April 13 - Red Light, Green Light

Red light, green light! What a marvellous invention for traffic control. When the driver of a vehicle sees a red light at the intersection, he or she knows that it is a signal to stop and to wait until the traffic light turns to green. Similarly, the pedestrian knows that a Walk signal means that it is safe to cross the street, while a Don’t Walk signal means that he or she should wait.

Red light, green light – simple isn’t it? Well, perhaps not so much for the pedestrian who is blind or partially sighted. This morning I had a conversation about this with my friend, Sue. I have mentioned Sue in previous posts. Sue is without sight and travels with a guide dog. Neither of us can see across the street to the other side. We are unable to see the colour of a traffic light. I am slightly better off in that I can see the light above my head. Both Sue and I live in small towns where there aren’t any audible traffic signals. We laughed, somewhat in frustration as much as with humour, to learn that we both take significant detours when we are out walking in order to avoid intersections with silent traffic signals.

On our recent Australian trip, Lyle and I spent several days in Sydney. Sydney is a big city and at every intersection where we walked there was an audible signal coordinated with the colour of the traffic light. It was so easy to cross even the busiest of streets. The installation of audible signals might be expensive but it is a good step forward in promoting accessibility for those of us who have limited or no sight.

Red light, green light! Yes, a good precaution for drivers and pedestrians with sight. Now let’s get with the program and install audible signals so that street crossing can be safer for us all.

April 6 - A Fine Balance

For those of us who are blind or visually impaired, we need to think of walking a fine line between dependence and independence. Personally, I strive to stay as independent as possible but at the same time, I recognize that there are things that I positively cannot do. For those things I need to rely on other people. That is where the balancing act begins.

I was reminded of this when speaking with Peter last week. It was election day in New South Wales and I asked Peter if he had been out to vote. This was no ordinary question and needed more than a yes or no answer. Peter is completely without sight so I wondered how he had managed the voting procedure.

Peter was fortunate in that a voting station was within walking distance of his home. He was also fortunate in that he had no problem in speaking about his voting preference. Peter has strong political preferences and is happy to share his opinions with anyone who will listen. So, voting didn’t present a problem for him. He was perfectly okay to have a trusted sighted friend mark his ballot for him. Of course, being accompanied by a friend doesn’t work quite as well if the voting person wishes to maintain a secret or private ballot.

Peter and I also discussed the challenges of travelling. Next month, Peter is to fly to Queensland to visit his daughter. While Peter has no qualms about the flight, his problem was in getting himself to the airport. He knew he couldn’t do this alone but did he want to depend on a friend? The trip to the airport would involve a bus trip with a train transfer and then the walk to the check in counter at the airport terminal. While Peter would then be in the hands of the airline, the accompanying friend would then have to do the train/bus trip in reverse. At the time of our conversation, Peter hadn’t thought of another way to overcome this challenge.

While there is a fine line between dependence and independence, sometimes that line is set in stone. When there are things that we can’t do on our own, seeking help and support from family and trusted friends is nothing to shy away from. The balance comes in developing positive relationships before that help or support is needed. Whether we are blind or sighted we all walk a similar fine line to maintain a balanced life.

March 24 - In Australia

We have had a very good week in Australia.  The weather, usually stable in March, has been a mixed bag of some rain showers, much sunshine, and one brief but terrifying electrical storm.  Fortunately, we did not experience the damaging wind and rain of Cyclone Trevor which created havoc in the far north of the country, or Cyclone Veronica which is due to hit the coastline of Western Australia.  We have simply enjoyed mild temperatures, and we have spent a lot of time on the beach.

I don’t enjoy the surf as much as I used to when I could see. These days I can’t see the waves when they come rolling towards me and I find it difficult to locate my towel on the sand when I come out of the water. Instead I like to swim in the various rock pools around this area. We stay at a place which is about an hour north of Sydney as the crow flies, and nearly twice that time if coming by public transport. It is a great place for beaches.

I like to swim in the rock pools and we have discovered quite a few over the various times we have visited here. Last week I swam – or rather walked – in the water at MacMasters Beach. The wall of the pool has been built up with rock and the pool has a sandy bottom. Of course, it is outside. It was high tide when we were there and the waves came crashing over the exterior wall. The water was incredibly warm and I had great fun.

I also like to swim at a place called Spoon Bay. This is a natural cove at the far end of Terrigal Beach. A person can walk there along the beach but it is quite a hike and we usually choose to drive. The cove is fairly isolated, the water is shallow and we find it a great place just to relax.

Yesterday we went to a place called The Entrance. I love the pools there. There are three of them – a deep Olympic sized pool which is perfect for swimming laps, a shallow knee deep kids’ pool and a waist deep pool which is about fifty steps in length. The water level doesn’t really change much with the tides but at high tide the waves will lap over the exterior wall. These pools have been built up with cement bases but they are outside and open to the elements.

Our days in Australia are drawing to a close again. We have another week of visiting with family and friends but we also hope to do a little sightseeing. There are still places we have yet to see and experience.  I am already scheming about the possibility of another trip. The picture below was taken on the day we were at MacMasters Beach.  I am standing in the foreground with the rock pool behind me and in the background is the Pacific Ocean. 

Sue standing in front of the MacMasters Beach rock pool

March 17 - Speaking With Strangers

When our children were small we tried to instill in them the general rule that they should not speak with strangers.  Now that I am a visually impaired adult, I find that I frequently break this rule. 

Often as I walk along the street in our town I will hear a friendly greeting of, “Hello” or “How is it going?”  I hear the voice and make an appropriate response.  It is only when the conversation is carried no further that I realize that the voice is addressing someone else on their cell phone. I sometimes wonder if the other person is looking at me with some bewilderment and I know that I am definitely confused by the exchange.

The other day there was another incident of speaking with a stranger.  Lyle and I had gone into a coffee shop where I approached the counter to order a take away coffee.  I had thought Lyle was right behind me.  The cost of the coffee came to a little more than I had in my hand. I turned to the person behind me, thinking it was Lyle, and said, “I’m a little short, do you have twenty cents?”

The person said nothing. I peered more closely at him and likely in the process, increased his surprise at my request.  This person was not Lyle.  Lyle had retreated to the other side of the coffee shop to look at the newspaper.  I am hoping that the person I accosted could see the badge I wear, stating that I have low vision.  It would perhaps explain my unusual behavior and request for money.

Yes, I do speak with strangers, although not always intentionally.

Currently Lyle and I are visiting family in Australia. This might explain why I asked for twenty cents as opposed to a Canadian quarter.  Australians use a twenty-cent coin, which is approximately the same size as a Canadian toonie, but definitely heavier.  Their fifty-cent coin is bigger and heavier yet again.  Lyle often complains of sagging pockets while we are here.

March 8 - A Matter of Perspective

A friend told me today that she thought I had made a mistake when in my last post I wrote that March had come in like a lamb. I suppose it is all a matter of perspective. I thought that when the sun was shining and there was no wind, it was a nice day in spite of the below zero temperature. My friend was in Florida enjoying the balmy weather of the southern state and to her a March 1 day of thirty degrees below zero was more like the month coming in like a lion. As I say, it was a matter of perspective.

I think that the same holds true for sight. I am often asked how much I can see and what it feels like to be visually impaired. There are some days when I honestly forget about my low vision, and then there are other days when I feel on the brink of frustration.

As a general rule I don’t compare myself to other people who have vision loss, but if I did, my perspective might be altered with each comparison. If I am standing beside someone with no sight, I would venture to say that my sight is really quite good. If I am standing beside someone who is fully sighted, then I would have to say that I am quite visually impaired. Mostly I try to be just me. There is no changing things anyway! We all need to play with the cards we have been dealt. The rest is just a matter of perspective.