This week I participated in a night called Beyond Sight. The event was organized by CNIB in order to showcase what people with limited vision could accomplish. I was there as an author with my several writing projects.
It was a great night and Lyle and I both enjoyed the camaraderie as much as seeing the various table displays. I spoke with Hazel who had some of her completed knitting projects with her. The most impressive was a beautiful red shawl. She wore this and I couldn’t help but to admire it. She said that most of her projects were done as small gifts for friends and family and that she just liked to knit.
I was pleased to meet Lorena in person. For the past year or so Lorena and I have been part of a Zoom call for facilitators of support groups. I have never been able to actually see Lorena on the computer screen but meeting in person was a plus. Lorena explained how she loves baking – not cooking so much as baking. She had brought quite a few samples with her for the evening.
Then there was Amanda. Amanda started her own small business and her table featured a variety of items that would identify someone as having low vision. There were caps and buttons all of which had the identifying tag that would show that the wearer couldn’t see well. I often wear a badge that identifies me as being partially sighted. I find that this is helpful both to me and for others. I don’t have to explain my sight and other people don’t need to ask. If I’m not using my white cane, sometimes the ID badge is sufficient.
Lyle spent some time chatting with Susan who was there with her Celtic Harp. Susan said that it was the first time she had played in public but I hope it won’t be the last. Susan’s music was a lovely backdrop to the evening. We learned that Susan was also an avid gardener.
One of the best parts of the night for me was meeting up with an old friend. I had met Carrie near the beginning of my journey with vision loss. It was with her encouragement that I began learning to use JAWS. JAWS is the audible screen reading program I use on my computer. The program doesn’t use the mouse but rather uses keyboard commands to navigate the screen. It did require quite a bit of initial learning. I had also interviewed Carrie for Chapter 5 of my book, Out of Sight. The Chapter was titled, Winning the Gold – something Carrie did as a member of the Canadian goal ball team in the Paralympics.
Carrie also introduced me to Viviane Forest. What an amazing person! Viviane was the first Canadian woman to achieve a gold medal in both the summer and winter Paralympics. Initially her gold was for goal ball, but after an injury she took up downhill skiing. I was impressed by her athleticism.
For Beyond Sight, Viviane was there to display her paintings. Viviane has travelled extensively and her paintings, bright and colorful, helped us to travel with her. Viviane said that her sight is quite poor and that sometimes when she was painting she would need to get very close to the canvas – sometimes so close that she would end up with paint on the end of her nose.
Next to Viviane’s art work were some very colourful quilts. I found myself wondering how someone with low vision could create such intricate and beautiful coverings. I was impressed with the design and the craftsmanship. Kristin was a very talented quilter.
Beyond Sight was a great event. A big shout out to Sanduni for organizing it all. Like Sanduni, I would hope that this could become an annual event. Life doesn’t need to stop with vision loss. There is indeed life “beyond sight”.
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