January 28 – Sight, Sound, Touch and Technology

It is nearly the end of January and I am finally getting around to fulfilling my New Year’s resolution of the past three years. Yes, I am in the process of upgrading both my computer program and my computer. I won’t even tell you just how ancient are the ones I am using now, but suffice to say that my current program no longer supports all that I want it to do. My computer is old, but it was really the audio program that I use that needed the upgrade.

So, for these last couple of weeks, Lyle and I have been browsing technology. We both agree that a computer with Windows 10 and with sufficient memory to support the latest JAWS 18.0 program is the first essential. That part was relatively easy and the staff in the local Tantec store was extremely helpful. Tony looked up all the stats on the store computer, explaining about gigabites, RAM and memory components. For those of you who might not know, JAWS is an audible screen reading program designed by Freedom Scientific for people who are unable to see print on the screen. Perhaps one day in the future, I might write more about this program which has been so helpful to me.

The surprising part in our computer search and investigation came when Lyle and I were looking at keyboards and monitors. Lyle was quite keen to get a new and larger monitor while I was keen to get a keyboard similar in style to the one I am currently using. I like the feel of slightly raised and separated keys. They are so much easier to locate by touch.   I think that it was interesting in that Lyle and I each looked at these items from different perspectives. As a sighted person, the size of the monitor was very significant for Lyle.  As a visually impaired person, I was far more sensitive to the feel of the keyboard. While I think that the larger monitor might be helpful in seeing some images, I know that I still won’t be able to see and read the print on the screen. After much discussion of these two items, we now have a keyboard that fits my specifications and a new and larger monitor is on order.

Because we haven’t upgraded in such a long time, I know that there will be a fairly steep learning curve ahead of me. However, the first learning curve will come for Lyle when he reads instructions and sets up my new devices. I will let you know how it all goes. Sight, sound and touch – we have come a long way since the days of the old Remington typewriter.

January 20 - Sounds of Spring

Today as I was walking along the trail by the river, I heard a chickadee. While some people say that the first sign of spring is a robin in their yard, that particular sign means nothing to me. I can’t see robins, sparrows, blue jays or other small birds and so I rely on sounds. Today I was very surprised to hear that chickadee. I wondered if he had looked at his bird calendar. After all, it is only January 20. Maybe spring is coming early this year!

I can’t identify many birds, but the sounds made by chickadees are easy. I think that their call sounds like a long drawn out voice calling, “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger!” 

Today I also heard a woodpecker – another call that is easy to identify. Then there are always those darn crows.  It’s easy to think of where the expression, “Stone the crows!” comes from.

So, I hope that my little chickadee of today is right and that winter is on its way out. I will keep on listening.

January 9 - Who Is Visually Impaired?

Who's visually impaired?

While most times I write I try to tell you about the differences between people who are blind and people who are sighted, today I want to write about the similarities. There is a picture at the beginning of this post. It shows eleven people standing in front of a wall and looking towards the camera. Do you notice anything different about any of them? Here is a hint. Six of the eleven people have visual challenges. Can you tell who is sighted and who is visually impaired?

Of course not! When we are sitting, chatting, enjoying a meal or doing otherwise “normal” things, there is little to distinguish people who are blind or visually impaired from people who are sighted. Generally speaking there is no need to speak more loudly to us as if we also have diminished hearing. Nor is there a need to speak to us as if we were of limited intelligence. Seeing, hearing and intelligence do not necessarily overlap.  People who are blind or partially sighted might use the aid of a white cane or a guide dog to move around, but in other ways we are no different from our sighted peers.

I’m not going to tell you who in the picture are the ones without full sight although perhaps you might be able to pick me out as one of the six. People who are blind or visually impaired have the same hopes, dreams and fears as people who are sighted. The biggest difference is that because we can’t see or can’t see well, we possibly face just a few more of life’s challenges. In other ways we are just the same as everyone else. 

January 1 - Driving Blind

Before I start writing, I want to apologise for not sending out Christmas wishes to everyone who reads this blog. About a week before Christmas, Lyle and I came down with bad winter colds – colds that totally sapped our energy. I am just glad that as 2018 begins I can wish you all a Happy New Year. Thank you for continuing to read White Cane Connections.

Last time I wrote, I titled the post Blind Navigators. Today I want to address the issue of blind drivers. Yes, there are definitely drivers out there who simply should not be behind the wheel and on the road.

Giving up one’s driver’s license is one of the more difficult decisions facing people whose vision changes in adulthood. I know that for me, not being able to drive any more was a real loss of independence. I remember crying when I sold my car and the buyer drove away in it. Interestingly, it wasn’t my doctor or ophthalmologist who had directed the decision that I couldn’t drive. Perhaps they just presumed that I would be sensible enough to make the decision on my own and indeed that is what happened.

My beef today is that I know of people who don’t see well and yet are still driving. For instance, I know one woman who drives the back country roads because as she says, “I don’t see well enough to drive on the highway.” I asked this acquaintance just how she would feel if she hit someone or something on those country roads because she didn’t see them in time. Is driving really worth that risk? I think not, but I suspect that this woman is not alone in her outlook.

Who then has the final say in taking away a driver’s license? It is too easy for someone with sight challenges to bluff and not reveal the whole truth to a local doctor. I know that many people with diminished sight tend to bluff when it comes to seeing. I have done this myself. When it comes to driving though, bluffing is not the best option. If doctors don’t make the decision, family members are often put in a difficult position if the visually impaired driver is being unreasonable. It is certainly too late if and when the police are called to the site of an accident – an accident which could have been avoided if the partially sighted driver hadn’t been so stubborn about continuing to drive.

I would still like to drive but the opportunities to do so are fairly limited. I would never risk sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle where I could endanger life and limb of anyone else. My latest driving experience was in Disneyland. I loved driving the little cars there. The cars themselves follow a track and with Lyle sitting beside me telling me when to press the gas pedal and when to steer left or right, we both felt relatively safe. I must admit it was still rather a jerky stop and start ride.

The three pictures below were taken on that day. The first two show me behind the wheel and you can see the size of the mini Disney car. In the third picture, I am laughing in delight at the driving experience. It’s likely a better experience than drivers in Alberta are having today where the temperature is nearly thirty degrees below zero.

Sue driving a mini Disney car

Sue driving a mini Disney car

Sue laughing about driving a mini Disney car