March 30 - At the Beach

Lyle and I often go to Australia. It is where I was born and I still have family living there. Mostly we like to go to Terrigal, a small beach town about an hour and a half north of Sydney. With our frequent trips to visit family, Terrigal has become much like a second home for us.

Originally we used to stay with my parents on these visits, but nowadays we stay in rented accommodation. We have tried out several rentals in the area but I like our most recent discovery the best. The building is only 1½ blocks from the beach. The very best part of this is that if I choose to do so, I am able to walk the distance without a sighted guide.

My favourite part of the day is early morning. There is a small coffee shop just across the road from the beach. I like to buy my coffee there and then cross the road to a bench overlooking the waves. Because I do this nearly every morning, the staff at the coffee shop know me by name and quickly fill my order, often jumping the line of other customers ahead of me. I wear my low vision badge and use my cane. Knowing my vision challenge, the staff will usually be quite careful in placing the take out coffee cup in my waiting hands.

There is a pedestrian crosswalk on the corner of the block and I am able to cross the street without problems. Pedestrians have the right of way in the crosswalk but I still tend to listen for approaching traffic.  From there I head to my usual spot by the sand.

The beach is always a busy place in the early morning. There is a promenade that leads from the surf club around the base of the rocks to the neighbouring beach. Weekends are especially crowded with people walking, jogging and exercising their canine companions.

On this last trip, our daughter and granddaughter were with us. While I drank my coffee, these two would clamber on the rocks, check out the height of the waves in the flagged beach area and then usually come back to me so that we could walk a bit together. My sister would often come to join us for these little excursions. It was all a lovely way to spend the morning.

There is a picture with this post. In it, I am sitting on the bench with Lexi. We have turned to look at the camera and the ocean is behind us. 

 

Sue and Lexi at the Beach

 

 

March 26 - Follow Up

This post is a follow up to the last one I wrote about accessibility and air travel. Our flight to Australia was good. I was given the appropriate safety briefings and I felt that the crew were aware of my vision challenges. Apparently though, I must have been miraculously cured while we were away and before our flight back to Canada. I say this facetiously of course as on our return, even though I was not recognized as having a sight impairment, my sight has remained the same.

On our return flight, for my part, I did everything I could to show that I was a visually impaired passenger. I registered on booking. I used my white cane and wore my low vision identity badge. I preboarded with other passengers who needed assistance. However, not once on the three legs of the return flight was I given the promised personal safety briefing.

I feel very strongly that all passengers on board a flight should know the location of emergency exits. I know that the airlines feel the same way and cabin crew are required to make sure that all passengers receive the appropriate safety briefings. For sighted passengers, this is usually done by showing a short video prior to take off. This doesn’t work for passengers who are blind and a personal verbal briefing is necessary.

Now you may think that I am making a bit of a fuss about all this but I feel it is a point worth making. On this trip I was travelling with family, so not alone. I have also travelled by air many times before so know generally what to expect. In addition, I know that I am capable of speaking up when I need to do so. I make the point for other blind or visually challenged passengers who might not be as comfortable in speaking up to request the promised and necessary assistance.

Lyle and I will be flying again in the summer. Once again I will be hoping for the cabin crew to fulfill the safety requirements for a blind or visually impaired passenger.

March 5 - Accessibility and Air Travel

When Lyle and I travel by air, we always register me as being visually impaired or legally blind. We feel that this is a safety issue. If ever anything was to go amiss, we would want the cabin crew to be aware of my sight challenges and be able to offer whatever assistance was appropriate.

Now while I have registered as a passenger with vision loss ever since my initial sight challenges, airlines have not been quite so consistent in their recognition of my disability. Although there have been some amazing times where flight crew have been super helpful, there have been other times where help is almost non existent.

I always make sure that I am registered correctly at the beginning of the flight, but I wonder what happens to the note when I actually board the aircraft. When a second leg of a flight occurs, Lyle and I sometimes joke that I must be miraculously cured. The designation of being visually impaired mysteriously vanishes.

This month, Lyle and I will be flying again. I was quite surprised when this past week I had an email from Air Canada. The email outlined what accessibility services I could expect during my flight. For instance, if I was travelling alone, I could request curbside assistance right when I arrived at the terminal. I could expect that help would be there to guide me to my boarding gate and onto the plane to find my seat. I could expect that I would receive directions to the washrooms and exits and how to operate any knobs and dials relevant to the seat itself. If there was to be a meal, flight attendants would be happy to explain what was on the meal tray.  As some airline food is almost unidentifiable even if a person can see, this latter assistance could prove very helpful. Most importantly, crew was required to give me personal directions about what to do in case of an emergency. Surprisingly, in my experience this safety briefing hasn’t always happened.

I am looking forward to our next flight and wondering if the flight crew and cabin attendants will adhere to the same accessibility list as was in my recent email from Air Canada. It would certainly make for a more positive travel experience for me.