January 11 - How Do We See?

How do we see? If you are asking yourself why I would ask such a silly question, I think that it must be because you can see with your eyes. Indeed, that is the way that most people see. However, if your eyes don’t work, or don’t work properly, you will know that my question isn’t silly at all. People who are blind or partially sighted must use other ways to connect with what is around them.

We live in a world that is geared to sight and most people can take this visual world for granted. They can read newspapers, watch television, read menus in restaurants, drive a car, walk without bumping into solid objects, recognize the faces of friends and family. The list goes on. That is just the way it is for someone with sight...but how is it for people who can’t see with their eyes? How do we connect with this visual world?

Generally speaking, people who don’t use their eyes to see negotiate their environment by using touch and sound. For instance, as I type these words on my computer, I am using sound. I use a program called JAWS, which reads back to me the letters or words that I type on my keyboard. When I send and receive text messages on my phone, I listen to Siri. Often when I meet people, I try to identify them by the sound of their voices.

At home, I frequently use my sense of touch. I have tactile buttons on the keyboard of my computer and on the surface of the microwave. Often, I will clear the surface of a chair with the back of my hand before I sit down on the cushion. I keep my keys, wallet, sunglasses, etc. in the same spot on the counter but I will put my hand down to feel which one it is that I want. Although I organize the contents of my fridge and freezer in a specific order, I usually try to check an item by the size or shape of a container. I feel that I am getting fairly good at this. It has been some time since I last tried frying frozen corn instead of what I thought was a package of hash browns!

All this is well and good at home, but in these COVID times I am especially grateful that Lyle is around. I would feel uncomfortable taking the arm of someone from outside my household if I needed a guide. At home, I always use the handrail when I am climbing up and down our stairs, but in these current infectious days, I wouldn’t want to be touching any handrails in public places. In pre COVID times when I was grocery shopping my myself, it wouldn’t have been unusual for me to pick up items to examine them more closely. I am grateful that Lyle has done all of our grocery shopping since last March so that I don’t need to go into stores and touch items on the shelves. 

I have touched (no pun intended) on only a few ways in which people who have limited or no sight navigate through a visual world. COVID has simply made this an additional challenge. Yes, we might see in different ways, but COVID has added additional challenges for us all. Bring on the vaccine! We are waiting with hope and optimism.