August 7 & 8 - Oshawa & Bellville, ON

We met Gerald for the white Cane Connections Walk in Oshawa. Lyle and I knew Gerald’s daughter back in Alberta, but for us it was a first time meeting and it was a good connection. Gerald is fully sighted, but his mother had RP (retinitis pigmentosa) and so he had a special interest in the white cane project. We spoke of the many accommodations that are now available for people who are either blind or visually impaired, and the changing attitude towards people who have been labelled as “handicapped”. Technology has come a long way over the past quarter of a century.

Speaking of technology, I am posting a photo here of Lyle and Gerald.  I took the photo.  I love digital cameras.  Although I cannot see I can point the camera and then Lyle can check out whether I have all the heads in the frame.  This photo shows Lyle and Gerald.

On Tuesday afternoon, I turned on the cell phone for an interview with Kelly MacDonald from AMI (Accessible Media Incorporated). I’m not sure when this interview will be aired on AMI Audio, but I was appreciative of the opportunity to once again share some of my personal experiences of the White Cane Journey, and of course  my views on the use of white canes.

Then it was on to Belleville. As well as being an interesting white caning experience, Belleville was fascinating as a tourist stop. As we waited outside City Hall for the chiming of the clock tower, I could hear the set of audible signals at the nearby traffic lights. The downtown section seemed to be wholly under construction – sidewalks, roads, bridges. Lyle expertly steered me around the many obstacles.

We found the downtown section along Front Street old, but perhaps a bit shabby. This was in sharp contrast to the magnificently old buildings on Church Street, just a couple of blocks up the hill. First we stopped at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church. The building was nearly two hundred years old and inside, the ceiling was even too high for me to see. When we wandered further down Church Street, we came across St. Thomas Anglican Church which was a structure even a little older although it had been restored in 1976.

At another point in our walk we came across the Empire Theatre. Lyle read out the schedule for upcoming shows at this live theatre and as theatre is one of our passions, we were disappointed that we couldn’t stay around for a longer visit. Belleville is a city of promise and I think worth a stop along the tourist route.