December 20 - Blind Navigator

Lyle and I have just come home from a short trip to Los Angeles and I am still thinking how grateful I am for the invention of the GPS device. It is tricky enough to find one’s way around an unfamiliar and busy city but the GPS certainly makes things easier. You might be wondering why I am writing this when I don’t see to drive, but let me say that even a blind passenger has a certain role as a navigator.

In the old days and when I could see a bit better than I do now, Lyle and I had a different plan of action. Before we left home base to find our way through a maze of unfamiliar freeways, Lyle would take out a paper map. From this he would plot our route and together we would mark the various turns with a thick felt marker on large pieces of white paper. When we set out, I would be responsible for holding out the paper where he could see the directions and then I would turn the page when appropriate. Strangely this worked fairly well unless we happened to miss a turn or take the wrong exit. Then we would need to find a place to park and start all over again. It didn’t help that I couldn’t see to read the street signs or the names and numbers of exits.

With the GPS, life is much simpler. Lyle puts in our destination address and off we go. My job is still important. I must remember to be quiet when the GPS is talking. That is a tall order for me because I do like to talk! Then I must also listen to the GPS directions. If Lyle happens to be distracted by traffic, and let’s face it, LA is notorious for heavy traffic and busy intersecting freeways, I  can quietly repeat the same  GPS directions. I have become a fairly competent blind navigator.

December 10 - Handicap Parking

Did you know that in Alberta, people who are either visually impaired or hearing impaired are not eligible for a handicap parking sticker? Lyle and I find this unwise and really a form of discrimination.

We are especially aware of not being able to park in specially marked parking near the door of a business during this busy holiday season. It is quite a blow to my independence when I need the driver of my vehicle to accompany me to the door or entrance of whichever business I am visiting. Still, it would not be safe for me to find my way alone through a crowded parkade, even more so if the parking lot is unfamiliar to me. There are many hazards in parking lots – unattended shopping carts, cement barriers, hanging signs and worst of all, moving vehicles. Of course, the vehicles are the worst because drivers are frequently looking for empty spaces and are not paying special attention to wandering pedestrians even if they do happen to be using a white cane.  Parkades are often shaded, making it difficult for drivers to see, and the glare of the sun in outside parking lots is sometimes blinding.

Now those are just the issues of going from the car to the building. When it comes time to re-enter the parkade, I face all of those challenges plus the major concern of finding the vehicle  again. If Lyle has found a spot reasonably close to the door or entryway, I can count vehicles. If not, I have no way of finding my way back and I have lost my independent mobility.

I know that handicap parking is reserved for people with physical mobility challenges, but isn’t a sight or hearing impairment a form of this? What do you think?  Should people with visual or hearing challenges be issued with parking stickers  which allow their drivers to park in handicap zones?

Isn’t this a form of discrimination?