It has been five years now since I did my series of walks
across Canada using my white cane and meeting other white cane users. When I
have the opportunity to reconnect with people I met as part of that trek, I
still get quite excited, and so it was when our cruise ship stopped in Sydney,
Nova Scotia.
When Lyle and I were in Sydney five years ago we met with a
group of people from the CCB group there. CCB stands for Canadian Council for
the Blind and there is a very active chapter in Sydney. In fact, the national
president, Louise Gillis is part of the group, as is Christina Lewis who is a board
member. As well, several of the group are part of a blind curling team. Each
year this team participates in the blind curling tournament held in Ottawa during
white Cane Week. In 2012, the team walked away with the Bronze placement and
when we met with Chris this past week, she informed me that they had done the
same in 2016. The team is the only all female group to participate in the
tournament.
When we met with Raymond and Chris in Sydney, I was pleased
and not too surprised at how easily it was to slip into conversation. The
connecting thread of visual impairment is a starting point of mutual interest.
I listened as Raymond and Chris told us of the efforts of their local CCB group
to promote and awareness of people who are blind or partially sighted. Raymond,
who has struggled with the challenges of partial sight for most of his life,
has been especially active with fund raising among the local businesses. Chris,
as well as being a CCB board member, is part of the curling team.
As well as speaking of issues specific to Sydney, our
conversation then strayed to other trends and challenges facing people with
vision loss. I was grateful to both Raymond and Chris for meeting with us and
also cheered with how easily it was to reconnect with other white cane users
across the country. Somehow or other this connection with other people who have
similar challenges with vision loss helps to break down barriers of isolation and of being the only one in the crowd.
In the picture below, I am sitting with Raymond and Chris
having coffee and conversation.
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| Raymond, Chris, and Sue having coffee |
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