floor of a church basement to a grassy area of a Catholic Retreat Centre to the tiled floor of a cathedral in France. To date, I liked this week’s labyrinth the best.

I had heard of the labyrinth at St. Joseph’s Convent in Kincumber (about one hundred kilometers north of Sydney) when I attended a women’s fellowship group. It sounded interesting and so Lyle and I made a special trip to find it. We weren’t disappointed.

The labyrinth was outside in a cleared grass area in the Australian bush. The rings or circles on the ground were marked out by low hedges – only about ten centimetres tall but very effective.  In the centre there was a shady tree with wooden benches around the trunk.  In the outside area of the labyrinth were scattered bushes. I recognized one as a fragrant frangipani bush. The area was quiet and very conducive to meditation. 

I think that what I liked most about this particular labyrinth was the markings on the ground. I could feel the track with my feet and I didn’t have to rely on my sight to see where I needed to go. With previous experiences of walking a labyrinth, I found that I was concentrating more on where I should be rather than letting my mind wander with a contemplative experience.

A labyrinth is not a maze. With a maze there are dead ends and the trick is to find one’s way through a confusing pattern. With a labyrinth the trail is clearly marked through concentric circular patterns until one reaches the centre. It is representative of one’s journey through life. Several people can walk a labyrinth at the same time. When Lyle and I walked, we passed each other several times – sometimes going in the same direction of a parallel circle and at other times going in the opposite direction. I suppose that this too is representative of life. Basically we walk alone but we meet and pass others on our individual journey.

I have included three pictures with this post. The first shows part of the labyrinth.  The second is of me walking the labyrinth, and the third is a close up of some frangipani flowers. 

Labyrinth

Sue walking in the labyrinth

Frangipani

February 12 - Hot or Cold?

Today, my post has nothing to do with sight. Instead I want to write about the weather.  Usually the weather is a rather inconsequential topic but our experience of the last few days proves otherwise.

Lyle and I are in Australia again. When we left Alberta, the temperature ranged around the minus thirty degree Celsius mark.  When we arrived in Sydney on Friday, we walked out of the airport into a blistering forty-five degrees Celsius.  All told, and I’m sure you don’t need me to do the math, it was a difference of seventy degrees! We sure noticed the change.

Temperatures here continue to be very warm although a cooler change is expected.  Unfortunately, this cool change will be brought in by strong gusty winds.  This will do nothing to ease the bush fires that are already burning.  These extreme conditions are unusual even for the hardy Aussies who seem to feel the heat as much as we do.

Anyway, seeing as this blog is titled White Cane Connections, I will add one more note about sight.  I find it easier to see in hot conditions as opposed to snow on the ground.  The white snow definitely blurs outlines and it is also more difficult to maneuver using my white cane.  This certainly isn’t an issue here today.  It is even too hot to walk on the beach.

February 4 - Identity Badge

In the past couple of weeks I have needed to go to three separate medical/dental appointments. Because I knew that each appointment was located on a main floor with no steps or stairs, I chose not to use my white cane. Instead I chose to wear a small white identity badge. The badge was one that I bought from Vision Australia and the wording declared that the person who was wearing it was someone with low vision.

I have worn this same badge in the past when I have been in a place which has been easy to negotiate in itself, but where there have been people who hadn’t known about my vision challenges.

The badge has proved to be quite helpful and I was reminded of this again when I went to my three appointments. For the first two times, I wore the badge and the people who dealt with me were both considerate and helpful. Not only that, I found that I didn’t have to go into any lengthy explanations about my sight – or as is the case, lack of sight. For the third appointment I forgot to put on the badge before I left home. What a contrast. When I was called from the waiting room with a brusque “Follow me” command, I had barely come to my feet when the technician had disappeared from my sight down the hallway. When I called out to her to slow down so that I could see her, she wanted to know just how much I could see. While I understand her curiosity (there was no other real reason for the question), I still find that I get tired of answering the same question. 

This brings me to the importance of carrying a white cane or else of using some other form of self identification. It does ease the path for someone who is blind or visually challenged, but also provides an easier path for the sighted people around us.

In the picture below, there is a head and shoulders shot of me wearing my “I have low vision” badge.

Sue with badge