May 23 - Iceland (Part 1)

Iceland has been on our travel wish list for some time now but 2015 was the year to make the travel plans a reality. This small country situated in the North Atlantic has only recently promoted tourism as a boon to its economy. Direct flights with Icelandair have certainly helped in making the country a more viable option for tourists. However, we found in our travels that accessibility for the average tourist still has a way to go. The country is not yet set up with the conveniences that the North American traveller has come to expect and take for granted.

We flew to Iceland with Icelandair and didn’t enjoy the flight experience. The service of the cabin crew was poor. I was ready to make a judgment of the whole airline based on this experience, but then on our return flight the crew couldn’t have been more helpful. They were totally aware of the significance of my white cane and were also supportive and considerate of the several young families who were on board.

We arrived in Keflavik on a beautiful sunny day and Lyle drove the short distance from the airport to the Blue Lagoon. The Lagoon is one of the country’s major tourist attractions. It is a huge pool of thermally heated water and we knew from our guidebook that in order to keep the water as clean as possible there were strict regulations about showering before entering the pool. I was quite concerned about finding my way in an unfamiliar change and locker room. In the end we were shown to a family/handicapped room which we had to ourselves. I was so concerned about the process of all this that I didn’t realize until later that we had received a disability discount on the entry fee. The normal admission prices for the Blue Lagoon are quite high.

We enjoyed the water and the sulphur smell wasn’t too overwhelming.  I stayed close to Lyle because the rising steam made it difficult to see. There were a couple of spots in the pool where the water was intensely hot enough to burn the skin. I enjoyed it all but Lyle found that the water was very drying for his skin.

Once we were back in our warm clothes, we followed some of the gravel paths around the area. I found this even more interesting than the pool. The ground was covered with black lava rocks. It was a strange landscape – the barren area of rock with the modern pool complex and also a thermal power station close by.

There are two pictures accompanying this post. The first shows me standing in front of some very large lava rocks. These rocks line both sides of a pathway leading from the parking lot to the Lagoon.

Sue in front of some lava rocks

It was impractical to take our camera into the pool itself but the second picture shows me standing on a little bridge between some of the nearby minor pools. The thermal power plant is in the background and there is a huge cloud of steam rising upwards. 

Sue in front of thermal pools

May 21 - Institute for the Blind, Iceland

Lyle and I are in Iceland, and so today in Reykjavik it was natural for us to visit the Icelandic National Institute for the Blind.  As it turned out, the Institute itself is a government run agency, and was not particularly interesting to us.  Instead, in the same building, we visited the Icelandic Organization of the Visually Impaired.  It was here that we had a most informative chat with Baldur.  He explained that this organization has more to do with advocacy and accessibility.  The agency promotes for the needs of blind and visually impaired people and transmits these needs to the afore mentioned government institute.

From speaking with Baldur, I learned that blind Icelandic clients have access to free public transit.  They usually only need to show their white cane or be accompanied by their service dog.  Discounts for guides or clients in other areas such as concerts or theatres and still a grey area and are up for debate and negotiation.

We inspected the store items and I purchased a small button showing the traditional stickman and white cane.  It is certainly a more recognizable symbol than the piece of Braille broccoli shown on the CNIB insignia at home!

We re enjoying our time here and will write more about Iceland in future posts.

May 8 - White Cane Mobility

I am aware of four kinds of white canes – an identity cane, a guide cane, a support cane, and a mobility cane. The descriptions are fairly self-explanatory. The identity cane is used so that other people can identify the user as someone who has low vision. It is thin and lightweight and can be folded up to fit into a purse or even a roomy pocket. The guide cane is relatively new on the market. It is similar to the ID cane but is a little longer and sturdier.

The support cane is used by people who would normally use a regular wooden cane. The difference is that it is white, indicating that the user does not have full sight.

Personally, I use a mobility cane. As its name suggests, the mobility cane assists me in moving about more easily. This cane helps me to identify hazards in my path – things like fire hydrants, bikes, or scooters and shopping carts left carelessly on sidewalks, and occasionally children or small animals who are below my line of vision. The cane also helps me detect dips in the sidewalk where driveways run out into the road. These can be quite jarring if you come across them not anticipating their presence.

I have three mobility canes of slightly different lengths but I like the longer one best.It is more useful for faster movement because it stretches out further in front of me and gives me more immediate warning of what is ahead of me. If you do need a cane, it is important to get one that is the proper length for you. A person can develop a permanent slouch if the cane is too short and you are constantly bending forward. I do have a shorter cane which I use when I travel through airport terminals. This cane is enough so that other people can recognize me as blind or visually impaired but not so long that it is an obstruction in a crowd. This cane is also short enough that I can fold it up and place it in the seat back while the plane is in the air. It is helpful to have the white cane identify me as someone who is sight challenged, especially when I am alone or in unfamiliar surroundings. I use my white cane so that hopefully other people will move out of my way or offer assistance if I am in need.

While a white cane is a useful tool, it isn’t magical. Handling a cane will not tell the user his or her location. Nor will it give the user directions of how to get from place to place. Fortunately in our modern age of technology, other tools have been invented to help with this. I really like my Trekker Breeze, a small device sold through Humanware. The Trekker will announce my location and I can also enter a route to a specific destination. The Trekker will announce directions as I walk following the route. I have some sight so am able to use residual vision in combination with the Trekker instructions but I am told by friends who are completely without sight that the Trekker is an absolute boon to their independent mobility.

Using a white cane takes a little getting used to. There are a lot of emotions associated with using a white cane for the first time as an adult. It is often difficult for someone who is newly experiencing vision loss to become accustomed to the use of the cane. I know that I certainly experienced physical and emotional stress when I first began using a white cane on a regular basis. I think that I have finally reached the stage where the cane has become more like an extension of my arm and that the advantages of its use outweigh any disadvantages.

I will write more about white cane mobility in another post, but right now I want to take the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day weekend.

May 6 - Election Day

Lyle swore and I swore but we did our civic duty! Now we will await the outcome. No, we weren’t uttering profanities but rather going through the convoluted process of voting as a print disabled person on Election Day.

Today’s voting procedure had certainly changed since the last time I voted. I think that then I merely needed to show my CNIB identity card and Lyle was permitted to fill in the box for me.  It was easy. Today was a different story.

First, Lyle had to fill out a form stating who he was. Secondly, he had to fill out another form saying that he was sworn to secrecy and would never reveal which party had my vote.  When he had filled in the blanks on this form, he had to read it aloud and swear on the Bible that his statements were true. Lyle didn’t actually have to put his hand on the Bible when he took the oath, but the official held a book which he said was the Bible. Thirdly, Lyle had to fill in yet another form stating that as my friend, he would fill in the ballot as I directed him. This also needed to be read aloud and affirmed with an oath.

Then it was my turn. Lyle filled in my form for me which basically stated that I was physically unable to see the print on the ballot form. This was read to me and I had my turn of swearing the truth of the statement with a solemn oath.

Finally I was permitted to vote. I was given a template – which didn’t really help. I had originally intended to mark my own “X” but by this time I was mildly confused and so I just asked Lyle to mark the ballot form for me. Of course, it is somewhat easier in that we do discuss our political allegiance ahead of time. Sometimes we differ with this but I am quite sure that Lyle marks my ballot as I direct him to.

Now we will wait to see the official outcome of Election Day. I am also wondering if other print disabled people had the same experience as I did today.

May 1 - Spring Snow

We have come from the spring blossoms in British Columbia last week to the spring snow in Alberta of this past Saturday. It was a hard pill to swallow but certainly not unusual for the time of year. What is it that they say about Alberta weather? If you don’t like what you see, then just wait for ten minutes. That is certainly true for this past week. From snow, blowing wind and temperatures around minus twelve on Saturday, we jumped to sunshine and a high of plus twenty-four on Tuesday. I am not fond of springtime snow. I like to put away my winter boots and heavy coats and bring out my running shoes and fleece jacket. The latter don’t do well in ten inches of snow. Nevertheless, this mound of snow is what Lyle was shovelling from our driveway last weekend. Today I am posting two pictures. They both show snow where it belongs – freshly fallen but on the top of a mountain. On our drive home from the Okanagan we stopped in Field, a small railway community nestled in the mountain range. There is a tourist information centre beside the highway so we often make this a stop to stretch. That particular day was quite lovely with sunshine and the sound of trains chugging back and forth as background noise. My friend, Joyce, loves trains and so Field is a favourite place for her to be. I like driving through the mountains because I can see them. It’s also the best way that I can think of to try to explain to other people what it is that I can see and what it is that I can’t see. While I might not be able to see a person who is standing a meter or two away from me, on a clear day I can see the size and scope of a mountain peak that might be more like 2000 meters distant. Anyway, this explains the next two pictures. I am in the foreground, but the snow capped mountain peak stands majestically in the background.

Sue in front of snow-capped mountain 1

Sue in front of snow-capped mountain 2