July 24 - Universal Access

Universal access means that everyone should be able to go anywhere regardless of their differing abilities and disabilities.  In general, the modern world tries to accommodate this.  While I sometimes have trouble with print access, I rarely have problems with actual physical mobility - at least until this past week.

Lyle and I are on a family holiday with Holland America Cruise Line.  Most areas of the ship are easily accessible with my white cane - but there is one exception.  Access to the swimming pool and hot tub area is horrific for someone with limited vision, and also I am sure for anyone with limited physical mobility.  Getting into the hot tub was the worst for me, and that is where I fell.

Now I always hold a handrail when going up or down steps.  I do this with the anticipation that the railing will follow beside the steps.  This was not the case on the older style ship, the Zuiderdam.  I held the rail, and while my first foot found the anticipated step into the hot tub, my other foot lurched into space.  I fell.  The pain was instant as my foot, knee, thigh and buttock stretched into a most unnatural position.

Older style structures such as ships, were often built around cosmetic specifications rather than safety requirements and accessibility accommodations. The Zuiderdam fell into this category.

It was the following day before I visited the medical clinic on board and filled out an accident report.  I must say that the ship staff were great with follow-up but it hasn’t minimized the pain.

In all this, I am glad that I reported the incident. According to to the security officer who checked in with me later, Holland America is planning on looking into redesigning the pool and hot tub area so that it will be safer and more accessible to all passengers. I look forward to the new design with universal accessibility.

July 18 - The Blind Leading the Blind

“The blind leading the blind” is a fairly familiar phrase. Generally speaking, it refers to someone who doesn’t know where they are going and leading or guiding someone else who is similarly affected. It really doesn’t have anything to do with being without physical sight.

However, when I came across the phrase the other day, I was reminded of my friend, Amy. Amy was also visually impaired and we often spoke together of our sight challenges. We attended the same church, and often after a service or a meeting, Amy would take my arm and I would escort her the short distance to her home. In actual fact, we did this because Amy had limited mobility, but Amy also saw the funny side of the situation. She nearly always made some comment about the “blind leading the blind”.

Then there was the case of Bert. Bert was totally without sight but was very confident in his use of his white cane. Once I walked with Bert as he directed me around light posts, fire hydrants, and other permanent obstacles on our way to his favourite restaurant. We must have made quite a sight as we lurched along the sidewalk both tapping away with our white canes. It was a case of the “blind leading the partially sighted”.

“The blind leading the blind” has come into our vernacular to refer to things that really don’t have anything to do with physical sight or lack of sight. Ahh, yes! There are many little sayings that fall into this category. How many can you think of? Are there terms that you find offensive? I’m going to think about this issue myself and perhaps I will tackle it in a future post. I’m glad that generally speaking we are all becoming more sensitive to those of us who are “differently abled”.

 

 

July 4 - I Love a Parade

I love a parade.  While I am sure that if I could actually see the floats going by it would be more interesting, but just being there is fun as well.

We went to the local Canada Day parade on July 1.  It was fun scurrying around the house gathering up essentials like sun hats, sunscreen, and water bottles and racing out to the car.  Then there was the tension of finding a good parking spot for the vehicle and a good spot on the curb for our lawn hairs.

Waiting for the parade to start was fun in itself.  After two years of cancellations it was great to be around the crowds of happy, excited people.

Our parade started with the fire trucks.  The sirens blared and hooted and the water from the hoses gave the sidewalk crowds a good drenching.  The next noise was the approach of a marching band with an amazing bagpipe section.  I loved it! Next good came the clatter of horses’ hooves and the canned music from several of the floats. We were at a local parade where spectators knew many of those participating.  This was evidenced by the boisterous cheers and greetings from both sides.

Many of the local businesses support the parade.  Kids were treated to candy and all of us were given bottles of water.  We also scored a most welcome freezie and a bag of popcorn.  Thank you to Home Hardware in Osoyoos for your unrivalled community spirit.

Did I mention that I love a parade?  Of course, each to their own, but if you are into fun, noise, people, and excitement, a parade might be for you no matter how much or how little you can see.