June 23 - Riddles

Question: What goes up a chimney but can’t come down a chimney up? 

Answer: An umbrella.

 

I have a hard time explaining this riddle to our granddaughter. For starters, I don’t use an umbrella, and secondly, neither of our houses have those big wide fireplaces and chimneys that would accommodate an umbrella whether it was either up or down.

 

I think that my riddle and answer might be this.

Question? How many hands does a blind person need to hold an umbrella?

My answer? Two hands just aren’t enough.

 

Of course, this last question isn’t really a riddle, but it is a bit of a conundrum on a rainy day. When I am holding my white cane in my right hand, I find it difficult to hold anything else in my left. Walking and holding an umbrella up in one hand and a cane down in the other is just plain awkward. For that matter, I don’t bother with a purse or handbag either. I much prefer a small backpack. So, on rainy days, you will see me in my all purpose raincoat with its hood and no umbrella in sight.

 

Here is another riddle.

Question? What is black and white and red all over?

Answer: Well, in my day the answer would be a newspaper.

 

Again, this answer is beyond what my granddaughter would think. They don’t use newspapers in their house. Instead, the news comes on a screen – TV, ipad, cell phone, laptop, etc.

So, Lexi came up with her own answer.

“Nana, is it a red panda?” (Lexi had been to the zoo the day before and seen the pandas so I guess they were still on her mind.)

When I shook my head, she beamed a huge smile and said,

“Oh, I know, of course, it’s a sunburned zebra!”

 

So much for riddles and the modern generation!

June 13 - White Cane Connections The media

This week, Lyle and I are going on a little road trip around southern Alberta. We will stop at Claresholm, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat – all places that bring back good memories from our walks in 2012.

The 2012 walk in Claresholm was organized by my friend, Joyce. At the time, Joyce was the facilitator of the support group there. The troops of white cane users and their friends had rallied around and Joyce had also invited representatives of the local newspaper. At Joyce’s invitation, I had walked with this group before at CNIB fund raising events, and also been a guest speaker at their support group meetings. It was good to see old friends and we will stop to see Joyce again on this trip – only outside visiting of course!

In Lethbridge, I remember that it rained – one of the very few days that we hit inclement weather for our walks. Fortunately, we were a small group that day and we were able to change the location of the walk to a more sheltered location. It was here that I met Matthew and Cory. Cory had very limited sight and Matthew had no sight. Both were young men, possibly in their twenties, and it was on this walk that I became more acquainted with the challenges of gaining employment faced by young blind and partially sighted Canadians. Both Matthew and Cory had excellent computer skills but at the time of our walk, neither had been able to find work. I was able to put forth this problem later in our time in Lethbridge when I was interviewed by AMI, the accessible TV channel. Thanks to Bob Short of Lethbridge who arranged both this and an interview with the Lethbridge newspaper.

In Medicine Hat, we were able to connect with our friend, Norma. Norma, blind herself, is a keen advocate on behalf of people who are blind or partially sighted. During our few days in Medicine Hat, Norma arranged to introduce us to her friend at the local radio station. I had been interviewed on radio before but only for short clips while standing on street corners and once by phone from my home. This was my first time in the studio. It was memorable.

After I had donned the head phones and fronted up to the microphone, the announcer told me that I would have two minutes to explain my walks. As it turned out, the two minutes extended for another ten. When I was asked about the challenges of crossing busy intersections in city streets, I happened to mention the benefits of audible pedestrian signals at traffic lights. Wouldn’t you know it but that the city had just that week installed audible signals at an intersection in the downtown area where I was to walk the next day. It was definitely a current topic for the radio interview.

On the whole, the media were very kind and supportive of my venture to spread an awareness of the use of white canes. At this point, I must mention two of the most impressive interviews for me. A young reporter in Outlook, Saskatchewan and another, a young woman in Waterloo, Ontario, presented me with the most thoughtful and insightful questions about blindness, partial sight and the challenges and accomplishments of people who use white canes. These two interviews and the subsequent press releases stand out in my recollections even these nine years later.

There has been much criticism of the media in current times but I must say that my experiences were good. Through the various forms – print, TV and radio – it was a privilege for me to be able to present myself as a white cane user and to talk about all that the white cane has meant to me and to others who are blind or partially sighted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 6 - White Cane Connections - The Trails

Although I began my cross Canada walks in 2012, it was nearly a year before that time when I began thinking of the idea of a larger project. I remember that I had been walking with Lyle on a trail that was unfamiliar to us both. The gravel path was uneven and I was having trouble following the surface with my white cane. I found myself wondering how my cane might respond to different surfaces. Indeed, were there ground surfaces that would render my cane ineffective? Where could I go to test out some of these surfaces? Did other white cane users experience the same challenges as I did? As I pondered the answers to these questions, a potential plan began to take shape in my mind. It would still be several months before this vague idea became more concrete and the White Cane Connections walks were set in motion.

I suppose that in a way my white cane journey started even years before that. My sight changed when I was a young adult and using a cane was an evolving learning experience. I began my life as a partially sighted person with an identity cane. This cane was small, light weight and for my purposes pretty useless. For the few times that I ventured outside with it, I found the cane not at all helpful. I didn’t feel safe. Sure, possibly others might notice the cane and identify me as someone with limited sight but the cane wasn’t long enough to help me move around safely and independently.

It was actually several years after that inauspicious beginning when a CNIB staff person noticed my discomfort with the identity cane. She suggested that I try the longer mobility cane. At first I was hesitant. I had been so frustrated with the smaller white stick that I carried around. Now here was this woman suggesting that I carry an even larger one. Still, in the office that day I was prepared to give it a go. After five minutes of instruction, my world changed. I think that I even shed a few tears of relief. The freedom of independent mobility offered by the cane was tremendous.

It was a rocky start but over the years, my awkwardness in handling the cane has gradually dissipated. In 2012, I was even excited to think that I would be testing my cane over so many different terrains. In the year of the White Cane Connections, I walked my cane over city sidewalks, pavements of irregular brickwork, pressed dirt and  gravel. I travelled across Canada stopping to walk in over 80 cities, towns, villages, parks and hamlets. Sometimes Lyle and I walked alone and at most other times we walked with groups of other white cane users.

I was always interested to hear their personal stories, but past this the conversation nearly always got around to tales of accessibility. What were the areas of their locale that were either inaccessible or unfriendly for people who used a cane or other mobility device? Were paving stones uneven so that canes were caught in the cracks? Were there audible signals as well as visual prompts on traffic lights?  Were fire hydrants, signs, trees, shrubbery, lamp posts situated inappropriately on sidewalks for people with low or no vision? Were there areas in the neighbourhood where improvements could be made? Had these issues been brought to the attention of local councils? Would our white cane walks serve to bring an awareness to people who were in a position to make changes?

As I think back, I am pleased to report that on a number of occasions, the White Cane Connections Walks did make a difference. Promises and changes were made. Perhaps when you are out walking this week on the trail in your neighbourhood you might keep an eye out for obstacles that might be a challenge for the blind and partially sighted community. Let’s all work together to make our trails accessible for everyone.