October 30 - Getting Lost

Believe it or not, but this title is a segway from last week’s post when I wrote about public washrooms. You might wonder how it would be possible to be lost in one of these areas but let me assure you that it is quite possible!. Perhaps getting lost might be too strong a term, but on the other hand, not knowing where one is at can be equally as confusing. Some public washrooms seem to be designed with a view to hiding the exit/entrance.  I remember becoming quite disoriented in an airport washroom where the entry had been camouflaged with a wall of tiled mirrors. My friend, Sue, recalled a time when she ended up poking around in the cleaning room instead of finding an exit

My most troublesome experience was at a campground. We had arrived after dark to set up our tent. Then in case I needed to get up during the night, and assuming Lyle didn’t want to crawl out of the sleeping bag to accompany me, he led me back to the washhouse building. We did the route twice, counting steps in each direction. I felt confident to try this on my own. Sure enough at sunrise I was up and easily retraced my steps. What I hadn’t realized was that the shower and toilet block had two entrances – one at each end of the building.  Wouldn’t you know it but I came out the opposite door to the one I had entered by. I think I wandered around the campground for nearly an hour before I spotted the orange tarp over the back of our truck.  When I crawled back inside the tent, Lyle assured me that he was just about to come looking for me.

On another occasion, I became   confused inside a department store. Lyle and I went to separate sections of the store with the understanding that we would meet on a bench   outside the main door when we were done. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it, but do you think that I could find the door? No way! I asked several times for directions but the answer of  “Just down there, dear,” was never clear, and I finally felt my way around the interior wall of the store until I came to the open doorway.

Unless I am concentrating, I can easily become confused as to where I am. If you see someone with a white cane or a guide dog and you think that they might need some help, please ask. Then, if the individual asks for directions, try to be very clear in your response.  “Just down there a little way” won’t quite do it. It’s also not very helpful for you to point the way. Remember that the person you are assisting doesn’t have the same visual cues that you do, so to say, “turn at the big white house” isn’t helpful. You need to say a direction – right or left - and if possible give an estimate of how far not very far means. Does it mean five steps or fifty? Will there be a curb or even a fire hydrant to mark a turn?

I am surprised that after all these years, on occasion I still manage to lose my sense of direction. I am even more surprised at how easily a sense of panic can creep up when I do feel lost. I suppose that the advice I give to others is the same as the advice I try to follow myself. Stand still, take a few deep breaths, and then if nobody else is around, try to slowly make your way back from whence you have come. Eventually you will get to somewhere even if it wasn’t your original destination.

October 23 - Public Washrooms

I like talking with my friend, Sue, about some of the challenges of limited vision. After a recent solo trip, Sue wrote to me about one of our common frustrations – public washrooms. There are multiple configurations of entryways, door locks, flushing mechanisms, taps and hand dryers. Even finding the exit again can be a challenge. I am going to quote Sue here because she put the problem fairly succinctly.

Sue wrote, “Nothing seems to be standardized. I am usually with my guide dog so I look for the handicapped cubicle. This is usually at the far end of a row – but not always. If you find the toilet, you might need the toilet tissue – usually forward on the right side   - but not always. As you stand, the flush handle might be on the wall or the toilet tank. It might be a button or a handle, or it might be motion initiated, making you jump violently before you even have the chance to get your drawers up.” I will add here that there is also the flush which comes on as you open the door and leave the cubicle, sometimes with a slight delay making one wonder if the flush will come on at all.

Then there is the foray into the wash area. Will the taps automatically send water into the basin or have they been designed by some fiendish mind who wants you to try all forms of hand gymnastics to send the water forth. Rarely does one find an old fashioned turn the handle tap. Are the soap containers on the basin or on the mirror? Are there hand towels or electric dryers? If it is a paper towel dispenser how does one get the next towel to appear and where do you dispose of it when done? Personally I like the electric dryer because although it is noisy, I can hear when the person before me is using it and I can follow the sound to find it myself.

Then comes the memory test. How did I get in here in the first place and now where is the door to get out? Sue travels with her guide dog, Button, and so issues the command, “Out!” My white cane doesn’t seem to follow the same directions and some public washrooms are definitely more confusing  in their design than others.

Sue didn’t mention a problem that I don’t have with my cane and one which I am sure has confronted her on occasion. Humans aren’t the only ones who need a washroom break.  At an airport, where is that little patch of grass for a guide dog?  I am sure that there must be something somewhere because I have noticed police and customs dogs at airports. Dogs have biological needs too. Where does a guide dog go to go?

Then, I leave one of the biggest problems to last. If you are travelling alone, how do you locate the washroom in the first place? It is all very well to have the little braille dots at the entry of both men’s and women’s washrooms, but does a blind person need to feel all the way down the wall to find them. It’s not like a sighted person who can simply glance down the hallway and spot the sign.

So there is my grumble, but it is one with a message. If you see a blind person travelling alone, do approach them to ask if they need help. The answer might be no, but you could well be the angel in disguise, arriving in a time of need.

October 16- My Green White Cane

Last night I went for a walk using my green cane. I wanted to try out my mobility skills and intended to walk in much of a straight line in the downtown area. I knew that my route crossed several intersections and that there were also a number of fire hydrants along the way. I wasn't too worried so I suggested that Lyle give me a ten or fifteen minute head start and then drive along to pick me up so that we could continue on together to keep another commitment.

All, this was very well but Lyle was wondering how he would spot me in the dark. It was indeed very dark. In the end he had no trouble. Apparently, my green cane glows a bit in the dark. I'm not sure if it was a reflection of the light or an actual glow but Lyle had no trouble spotting me. I also noticed that as I was walking the white marshmallow tip of the cane seemed to stand out. So, it was a fairly successful experiment.

In the picture below I m standing with my new green cane. It is daylight. It was hard to find a spot to pose where the forest green of my cane would show in the picture, but I am standing in front of a purple bush.

Sue and new green cane

October 14 - My White Cane Is Green!

Some of you might remember when I wrote about differently coloured white canes. Well, I guess that they wouldn’t be white if they were pink or blue or green. Anyway, I decided to take the plunge and ordered a green cane. I was surprised at how I felt about it once it arrived on my doorstep.

The first few times I went to pick it up and venture outside, I was quite hesitant. If people saw me with a green cane, would they really know that I was using it as a symbol of my partial sight? Certainly, it would still work as a mobility tool. It was the same as my regular white cane in every respect except for the colour. In the end, I chose to use the familiar white cane when I was out and about by myself. I decided that I wanted people to recognize the symbol. This was especially true in instances when I needed to cross a busy street. I felt safer when my white cane was out in front of me.

So, my green cane doesn’t hold quite the same appeal as my regular white cane. I have used the coloured cane but only infrequently. It is a good tool when I am walking beside someone else. When I walk with someone, they act as a partial guide and I don’t feel the need to make myself known as someone who is visually impaired. I have found the whole concept of white versus coloured canes to be a subject of internal debate but I would be interested to know what others think.

October 7 - Amber’s Support Group

Some of you might remember the post on my blog in August when I wrote a bit about Amber and her new guide dog, Bear. I first met Amber when I spoke with her for a chapter in my book, Out of Sight. Amber was very young when she lost her sight and by the time I spoke with her she already had her first guide dog, Tommy. She was also in training for a spot on the paralympic swim team. Not a bad accomplishment for someone in their early teens – coping with blindness, learning new ways of reading and writing without sight, and learning to move about with the aid of her guide dog.

Amber and I have kept in touch and I am pleased that she has allowed the following pictures to be posted here. As I said, Tommy was Amber’s first guide dog and Bear is her second. Nixy is also an important part of Amber’s life. Nixy was a gift from the Children’s Dream Wish Foundation. Amber had always been fascinated with horses and when Nixy came, Amber was thrilled at the joy and freedom of movement provided by riding this gentle animal.

 

Of course, Amber has included her family in the pictures. Anyone who struggles with vision loss will be able to tell you about the importance of a family or friend’s support group network. I have also met Amber’s family and they are truly supportive, encouraging and loving people.

So, here are the pictures and the descriptions that Amber has written. 

A picture of Bear, Tom, and I from your perspective looking at the photo with Bear on the left, me in the middle, and Tom on the right with my arms around both of them

Picture of Nixy and I with Nixy’s head over my left shoulder

 

Picture of Nixy, Bear, Tom, and I with me on Mixy’s back and Bear on the left of Nixy as you are looking at the photo and Tom on the right of Nixy

Picture of my little sister Aundrea and her horse Wiskey and Nixy and I, both of us on their backs and Wiskey and Drea on the left as you are looking at it and Nixy and I on the right

Picture of Aundrea, Mom, Dad, and I, as well as Drea’s dog Pixie, Bear, and Tom, with Tom, Bear, Pixie in the front row and me, Mom, Dad, Drea in the back row from left to right as you are looking at it