September 28 - Blind Independence

I am seriously in awe of people who are blind and yet who live independently. I know several people who fit this description and I greatly admire their tenacity and ability to cope with the challenges their lives have presented to them.

Possibly I am more aware of all this because for the next three days Lyle will be away and I will need to cope on my own. Generally speaking, I don’t mind being by myself and after all, I do have some sight, so I am hoping that things will go smoothly. I’m afraid that I have become a little complacent with Lyle around to lend a helping hand whenever I run into visual hurdles. My frustrations and challenges are really very small in comparison with some. My friend, Sue had an interesting experience over the summer. Sue has very little sight in either eye. Anyway, she and her husband had sold their home and in the transitional time frame between old and new were to live in a motel. All was in order. Papers were signed and furniture had been moved into storage. Then on the first night in the motel, Sue’s husband was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. Sue was left alone in the unfamiliar motel. Not only was the motel space unfamiliar but the location of the motel was also different from where she had been living. Sue says that the experience was incredibly difficult and thank goodness for her good friends. However, the moral of this story is that she survived for a week until her husband was able to come home again. Yes, I do admire people like Sue. I admire people, both blind and sighted, who overcome challenges and face those challenges with courage,  determination and an independent spirit.

September 21 - Ten Toes

I don’t remember the last time that I was able to see my toes. They are just too far away from my eyes. Of course, this isn’t something that I think about very often. However, a little while back I was clipping my toe nails and managed to slice the one nail off centre. It hurt and I suppose that I’m lucky I didn’t do serious damage to the toe itself.

My efforts at giving myself a pedicure have recently been hampered by an injury to my knee. Not only am I unable to see my toes, but the knee injury prevented me from actually reaching down to my feet. Oh, the trials and tribulations! At my last appointment, I mentioned this frustration to my doctor.

One obvious solution was to pay $60 or whatever is the current cost of a beauty pedicure, but I have resisted this expense. I didn’t need the buffing and polishing of a beauty treatment. I just needed clipped nails. Fortunately, my doctor had another solution. Apparently, in special circumstances foot care is covered by the Alberta Health Care system.  My vision challenges and recent mobility issues met those guidelines and I qualified for this service.

I have now had my second appointment with Erika. She is great – competent and friendly. Not only that, the procedure only takes ten or fifteen minutes. I can’t believe that I let my frustration go on for so long when the solution was there in the health care system all along. Although I still can’t see my ten toes they are now getting the foot care they need.

September 13 - Dogs and Their Owners

Last week, our friend Frank was attacked and mauled by two pit bulls while he was out for his evening walk. According to Frank, the dogs came out of nowhere and immediately began their attack. Fortunately, the weather was cool and Frank was wearing jeans and a long sleeved jacket. Frank tried desperately to defend himself with his walking sticks, but when the dogs knocked him to the ground he thought that it was game over. He made it to the front door of a neighboring house and while he lay bleeding on her doorstep, the elderly woman inside called 911.

I must admit that I was stunned when I read the police report following this incident. The report read that a local man had been attacked by two dogs but that his injuries were minor. Stitches along Frank’s one arm, a bloody chest and a chunk out of his leg, were not what I would call minor injuries. When the police arrived, they were able to subdue the dogs with some sort of spray (I think pepper spray) and take them to a kennel. The dog owner was nowhere in sight. He/she has since been located and it is rumoured that he/she would like the dogs back. At the time of writing, the dogs are still in a kennel and the appropriate procedure (whatever that means) is being followed.

I was quite disturbed by all of this. The route that Frank was walking was along a town street and is one where Lyle and I frequently walk. I have several questions. Why weren’t these dogs suitably restrained? How could the owner possibly contemplate keeping the dogs after this unprovoked attack on an innocent pedestrian? Why weren’t the dogs put down as soon as possible?  Will Frank be compensated for his injuries without going through the personal expense of a lawyer? Will the owner(s) of the dogs be prosecuted?

I have had several encounters with dogs off leash. Once, a huge German shepherd came racing towards me and bounded up putting his front paws on my shoulders and his nose and open mouth within centimeters of my face. Several times, smaller dogs have come running towards my feet and nipping at my ankles. Once I was bitten on the back of my hand – enough to bite through a woolen glove and break the skin on my hand.  The owner of this dog wanted to know what I might have done to provoke her dog, saying that the pooch had never done this before. At another time, I was sitting on a bench when an unrestrained dog came over to slobber all over my knees. I was wearing shorts at the time and didn’t appreciate the extra sticky moisture on my skin.

Uncontrolled dogs are a nuisance and may even be dangerous. The incident with Frank proves this. For many of us with vision impairments these dogs can be especially frightening. Take the incident of myself and the German Shepherd. I truly didn’t see this oversized animal until his paws were on my shoulders. I don’t think that the voice of the owner telling me that the dog was friendly and wouldn’t hurt me did anything to still the beating tattoo of my heart. It is bad enough when one can see an unleashed dog racing towards you, but it is way more scary when you don’t see the animal until it is upon you.

Now I have titled this post Dogs and Their Owners. Dogs will be dogs and I am not really blaming the canines for the above incidents. However, I do blame irresponsible and inconsiderate owners. In my opinion, people who cannot control their dogs and keep them on leash in public areas should not be dog owners.

September 2 - Blind Encounters

How do you react when you meet someone who is blind? I think that sometimes a white cane or perhaps a wheelchair or other aid to mobility can make others feel uncomfortable and inhibit conversation. People just don’t know what to say. It is as if the person with a physical challenge is living in a different or separate world and all contact must be avoided.

At other times, I find that my white cane seems to invite others to probe with the most personal of questions about my sight. How did I lose it? How much can I see? How long have I had this “disability”? Was anyone else in my family affected this way? Sometimes these questions come from total strangers. I try to be polite, but really is it any of their business?

While this type of inquisition can be mildly irritating, being ignored or treated as invisible is way more annoying. I know that I cannot see, but does that mean that other people can’t see me? It is really irksome when, even if I am standing beside Lyle, the questions which should be put to me are asked of him instead – questions such as:

Can she sign her name?

Would she like to use the stairs or the elevator?

Would she like a braille menu?

While the questions might be asked with the best of intentions, I find them a bit insulting. Am I invisible? If I am standing or sitting right there, why ignore my presence?

Sometimes, I will answer even though I haven’t been addressed. At other times, Lyle will make the correction by turning to me and rephrasing the question. “Sue, would you prefer the stairs or would you like to use the elevator?”

So, if you happen to meet someone who is blind, consider behaving much as you would if you were to meet someone who is sighted. With the additional proviso of perhaps offering help if you think some is needed, just acknowledge that the person who is blind is an equal part of any conversation or encounter.