January 31 - Can You See This?

Today, I am posting pictures. These are some of the pictures I took when Lyle and I were driving through the mountains a couple of weeks ago. I enjoy using my phone to take pictures even though I can’t really see what I am doing or for that matter, the end result once the picture is there.

Lyle has assured me that the pictures attached with this post are quite good and reflect what he saw through the car windshield as we were driving.

When I use the camera on the phone, I tend to just aim in the general direction of whatever the subject might be and press the button several times. Mostly things seem to turn out. In the case of the following pictures, Lyle said that there was no way that I could miss. There was snow all around us and at one point it was almost as if we were driving through a tunnel of snow created by a recent avalanche.

So, for those of you who can see, here are four pictures of snow taken along Highway 3 in British Columbia in the middle of January. 

 

Picture 1 from Highway 3 in BC

Picture 2 from Highway 3 in BC

Picture 3 from Highway 3 in BC

Picture 4 from Highway 3 in BC

January 24 - Vision Aids

While it is important to discuss the larger issues surrounding vision loss, I find that it is access to the smaller practical aids and devices that make it easier for me to live as a visually impaired person. I use several tactile aids and audible devices on a regular daily basis.

As I am typing this, I can feel the few tactile bumps I have pasted on some of the keys of my keyboard. I use these same tactile bumps on my microwave to help me navigate its otherwise smooth surface.

I use a number of audible devices. I am an avid reader and probably listen to two or three books a week on my small Victor Reader machine. I borrow these books from the CNIB Library and they are sent to me free of charge with Canada Post.

I use an audible screen reading program with my computer. As I type the words, the print is read back to me. If you send me an email, I listen to the message rather than see the print.

Probably the tool that I use more frequently than any other is my watch. When I press a small button on its side, I can hear the time. Of course, I could do the same thing with my phone, but my watch is way more convenient. That said, it is what has prompted me to write this post.

Last week when Lyle and I were at Radium Hot Springs, I managed to lose my watch. I had taken it off my wrist so that I wouldn’t lose it in the change room, and guess what...! Yes, somehow or other I must have managed to kick it out of our truck and onto the parking lot. Naturally I didn’t discover this until the next day when we were once again on the road. I spent the next several hours and days asking Lyle what time it was. My phone was of no use when we travelled through areas with no cell phone coverage.

Fortunately this story has a happy ending. We were travelling to British Columbia and unlike the CNIB sales rooms in Alberta, vision aids were still in stock in the BC regional CNIB offices. In Kelowna, the staff were excellent in assisting me with the purchase of a new talking watch. I was there on one of the very cold snowy days and a number of staff were off sick, but the two staff members who assisted me were very pleasant and helpful. I didn’t get their names, but I hope that they are reading this to hear this very big thank you from me.

For those of us who are unable to see or unable to see well, tactile and audible vision aids are a huge step towards our independence. I appreciated the easy access to these vision aids at the Kelowna CNIB Office.

January 17 - A Suggestion for Sighted Friends

Over the Christmas season Lyle and I attended numerous functions. Most of these were events that were specific to the season and out of the range of our normal activities. We socialized with many people – quite a few of whom we wouldn’t see during the rest of the year.

Now, I am usually fairly accurate in identifying people by their voices – especially when I meet them in the places where I normally expect to see them. However, in a crowd and out of context, I can certainly be confused. This has happened on several occasions, and it happened again this Christmas season.

We were at a concert and during the intermission as I was speaking with friends, another woman approached our group. 

“Hello, Sue,” she said. “Do you recognize my voice? Do you know who I am?”

As it turned out, I had no idea, but my acquaintance continued.

“I’ll give you a hint,” she said. “ We usually see each other in the local grocery store. Now, do you know who I am?”

I still had no idea and the woman finally tired of her little game and identified herself.  Now wouldn’t it have been much easier to do this at the very beginning of her greeting.

My suggestion for friends and acquaintances is to do just that. Please, please say who you are when you approach me or any other person whom you know to have limited sight. I don’t get any form of enjoyment from this particular guessing game. While I don’t think that the woman in this story meant any harm, it was nevertheless an awkward situation. I really appreciate it when people identify themselves to me when we are to engage in any sort of conversation. Thank you to my sighted friends who do this with such consistency. I am grateful.