Wise Advice From Whitestick

I like to share.  While wandering aimlessly through the net last night in search of ‘blind games’ to play, I stumbled onto this site.  My plan to fritter away some time playing games evaporated when I discovered Whitestick.  This is a British site that has very useful links to all kinds of things that might interest someone who is blind.  If you want to get information (sure some of it is UK restricted, but much is of global interest) go to: Tom Lorimer’s Whitestick website. The link is on my blogroll.  Audio books, computer downloads,  travel for the blind,  blind blogs, on and offline games for the blind,  online petitions,  chat rooms, ‘never ending stories’,  mailing lists, music and podcasts, internet TV and more. 

Opal goes to Sunday school

Actually,  Universalist Unitarians call it RE or Religious Education.  There are no Bible studies and I don’t think there is anything particular religious about it.  UU kids learn about many things with the hope that it prepares them to become good human beings and citizens who care about others.  Today, Opal and I visited with the kids ‘upstairs’.  Our church is housed in a historic building. Originally, it had been two large, private homes with several staircases and many rooms of all sizes.  We had pre-arranged our visit with the RE teacher.  The number of kids in the RE class varies from week to week. Today, there were ten or so. They ranged in age between 2 and 10. Opal knew something was going to be different the minute we entered church.  She wanted to take me to ‘my seat’, but I coaxed her to the front row. We sat on the floor with the young ones during the ‘Story For All Ages’.  Then, when the congregation began to sing, “Go Now In Peace”, to usher the kids out of the room where the service is held,  I asked her to “follow”.  Up the multiple stairways that twist and turn we went  with a backpack full of ’stuff’.  We often go to schools to talk to kids about Guide dog etiquette and also about vision loss and ‘blind stuff’.  The difference today, was the age spread of our audience.  It’s difficult to keep things simple enough for everyone to understand.  Still, I think it was a good learning experience for them.  The first question was, “what happens if Opal becomes blind”?    This, oddly enough, is not the first time I have been asked this or something similar. I was once asked, if Opal’s mom had been blind.   Other questions have included, “Does she take a bath with you?”, “Does she chase cats?”, and “Will she always be your dog?”.  Jordan (the one who asked about Opal going blind) was tenacious.  Her follow up question was, “Would she still be able to work if she was blind?”  Once we established how unlikely that would be to occur, we talked about Opal’s job and why she must be allowed to concentrate.  I must confess, I had an ulterior motive in planning to  visit the kids… I have noticed that several of them come up and pat and talk to Opal as we are walking through the crowded church entry area and fellowship room.  My solution?  Be proactive and chat them up and sort them out as a group.  I offered ourselves as guest speakers, and the RE teacher was delighted to plan for our visit. ( I do most of the talking. Opal is the silent type).  The culprits who pat her, may or may not have been present today,  but kids tend to share their information with each other.   I hope so.  It’s always surprising for kids (and adults) to learn that the approximate cost of putting a Guide dog into the hands of a blind person, is in excess of $35,000.00.  We also brought gadgets which usually interest kids.  The talking calculator drew some “Neat!”s. The Braille kids books were also interesting for some.  I pointed out that blind people do not all know Braille but I find it very useful.  Out came the Braille tags which are used to put on clothing, the labeler to create stick on labels, and examples of a Braille phone bill and bank statement.  They peered through the vision simulator cards I had brought. These are plastic cards with circles to peer through, with each circle providing a simulation of what things might l0ok like with diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, cataracts or glaucoma.  Opal, meanwhile had a power nap.  She woke up periodicaly to comfort the little guy (2 years old) who was in the care of a family friend today (not too happy to away from mom).  When the service downstairs could be heard wrapping up,  the kids began to collect their things. Opal and I  packed up and left to find one of the many twisty stairways down to the ground floor.  We ended up in the fellowship room where everyone usually gathers to shares tea and coffee after the service. At least three older ladies and one man asked to pet Opal.   I realized that our work was not done yet!  Finally, I decided to have EVERYONE who wanted, a chance to greet her…”Get it out of your system today” I suggested. The UU church dog lovers gave her a pat or two and thanked me.  They said they would be OK from now on. I’m not entirely convinced.  We may end up having a similar talk on Guide dog etiquette  with the grown ups some time. 

Something to think about…

CBC radio did a short interview with renowned Canadian artist, Robert Bateman.  He appears in a short docu-shocker on You Tube to protest the potential environmental and ecological disaster if  the  ban on tanker navigation is lifted on the BC coast. In this clip, he destroys one of his own works. Bateman, of course is the premiere artist who has created many scenes where animals or nature are painted in an uncanny photo-like style. see for yourselves. go to notankers.ca where the clip is shown and people are encouraged to sign the on line petition. Or go to You tube and enter Robert Bateman. click on the “Not a Pretty Picture” clip.  

Why I sing to my dog, Opal

I risk being branded a nut for admitting that I sing to Opal. It wouldn’t be the first time and I’ll chance it!  I made an accidental discovery one rainy day last year.  Opal and I were slogging through the rain here in Halifax, in typical Nova Scotia fashion when I burst into song. It rains a bunch here and unfortunately, Opal does not enjoy getting wet.  Paradoxically, like most labs, she loves to swim.  Go figure!  She even ‘puddle jumps’ in an effort to keep her feet dry.  This is no big deal, as long as she doesn’t vault off a curb (with me in tow), in an attempt to avoid the accumulated water at the curb.  She’s an odd little duck of a Guide dog… when displeased about being out on a rainy day, she slows down, thereby extending the time we must spend in getting to our destination.  You would think that she would want to speed up and get it over with.  No, I have learned to accept her responses and behaviour, much in the way that she accepts my eccentricities.  I wear good rain gear and Carry towels in my backpack on these days. The towels are for Opal when we arrive wherever we are headed (we sometimes share). It would be uncomfortable and unpleasant for her to remain wet for any length of time while she lies and waits for me at a meeting or appointment. I do my best to keep her working time in the rain tolerable by singing.  It seems to help. It helps me, at least, and if I’m happy and relaxed, Opal usually is too.  My choice of rain songs is vast. Plenty of tunes about rain, of course: ‘Singing in the Rain’,  ’Raindrops Keep Falling…’, and show tunes.  I once got us through a nasty, long stretch with the score to “West Side Story”, or at least, what parts of it I could recall.  There are breaks in my singing to give Opal commands as required. It probably sounds quite horrible to any passersby.  I  do not have a good singing voice.  That does not seem to matter to Opal. I doubt she hears anything clearly, what with the ambient noise from the rain and wind. I’m positive that the lyrics (which I largely bungle) don’t make any sense to her.  My singing career is going nowhere, I know. But here’s what I think about the value of singing to your dog (or cat).  I was grooming the girls (Opal and Lucy) one day. Opal was restless. I starting singing  ”Moon River” (remember Audrey Hepburn as Hollygolightly in ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’?). It is a lovely melody, very soothing and gentle.  My original lyrics were improvised…’moon river, longer than a mile, I’m crossing you in style…you dream weaver, you bee keeper…) Understand that the melody was important at the time. I was shocked. Opal was mesmerized and settled into a heap on the floor. Lucy too. I shrugged it off.  The following day?  Same thing.  Total fascination with this tune and complete relaxation. I have since found the correct lyrics (found at the end of this entry) and sing it anytime I want Opal or Lucy to relax.  I love it even more, now that I have learned the lyrics, especially the bit about ‘two drifters’…I get teary-eyed.   It ’s not a magical thing, even though it has magical results.  I’m sure the reason it works , is because it works for ME.  Relaxed handler, relaxed dog.  Find a song that works for you and your dog. It should be smooth and flow gently. You must love it and it must make you feel calm.’Moon River’-Lyrics by Johny Mercer. (Music Henry Mancini) “MOON RIVER” ‘Moon river, wider than a mile.  I’m crossing you in style, one day.  Oh dream weaver, you heart breaker, Wherever you’re going I’m going you’re way. Two drifters off to see the world. There’s such a lot of world to see. We’re after the same rainbow’s end- waiting ’round the bend, my huckleberry friend, Moon river, and me.  

Forgive me, Opal

There are times when I lose my mind for a moment. The consequences?  Usually, I say something, born straight out of anger or frustration, that I regret.  The ‘right thing to do’, would  be to pause, breathe, count, essentially anything… except yell at my girl, Opal.  Sure, dogs can frustrate you just as much as kids can. Similarly, it is not acceptable to yell at  (or god forbid, strike) them either. I’m not sure when ‘uman beans’ started running the Big Power Trip on every living creature other than their own species.  Maybe it all began with the post cave guys who had too much time on their hands and started domesticating animals.  In recent decades, our relationship with animals has gone OTT (over the top). Our children have no idea how that chicken nugget from mickey d’s came to be. They may see it move from a huge  box of similar frozen bits, and into the deep fryer (I feel sick already), where it remains until a ‘ding’ or ‘beep’ signals the pimply-faced teenage fry cook to dump them out into the warming table.  The portion controlled amount is scooped into a styro container and handed over to your kid with ample packets of ketchup to disguise the taste of this ‘treat’ you have just paid an obscene amount of money for.  Does your kid know how that ‘chiken’ got into the Mickey D’s food chain?  Do they have any idea how the original bird was kept confined en masse in a miniscule cage until it met its demise?  Do you?  Not likely.  This is a ‘clean blog’, so it suffices to say that it is not a pretty picture.  I believe that the western world’s love affair with meat (and the animals killed in acquiring it), has created a monster industry.  Of course, there are many who have pet animals and claim to love them immensely.  Maybe so, but some people are delusional in their thinking and rationalization of their treatment of pets.  Buying jeweled collars, funny outfits, paying for spa days, silver plated water bowls etc. is an extension of their collection of status accessories.  The urban dweller seems to have lost touch with nature and the respect and care of it.  We encroach on the habitat of many species and  turn their space into ours on our terms. We create fake forests (better known as parks) and justify killing the lost critter who wanders into the city limits, an area which was once their home.  Our relationship with nature is all out of whack.  Sure, we donate to ’save’ whatever a marketing executive convinces us we should pay our guilt money for.   We listen to the news:  In the 70’s we learned that we experienced the collapse of the cod fishery in Atlantic Canada because of over fishing and bad management. We learn of global warming and climate change now,   but did not  pay attention to the scientists like David Suzuki who has been active in environmental action for decades.  We elect governments who cater to lobbyists with oil interests that do not want to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.  Then, we watch Paul McCartney and his estranged airhead wife, play with seal pups on an ice flow, as they pause for a photo op in their protest about the seal hunt.  The McCartney’s leave and so does the camera crew, but  the baby pup that Linda fondled is left to die by its mother, because now, it has  human stink on it.   While I do not endorse clubbing baby seals, I  am concerned that some Inuit Canadians should be included in the debate over banning the hunt entirely.  I’m sure that the McCartneys and even people like Al Gore pay for ‘carbon credits’ when the jet around the world in their busy schedules saving this or that. I’d rather they stop crapping up the planet with jet fuel, which no amount of trees planted with ‘carbon credit’ money will fix.  The only fix here, is their public image and personal guilt trip.   But I digress.   Back to Opal and why I need to be forgiven.  I often feel conflicted with Opal as my ‘guide’.  I know she loves her life, and her job. But is it fair? She has no say in it.  She was bred, raised, and trained with the ultimate aim of turning her into a Guide dog.   All I can do, is treat her with respect and kindness.  Therefore, yesterday as she was dawdled and sniffed when I gave her an opportunity to relieve before church, and I yelled, “GET BUSY NOW!!!”, out of frustration and fear that I might need to leave Easter service later if she decided that it was the time to relieve, I checked myself.  As always, when I insist too loudly, my sensitive girl simply sat down and stared at me.  I got down on my knees in the snow and apologized to her. I told her it was ok, that we could “try later” and I was sorry I had yelled.  I explained that her mum is a goof sometimes and we went to church where she had a long nap and did not ask to leave.  

ACCESSIBILITY 101

The last thing I had on my mind yesterday, as I went to the mall to help sell tickets for a fund raising initiative for the local CCB (Canadian Council for the Blind), was that I would find myself donning  my ‘Accessibility’ advocacy hat (the one that puts my mouth in gear and finds me writing, phoning… and blogging).  The Halifax Shopping Centre is managed by a group called Vic 20 retail. The head of this little empire, Blaize Morrison  is the elusive fella who I have left messages for in the past, but never spoken to directly.  I have tried unsuccessfully to reach him to complain about the mall renovations which lasted eight months and created great hardship for people with disabilities.  Opal and I  entered the mall at 8:45 and the place was very quiet, as stores do not open until 9:30.  My plan was to get a snack in the upper level food court and then go to the community booth to help my friend set up.  Opal’s feet were caked with salt, so that necessitated a trip to the washroom before going up to buy my snack.  We were  just 7 meters inside the mall, when she stopped. Hmm, I wondered.  I slid my foot forward and encountered some sort of obstacle.  It was a fixed beam-like thing, almost two inches high and six inches wide. I slid my foot between the floor and this obstacle, and found that it ran quite a width.  I praised Opal for finding it and asked her “forward”, and we gracefully stepped over it and moved on down the hall in search of the washroom.  Eventually, we navigated up to the food court.  These places aren’t my idea of dining options, but I had a Tim’s card in my pocket, with a credit balance that would pay for a bagel and a cup of tea. Opal dazzled all the sleepyheads at Tim Horton’s with her clever ability to “find the queue” and “counter”… Snack items in hand, we swung around and headed for the area of the elevator. When we reached the end of the food court area, a woman said, “Watch out for that thing on the floor, dear”.   I thanked her even though I know Opal would find it.  She did and we safely wandered off.   By the time we found the lift, I was thinking about these obstacles, and that a trip to customer service might be in order. We greeted Alice who had set up the display in the ‘community box’. Opal lay dutifully, hopefully attracting some ticket sales with her stunning looks (or so Alice hoped).  Along came Mary. She was being guided by a stranger that had been drafted into assistance near the entrance of the mall.   Mary said that  she was lucky her white cane found this “big board” on the floor.  That was it. I  went to customer service and asked why there are dangerous obstacles on the floor, on this busy Easter Saturday?  I was told that it probably has something to do with “Easter events…wires or something… just temporary”.  I asked  to speak to a management person.  I was told that there no management employees worked on weekends. I told the customer service woman that the mall is liable for injuries to shoppers. I ranted a bit about accessibility, barriers, public safety, lack of consideration for people who are blind or partially sighted… I heard her snap her gum and offer a kid a paper bunny hat.  Once back in the booth,  I learned that Susan had arrived. She told me that she “just tripped over this obstacle and hurt my knee and hand. The security guard was nice and all that, but what are those dangerous things doing there?”.  I hauled Susan back to customer service with me. Opal sighs. I hear her thinking, ‘mum is on another mission’.  We lodged a complaint, and demanded that sufficient security be posted to warn people (even though it will be too crowded to effectively warn everyone with all the frenzy and the Easter shoppers).  The security guard was summoned.  I gave him the accessibility schpeel.  He called the manager of security.  Lovely B.J. arrived and informed me that there are six locations in the mall with these strips covering a floor joint renovation project.  She was obviously feeling a bit embarrassed about this whole mess.  I ran with it:  pointing out the issue of public safety. I  told her that while the mall may find it economically advantageous to start this work in six areas, they have a responsibility to maintain accessibility standards.  Doing construction projects in one secure area at a time, would have been preferable. Now that it is Easter Saturday, and there is no management staff, and the crowds are streaming in, I suggested to her that it will be a miracle if no one is seriously injured by day’s end.  She agreed that even sighted people would be in danger, as most would not notice the obstacles despite markings with yellow tape.   I also pointed out liability to the public, and that I had advised my friend to see her physician on Monday. I told her, that as president of the Halifax chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, one of my roles is to address issues of accessibility.  I remarked how inconvenient it had been for people in wheelchairs, seniors, people with strollers,  and guide dog handlers, when the lower floor washrooms were closed for six months due to renovation delays and everyone was forced to travel to the upper level.  ”Yes, but look how accessible the new ones are” she said.  I laughed at B. J.’s remark.  I explain that while they (the mall designers and management) may have run around measuring and meeting wheelchair standards and codes, they did not really have an interest in creating an ACCESSIBLE  environment.  Mary told her that by using one (off white) colour tile design from floor to ceiling in the long tube-like hall to the washrooms AND low incandescent spot lighting, they turned it into a partially sighted persons nightmare. They had not made any attempt to consider vital factors such as contrast, lighting, and texture.  I added that the automatic flushing toilets, auto-start one-temperature sinks, and auto dispense paper towel were a gimmick that no one needed and that money and effort should have been spent on designing an accessible space.  They used an open door concept, which makes it very hard to determine where the ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ begin and end.  The signage is not tactile, large print, or Braille.   I pointed out that there is no shortage of guidelines, checklists, design notes, accessibility resources and studies available to ‘professionals’ who design these public spaces.  B.J. and I exchanged contact information and she told me that she would be calling Mr. Morrison immediately.   Later, on my way out of the mall,  B.J. was at the obstacle with a team of security guards, trying to prevent sighted and able bodied people from tripping.  She yelled at me, “there’s an obstacle ahead…..and I’m on the phone to the construction company manager…”  I smiled as Opal stopped long enough to allow me to find the beam. We moved out and headed home.

Blind Etiquette 101–vocabulary

We live in a society where political correctness has commandeered the English language.  People get all bent out of shape over nonsense… or is it?  I think it depends on who is saying what to whom, and when they are saying it.  As far as the words used for describing people like me, for example, there is quite a selection: ‘Person who is blind’, ‘partially sighted’, ‘visually impaired’, ‘visually handicapped’, ‘visually challenged’, ‘person with vision loss’, ‘legally blind’, ‘with low vision’.  Some organizations and groups ask on forms, “are you a total?” (totally blind).  I personally do not like to be linked with the word, ‘impaired’.  It brings to mind, ‘impaired driver’ i.e.. drunk, and having done an evil deed by choice of action. It is negative and not a good choice of words, in my opinion,   yet I hear (let’s call them Blind) people refer to THEMSELVES in this fashion,  way too often.  It boggles my mind. I try to be consistent, and go with Blind (note the capital, like a nationality), deaf-blind and partially sighted, whenever possible. These are the words that the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians encourage their members (of which I am one)  use,  as well as  their chapter presidents (of which I am one)  when writing advocacy letters and making public statements.  On my own time?  I go with blind… as in “a bunch of blind folks are getting together at…”  There is, of course, as in every group, a humour and lingo used by blind folks.  There are ‘blind jokes’ .  It’s a little like the permissive dialogue available to members of the gay community, or other social community.  I  encourage EVERYONE to make free use of words like, “see you later” or “look at this” when conversing with blind people.  Please avoid saying, “it’s over there” as you point to something.  That, as I have often complained, is totally ridiculous and a bit thoughtless, especially when it’s coming out of the same person’s mouth  time after time.  Regardless of what’s coming out of your mouth, make it audible and clear.  Use the same level of vocabulary and tone that you would with any one else.  I swear, some people are compelled to speak to me and other Blind folks,  LOUDLY and in a SLOW,  SYROPY tone that they would use with children or intellectually delayed people. 

Braille and the ‘Braille Crisis’

What is Braille?  Braille is a system of  6 raised dots, arranged in combinations in two vertical lines. There are 63 combinations. The space they occupy is called the Braille cell.  The positions of the dots within the cell are identified by a specific number;  top left is #1, middle left is #2,  bottom left is #3, top right is #4, middle right is #5, and bottom right is #6. Louis Braille was born near Paris in 1809.  His father was a shoemaker.  One day,  at age four,  while Louis was playing with a tool for punching holes in leather (awl), he ended up piercing  his eye.  The other eye soon became infected, and he lost all his vision.  He was sent to a school for the blind in Paris.   In 1821, a man named Charles Barbier visited the school.  He showed the kids his communication system called, ‘Nightwriting’. It had been developed for soldiers to pass information to one another at night.  While it failed for the French military, it did give Louis the idea to develop its use for the blind in 1827.  He expanded it to include codes for math(Nemeth) and music notation.  Braille would not become a big hit in his lifetime.  In fact, it was ‘banned’ from use with blind kids for a while.  Naturally, kids enjoyed the idea of reading the contraband books, so it did not die.  In 1868, Dr. Thomas Armitage led a group of four blind men to form the ‘British Society For the Embossed Literature of the Blind’.   Louis Braille died of tuberculosis in 1852 at age 43.  In 1952 his body was moved to the Pantheon site where National heroes of France are honoured.  One little know fellow is William Moon. He was born in Kent, England in 1818.  He developed the ‘Moon’ system of reading in 1845.  It uses raised curves and lines with 14 characters.  Moon  is easier to use, and is much easier to learn by people who loose sight later in life, particularly if they are elderly.  William Moon died in 1894. His daughter continued his work and founded ‘Moonworks’.  For more on Moon, visit…. http://www.moonliteracy.org.uk Braille has been around for  over 180 years.  It has provide blind children with the opportunity to become literate.   Today, it is estimated that fewer than 20% of Blind adults use Braille.  The push and allure of technology has created an audio- dependent generation of Blind people.  I sit here, using a computer that is ‘talking’ to me, courtesy of screen-reading software allowing me to  write a blog on Braille.  Somehow,   I find the irony of that, to be both amusing and alarming.  I had the opportunity to learn the alphabet, grammar, syntax, phonics, use of punctuation, composition etc. as a sighted child.  When I began to loose my vision, I made it my business to learn Braille.  The emphasis of the type of ‘mainstream’ education Blind children recieve today, is not on Braille literacy.  We now have, what is called by many, a  ”Braille Crisis” . In fact, legislation called the Braille Bill was passed in Minnesota in 1987.  Groups such as the National Federation of the Blind, have advocated vigourously for similar bills to be passed.  There are many more states that have endorsed Braille bills.  These protect the important need/right of  blind children to become literate.  Audio-heavy education does not foster literate children who can move ahead successfully in life.  

Traveling Blind

Interesting to note that travel accessibility for people who are blind or partially sighted has taken an even bigger step forward.  Cruises are now catering to the requests and requirements of their patrons who are Blind. In fact, some travel agencies are creating special packages for groups of people who are blind.  Guide dogs on board?  No problem. Appropriate signage and menus (Braille and Large Print) have become a more common feature on some of these ships.  Check the web site of the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality http://www.sath.org  Also, one of the travel agents specializing in these cruises (Florida) is found at: http://www.outtasighttravel.com 

Guide Dogs: Good Idea For Some, but Not For Everyone

Three years ago, when I started to talk about my plans to ‘get a Guide dog’, with my friends who are Blind or partially sighted (without Guide dogs), something very interesting happened.  A collective movement spontaneously occurred that had them all idly talking or thinking about having a Guide dog in their lives too.  Their family members and friends also started to make statements to them too…”Mom, you should get a Guide dog too”.   While I believe everyone should have the option, I KNOW that some people are NOT good candidates to have a Guide dog.   Now that I have had Opal for almost two years, I feel somewhat qualified to voice my thoughts on this  with more conviction.  Fortunately, there is an intense candidate screening process to go through when one applies for their Guide dog, particularly if it is their first.  Guide dog schools differ somewhat, but all of them screen carefully.  The cost of matching a Guide dog to a blind handler, is in excess of $30,000.00 in most cases.  This sum takes into account: costs for breeding dogs, supporting puppy raiser programs, training by qualified people and the cost of maintaining the dogs in training at the Guide dog school.  The school must cover its overhead, pay a staff made up of trainers, instructors, kennel staff, support and administrative people. The travel costs of the the staff who travel for ‘after care’ (checking on the dogs and handlers), and, sometimes the travel costs of the clients,  must be budgeted too.  Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, (where I trained with Opal), receives no government funding.  The school operates as a charitable non profit organization, totally funded by money received through donations and fundraising activities. Clearly, it is in everyone’s interest (including the dogs) to be selective in determining who should have a Guide dog.   Some of my friends who were tinkering with the idea, would not  be good candidates. Why?  For some, it is absurdly obvious… they don’t like dogs much!  Other reasons include:  

• They have poor mobility skills and no initiative to learn any.  If they can not find their way to a destination with a white cane, it is unlikely that a Guide dog is a solution to ‘getting out of the house’, at least, until they learn to travel independently.
• Their state of general health (poor) would make it unlikely that they could be active on a regular basis. Some require frequent hospitalization.
• They do not have the financial means to support a Guide dog with even basics, like food and veterinary care. (Routine Veterinary care, can sometimes be supported by a school’s program. Emergency Veterinary care is usually the responsibility of the client.)
• They have a ‘free spirit’, hedonistic attitude about life.  This is not compatable with  having ANY dog in your life, including  a pet. If you can not get out of bed in the morning, or think that going outdoors in ALL WEATHER, several times a day, is  NOT for you…having a Guide dog  is probably not a good idea!  

There are sound reasons why the application process to a Guide dog school involves a great deal of paperwork.  I was required to have a family doctor detail my general health, my eye specialist detail my eye condition, and my ex-O &M (Orientation and Mobility) instructor describe my mobility skills.  I provided details about myself.  When the CGDB school received my application package, they determined  that I could move to the next step: A home visit by an instructor. We went for a ‘handle walk’, (called a Juno walk by some schools) which found me leaving my cane behind  and holding, a harness handle, with the instructor leading as the ‘dog’.  This gave the instructor a picture of my walking speed and gait. I learned (to my surprise) that I would be expected to use my arms, voice and learn specific ways to position my feet, when navigating with a Guide dog.  My height was noted (so that I could be matched with an appropriate sized dog). We talked about my everyday life.  What places did I go to?  I explained my busy life, with meetings, church, shopping, groups etc.  My concern about Lucy (my cat) and how her life would change if I was to have a Guide dog, was also considered. We talked about my age (49 then), my income, my family and community connections (I live alone).  I asked plenty of questions and they were all answered.  The instructor left me, and advised that CGDB’s committee would  meet and discuss all this information, and decide if I would be a good candidate for Guide dog training.  She also gave me hope by telling me that, while the decision was made by a panel that take into consideration all of the information,  she ‘felt good about it’.  It was a month or two later that I heard the happy news that I was accepted for training.  I waited to be ‘matched’ with a dog for several months, before being called to class in Ontario for a one month residential program. The Hadley School for the Blind offers a course called “Is a Guide Dog For Me?”. Hadley offers free distance education to blind people around the world (see http://www.hadley.edu). I suggest that anyone considering having a Guide dog in their life, should talk to other handlers about their experiences.  I know some people who have had a Guide dog or two, and then wisely decided that they preferred not to reapply for another guide dog. Their lifestyles had changed, or they relaized that they liked to go home and ‘put the cane in the closet’… something to consider. Dogs need routine and consistent care (feeding, grooming, relieving), love and attention (work, play, health care). Opal is the best thing that could have happened in my life.  It could be that a Guide dog would be equally important to you or your loved one. Do your homework and consider the reality of your lifestyle before you take the plunge. 

Talking the Walk: Audible Navigation for the Blind

There is no shortage of ‘tech’ stuff for the Blind.  The idea of having a portable talking GPS system as a mobility aid for people who are Blind or partially sighted, appeals to many.  It certainly has peaked my interest.  I like the idea that I could explore new routes or areas with greater ease. Having a portable device that would announce “Mumford road …10 meters” or be programable to advise me of my specific targets or obstacles, like “bus shelter #3″ or “building dumpster”, is a tempting notion.   There are drawbacks to all this new gadgetry. First, is cost.  These items are coming down in price, however, their costs are so high that they remain out of reach for most people who want them.  I also think there is no replacement for good mobility skills with a cane or Guide dog.  I don’t like to depend on a device that can potentially fail.  Call me fatalistic, but the ‘what if it breaks?’ consideration is what goes through my mind. Personally, I enjoy all the quiet I can get.  There seem to be plenty of ‘talking’ gadgets in my life as it is now, with my computer, calculator, glucometer, and bank note reader yaking up a storm daily. Would I accept a free trial?  Sure.  As with all technology, audible GPS systems for the Blind will improve in design in time.  They have the potential of being a valuable tool in the arsenal of the Blind.  If anyone is interested in learning more about what is available, I suggest going to the websites of the major producers. They include:  Humanware, TalkNav,  and Sendero’s Group.  I have nothing to recommend. It’s all a big, expensive high tech mystery to me. Links will be on the blogroll for a while.  They will remain on this blog entry–they are: 

• http://www.talknav.com
• http://www.humamware.com
• http://www.senderogroup.com

Blind people’s smart ass answers to stupid questions from sighted people

Yes, I know.   You all expect us to be polite and forthcoming when you ask us one of those typical stupid questions.  Surprisingly enough, there are times when some of us would like our privacy and space to remain uninvaded.   I have here, free for circulation, some useful smart ass answers to those stupid questions  sighted people ask  blind people. These are to be saved for those inopportune times when blind people find themselves trapped on a bus, train, aircraft,  or when attempting to eat a quiet meal in a restaurant etc.  

1.  QUESTION: Have you been blind all your life?  ANSWER: Not yet.
2. QUESTION:  You blind people have great hearing right?  ANSWER:  Pardon?
3. QUESTION:  Is that a Guide dog?  ANSWER:   No, it’s a drug detection dog. I’m a narc disguised as a blind person.
4. QUESTION:  Is that a Labrador? ANSWER: No, it’s a dachshund.
5. COMMENT:  I’d have to kill myself if I went blind.  REPLY:  Why wait?
6. COMMENT TO GUIDE DOG (working):  You’re sooooo beautiful. REPLY FROM HANDLER:  Thank you, but I’m spoken for.
7. QUESTION:  Those dogs are smart, aren’t they?  ANSWER: No, it’s pure luck that we get anywhere.
8. QUESTION  (directed to the person standing next to the blind person in a store): Does she need something? REPLY (from blind person): Yes, ’she’ needs to speak with your manager.

Pirate Party Paper Palluza

My nephew has spent the last two months planning a surprise party for his mom.  The theme? Pirates. Realize, that the boy tends to run with something, like a dog with a meaty bone.  We’ve had pirate party planning meetings, pirate party related e-mails,  phone calls galore and even a ‘kit’ (at $2.oo) which included a binder filled with paper: agenda, tasks, outline, pirate history, suggested food items to bring, costume requirements, evaluation… Did I mention that the boy’s mom’s work involves statistics?  ’sponge bob’ was the code name for this party.  Frankly, by the time I  put on my castaway outfit, I was feeling a little sponge bob’ed out.  The fact that my costume was taken straight from my closet, did not cheer me up either. My tattered looking white cotton pants and ragged t-shirt were very Gilligan. It is winter in Nova Scotia, so the thin pants necessitated long johns. The sandals and floppy sunhat were carried in a bag, and proper arctic boots and wool hat were worn for travel to party central.  When I arrived, I was greeted by loud theme music (soundtrack to Pirates of the Caribbean movie) and a power point presentation on the computer.  The walls were decorated with creative pirate art which was described to me in detail. I steeled myself and slunk into the kitchen with my requisite food contributions.  At long last, mom arrived home and Pirate Mother Appreciation Party 2008 was underway.  Food is the meat and potatoes of any party. Actually, for me, it’s just the potatoes…I’m a vegetarian. Worse,  I’m one of those environmentally conscious vegetarians. So, when the expensive, glossy pirate paper plates, paper cups, and matching pirate napkins were offered, I passed, saying, “I’m not using disposable paper products anymore…” . My sister’s ex is a smart cookie, and a nice person. However, ‘D’ s response to my paper policy was not very clever. “It’s recyclable. It’ll get all turned into compost eventually”, ‘D’ announces in a dead serious manner.  This was not really the time for a lecture on environmental responsibility. After all, we were in the clutches of  my nephew’s pirate party mania. We had a schedule to keep. Outdoors for Pirate pinata at 7:00 pm, followed by sparklers at 7:15… The moment was not seized.  I’ve had some time to stew, so I offer these thoughts: The THREE R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) are the trinity of eco-passion. It does not mean, that the option to recycle should  give anyone carte blanche to go through the stuff in wasteful excess. Let’s look at the Pirate paper plates etc. The trees felled to create this stuff died in vain.  Until their demise, they were contributing to the air quality of the world. The machinery used to log them as well as the trucks hauling them to the paper mill,  burned fossil fuel which contributed to green house gases. The paper mill also sucked up energy (likely generated by coal fired electrical plants) and belched out more noxious substances into the atmosphere and into the water system.  The raw paper product was probably shipped overseas to China or Indonesia on a slow boat that was burning ‘bunker’ oil, the dirtiest form of fuel.  At the Asian factory, the base paper was turned into napkins and cups with colour designs stamped on them.  The environmental policies and restrictions of Asian factories are negligible. I bet that the factory where ’sponge bob’ pirate paper stuff was made, is guilty of contributing mega tons of toxic fumes and waste into the environment.  I’m not enthusiastic about the exploitation of vulnerable people who work for meager wages in these factories either.  Now, the packaged plates, and napkins etc. must be shipped back to North America…more  dirty bunker used by the ships.   I’ll skip ahead to the recycling aspect.  Once the party snacks are devoured, the used pirate paper plates and other ‘recyclables’ are neatly placed in the appropriate ‘blue’ bag and left at the curb. A fossil fuel-burning truck picks up the bag and hauls it to the recycling plant. The plant requires energy to operate its machinery and power its lights. It’s very expensive to turn paper back into something usable, if indeed these glossy, food stained things are ‘passed’ and begin the process. Often, paper and other ‘recyclables’ are sent to the landfill instead.  Had I been thinking on my feet (the ones with the Gilligan sandals on them), I would have launched my logical and sound appeal to nix the paper. However, we had a Pirate Party schedule to keep and I did not want to my nephew to feel that I was ’stealing his thunder’.  ”Bring on the sparklers!”, I said instead.

Nightmarish Guide Dog Stories

Some really weird and horrible stories are exchanged within the guide dog handler community.  I laughed at the “my dog ate…” stories at a massage workshop (T-Touch) last year.  On the surface, it seems benignly humourous to hear of a lab-run-amok in the kitchen. One ate half a chocolate birthday cake. The dainty, black bitch scarfed down 8 blueberry muffins (low fat), and one day, the Golden retriever retrieved two steaks marinating on a countertop while the handler and blind boyfriend were indisposed.  My girl, Opal fancies a dish of Lucy’s cat food once in a while,  usually as a signal that she is bored and wants me to know it.  She also demolished a CNIB Daisy disc and case once.  That, I rationalize as having been mistaken for a toy.  After all, they come in bright, yellow plastic cases. I had flung it across the room onto a chair as we entered the house.  I like to think that she thought it was  a square fizzbee.  In reality, this opportunistic scavenging done by Guide dogs, is not funny at all.  It can make them ill or worse.  I’ve already mentioned in a past blog, the hazzard of medications and inhalers (puffers), if accessible by your dog.  If you take any type of medication, including over-the-counter types of aspirin,  vitamins or supliments, here is what you should do.  Keep them in a drawer, perhaps a bedroom chest drawer.  When removing a tablet or capsule out of a bottle, do it over the open drawer.  If you drop you pill, it will fall into the drawer, and not onto the floor where you may lose it, and your animals might find it.  Bring your water to your drawer to take the pill, so that the pill never travels away from the area above the open drawer.  This is a good idea if you have ANY animals or kids.  By the way,  grapes, raisins and chocolate are toxic for dogs (and cats).  Some common houseplants and outdoor shrubs (like ivy) are poisonous too.   I had a cup of tea with a friend the other day. Her son has a Guide dog. Sadly, his last dog had a STROKE and died within two days. A seemingly healthy animal just keeled over. The young man was devestated.  This was only the beginning of horrible stories I was to hear that day.  My friend also asked if I ride the escalator with Opal.  I replied that I do, and that she loves it.  She told me that one day, she rescued a friend’s guide dog whose TOENAILS had become wedged in the little grooves on the escalator step!  THEN she asked if I had heard what happened to Mr. O’s Guide dog.  I said no. My jaw fell open when I heard that Mr. O. had gone out for a few hours with a friend. He did not bring his guide dog. (it’s a good idea to leave them home once in a while, otherwise, they begin to believe they are indispensible and it is too much pressure on them). He had left his dog in the bedroom for the few hours that he planned to be away.  Aparently, the dog had severe separation anxiety, because he had CHEWED UP the MATTRESS, SUFFOCATED and DIED.  My friend, Richard plays in a barbershop chorus in Toronto.  At a new rehearsal location,  his dog was unable to see him from where he was lying.  He had been leashed to a table. The dog ATE A CHUNK OF THE LEASH, to free himself. The leather bits caused him to have stomach upset.  He’s lucky to have ‘passed’ it. Bowel obstruction is very common. It can mean that your dog will be in pain,  and begin to vomit.  It might require expensive surgery, or even die. Be very cautious and attentive to what your dog picks up. Learn his/her tendancies and peculiarities. For some, it is socks or rags.  My sister’s yellow lab, Buddy, required TWO surgeries for obstructions in his lifetime.  Once, they found a peach pit stuck in his gut, another time, it was a small piece of corn cob.  He had grabbed and eaten these while on a walk.  People tend to throw all manner of garbage out by the side of the road, in the mistaken belief that if it is compostable, it is harmless.  One of the most upsetting stories was about a Guide dog who ‘refused’ to work for its handler.   I had unfortunately, heard this through the grapevine, just after I had moved to our new digs.  The Guide dog who ‘refused’ to work, was ‘taken away’.  I believe he was retired at age five.   His handler was devastated and agonized about training with a new guide dog for a long while.  When Opal and I moved to a new apartment, only one of our routes was new and different.  I was stressed out during this period, so naturally, she was too.  For the first two or three weeks, when we got to this certain street, she would slow to a crawl.  A five minute walk turned into a twenty minute nail-biter.  She was obviously nervous, anxious, and worried about this stretch of road.  I don’t know if it was the surrounding view (elevated) or a smell or something else.  We had no other choices for getting places It is the road that leads to all bus stops and all of our other routes.  My mind filled with thoughts of losing her, if she ‘refused’. I could not imagine life without her.   One morning, she was creeping inch by inch on the pavement as I shuffled my feet, trying to keep myself moving.   This was it.  I  knelt down by her ear and said. “Opal, I know your upset. But mum needs to go to the store. There’s a good girl. Let’s go”. With a pat on the head, and some strength in my voice, we were underway. I EXPECTED her to work, and she did.  My intention is not sensationalism in recounting these nightmarish Guide dog tales, but to point out the potentially dangerous environment we create for our animals in our everyday life. By careful scrutiny of our environment, we can minimize the hazards and maximize the safe and healthy lives of our dogs.  I  would suggest, that ‘emotionally’-related conditions, such as separation anxiety should be nipped in the bud early. I’m not a big fan of pharma-treatments, like doggie ‘prozac’ etc. for conditions that have an alternate solution. There is no good reason to drug a dog for a problem that can be resolved with a  patient and consistent response.

The Ultimate List of Guide Dog Schools

If you ever wondered where the nearest Guide Dog School is located, or are curious as to how many there are in various countries, go to the link on my blogroll (Ultimate List of Guide Dog Schools). Pick a nation and you will get names, addresses and contact information for every Guide dog school in the world. 

Advocacy is NOT a scary word!

I don’t ‘get it’.  Why are some people so upset when you tell them that you belong to an advocacy group?  When I think back (way back) to my childhood, I realize that even at the tender age of eight, I found myself defending any individual or group who seemed to be getting the short end of the stick.  I remember sitting in Mr. H’s living room next door, trying to explain why he should sign the petition I was holding. It concerned a local agency for the then-named “…Association for the Mentally Retarded” (we were not terribly PC back then, but still concerned). Mr. H. asked seemingly inane questions(but at least he asked) about why ‘they’ should have any kind of support, and did his taxes not cover their sheltered workshop?  He hemmed and hawed for thirty minutes, and in the end, Mr. H. said he had to “think on it”. Maybe more of us cared a little more forty or fifty years ago. Life was not as complicated (or so it seemed). We were not living in the state of hyper awareness we live in today. Thanks to the media and the Internet, we all became armchair voyeurs to the political injustices, atrocities, discrimination,  inequities, disasters, and general mayhem that goes on in the world.  Our choice of battles to fight has become vast and the pressure to join in everyone’s pet cause, immense.  Miss Mimmosa tells me that she often has ‘the vapours’ just getting through the day. “It starts with my problem trying to decide what goes into the recycle box, and ends when I listen to the six o’clock news report and that nice young man who introduces all those people who want me to: call my MP, or to stop buying imported produce, or to send money to support the famine relief, or to sign a petition in support of banning the seal hunt…” I agree with Miss Mimmosa. It’s not easy to ‘get on the bandwagon’ with one or two or even ten ’causes’ when your faced with the realization that there are thousands more, just as worthy, that you must say no to. My theory is: Supersaturation of choices of issues and causes to support, has paralyzed some people. Others (from the good old activist-heavy ’60’s and ’70s) are too old to “take up the struggle”.   Still others are feeling that the personal ‘payoff’ in supporting an advocacy initiative is not sufficient. Sigh.  Here’s my solution. This works for ME. I have no idea if it would work for YOU. I vigourously support and work on issues that I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT.  It makes a difference, when you speak from personal experience. I ALWAYS do a small analysis to determine priorities: 

•  Is this something I am passionate about? Or is this interesting as an observer?
•  Do I have, or can I make the time necessary to be involved with this at the level I choose?
• What skills can I provide?
• What do I know about this issue or group? Where or how can I find out more?
• Can I deal with any ‘fallout’ that results in my activity as an advocate of this group or cause? (work, friends, services, notoriety?)
• Will I establish a personal time-line for my level of involvement and stick to it? (you may care, be passionate, but you can’t do it all alone)

What are my advocacy concerns these days? Most deal with disability groups, and the issues of equity, inclusion, and quality of life. My other interests are Environmental.  I am president of the Halifax Chapter of Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, Chair of Halifax Regional Municipality Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities, ‘telephone tree’ for my church’s (Universalist Unitarian or UU) Planetary Concerns committee, planning person on the ‘Mosaic for Mental Health’ project and member of the VISTA (Visually Impaired Safe Travel Advisory) committee. That’s my quota. I lend my name in support of others that I can not be active in for the obvious reason; time.  It’s not fair to take something on that will result in meeting being missed, phone calls and e-mails not being returned, or worse, BURNOUT. Watch for that, but for goodness sake, be active. Advocacy is not a scary word. It makes the world accountable. 

In Support of Jane Goodall

I’m not the philanthropic type. I wish I had a life that would allow me to support all of the great people who are doing good and important work on this planet. Sometimes, I am moved to find a way to cough up some money.  Today was one of those times.  While cruising through my daily e-mail from the BBC, I linked into a story on the DR Congo.  The Democratic (and using the word ‘democratic’ sometimes irks me) Republic of Congo is experiencing some difficulty.  Rebels have seized control of the eastern Gorilla Sector and are threatening to execute any wildlife rangers who enter.  Somehow this stuck in my mind.  I began to think about Jane Goodall, the world renowned primatologist, who has been a lifetime personal hero of mine. Her kind face looked down at me from a poster in the bedroom of my childhood.  I have wept when listening to this woman’s passionate words in support of her life-long work with the chimps and their habitat.  She is the woman who ‘lived with the chimps’ of the Gombe forrest by the shores of lake Tanganika in Africa.  In 1960 she began her on site study at a time when it was unheard of for a woman to enter the forests  in Eastern Africa alone. Now, at age 74, she continues to travel and lecture around the world, almost non-stop,  raising the world’s environmental consciousness.  Dr. Goodall was made a Dame of the British Empire.  She has earned the respect and support she deserves. Despite receiving countless accolades, titles, awards, and degrees, she remains a quiet, unassuming woman.  Her focus is unwavering and she rarely shows sign of letting up, despite health concerns. Jane is the type of selfless individual who must be reminded to sleep and eat occasionally.  If you don’t know her story, find a book, a video or documentary. How fitting on International Women’s Day, to support her work and cause.  In 1977, she established the Jane Goodall  Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation. I found her web site this morning, and became a member of her institute. Go to www.janegoodall.org for information. To quote Jane Goodall, “We have a choice to use the gift of our lives to make the world a better place”.

Audio Book Club

I am meeting with the manager of one of Halifax’s public libraries today.  I pitched an idea a while ago: to form an audio book club.  To date, book clubs in Halifax, have been of the print variety.  I thought that it would be a good idea to bring together both sighted audio book lovers (and there are lots of those) and non-sighted folks. That way, some blind people will be using the Halifax system for the first time (a good thing) and will also have a chance to discuss in a group, their experience with the selected title. Simple. It’s a pilot project, which might expand to include groups at other libraries.  People have asked me, Why not join a regular club and listen to the audio version? The problem with this, is twofold: many ‘current’ book club selections are not available in audio format.  The majority of the titles available, are ABRIDGED! This is a major problem that puts a burr under my saddle. I don’t want to ‘read’ half of a book.  Also, the advantage of sharing the common experience of reading an audio format book, is that the discussion can include other aspects important to us, like narrator’s voice quality and skill. So, we’re off to set this puppy up! Why not do the same in your community?

When Someone You Know “Goes Blind”

Vision loss is no picnic for the person who is experiencing it.  Rarely do people “go blind” over night.  Most experience a gradual decline and have up and down periods. Some people retain useful  RV (residual vision).  Eye conditions create many types of abilities and restrictions. Macular Degeneration causes loss of central vision needed to see detail.  Glaucoma can cause tunnel vision,and  reduced night vision.  Diabetic Retinopathy causes reduced vision, especially at night, and sensitivity to glare.   It’s a bleak day at the opthamologist’s office, when a declaration of ‘Legal Blindness’ is made.  A journey of change  and adjustment begins.   Feelings of depression and anger are common. New skills must be learned.  Everything seems difficult.  Me?  I thought my head would explode trying to remember everything.  I learned that multi tasking is best left to sighted people.  Patience with yourself is critical. It takes more time to do everything, it seems, when you are doing it with less sight. It frustrated me to ‘think’ about everything I was doing. I resented spending 20 minutes on a task that I once performed in 5 minutes.  Emotional support is very important for people experience vision loss.  Peer support groups can make all the difference.  Being able to share the daily frustrations with others ‘in the same boat’,  is very helpful.  I joined such a group many years ago. I continue to ‘chair’ this motley crew today.  People come together every second friday of the month. For some, it is one of the few social outings they will have that month.  Everyone relaxes and has a chance to share whatever is on their minds.  It’s a lot easier to laugh about an experience related to blindness outside of the ’sighted’ circle of support.  For example, people roared when I admitted that I had accidentally washed my hair with Vim (tub cleaner) instead of shampoo that morning.  OK, it was a few years ago and I tend not to do that kind of thing anymore, but it is the type of thing that is best shared with people who ‘understand’.  The most commonly voiced sadness and frustration with new group members, comes as a result of loss of a drivers license or car.  The family members and friends of the person who has lost most of their vision,  must also go through a period of adjustment.  I often hear people who are new to vision loss, particularly older individuals,  expressing that they “feel like a burden” to their family members.  Sometimes, an entire circle of friends seem to drift away out of the life of a man or woman who is experiencing significant vision loss.  There are professionals etc. who can elaborate on the whole ‘psychosocial dynamics of blindness’, but here’s my wise advice:  Do not smother your loved one who has lost their vision.  It is far more helpful to facilitate good skills and O & M (orientation and mobility) training with a service providing agency (like CNIB in Canada) than to adopt a “let me do that for you” attitude.  However, realize that this is a difficult time. Some people learn faster than others.  Some skills are just too difficult for some to master. There is the element of safety to consider.  It’s nice to believe that your brother or mother who has lost their vision, can ‘do it just like anyone’, but things like using a stove, chopping, navigating through a noisy, busy mall with a cane, are not safe to attempt, without good skills.  Every human being has a comfort zone and it is not fair to force someone into a situation where they are thrown out of it. I think there are unrealistic expectations for many people who lose their vision, made unknowingly by friends and family members.  I learned Braille. But only 15 to 20% of all blind adults ever learn it.  I have a Guide dog (Opal) who has changed my life.  Back in the ‘planning stage’ when I was applying to go to Guide dog school,  one of my peer group members reported that a family member had commented to them, “you should get one too, mom”.  The mom in question, did not know how to walk down the road with a white cane, did not go to any location without assistance, did not particularly like dogs, did not like going out on rainy or snowy days… My point? it made no sense.  It can be helpful to someone who is experiencing vision loss, for family members to help reorganize the home environment.  A big factor in feeling comfortable is the accessibilility of the home.  Whether the person with vision loss is living alone, or with others, reorganizing the environment is necessary. Simple things, like specific placement of household items (so they can be found), using colour contrast schemes (paint or non-skid tape on stair risers, coloured handrails, floor material),  installing good lighting (mostly incandescent) and  ’attach’ lights on underside of cabinets. Get rid of dangerous scatter rugs and keeping cupboard and closet doors closed, and keep shoes etc. out of the footpath.  It’s easier and more pleasant to get on with life, when your home is safe and comfortable.  I have friends in my peer group who have told me that their friends or family members are often more ‘distressed’ than they are about their vision loss.  This is an unfortunate and common occurrence. I’m not sure if it involves fear (of their own potential vision loss), misconceptions of blindness, social stigma of blindness, or feelings of inadequacy (“I don’t know how to help”).  All of this stems from lack of general public awareness, and total absence of knowledge of the facts.  If you have a family member or friend who is “going blind”, express your feelings (of inadequacy  or whatever),  get your supports in place (books, internet, organizations, service providers), but  for goodness sake, GET OVER YOURSELF!  The world has not ended for you, or your loved one. 

Alternate Format Billing

I had time on my hands yesterday, so I phoned up my power company (Nova Scotia Power) and asked them if they could start sending me my statement in Braille.  I also asked them if they provided other options to customers who are Blind or partially sighted, such as Large Print, audio cassette or disc.  I mentioned that I was not certain, but I thought they might have a legal obligation to do so.  The clerk seemed confused.  She said she would call back after she checked with her supervisors.  Seven hours later, She did call back to tell me, “we don’t have the technical means to provide Braille or large print bills and statements”.  I then asked her to send that statement to me in writing.   I have no idea what our laws say about utility company requirements to provide alternate format billing, though I would bet that it’s in the books.  If it is not, it will be eventually  (grin). I will be a thorn in Nova Scotia Power’s side, until they ensure that alternate format billing options are available. The CRTC (Canadian Radio Telecommunications Commission) has issued all sorts of rulings for telephone, cell phone and cable companies, directing them to provide alternate format billing to customers who request it.  If you don’t know what your local telephone, mobile phone, and utility companies provide in the way of alternate format billing, ask.  Be specific. Ask if they provide Braille, Large Print, audio cassette, or computer disc.  while you’re at it, ask them if their web site is ‘accessible’.  They might not know what you’re talking about.  Their web site designers should. I don’t think people who are Blind or partially sighted should be expected to pay a utility bill they can not read themselves. 

Have Time On Your Hands?

If you have some time to spare, I suggest  ANY of the following:

•  Have a good voice?  Volunteer to record audio books. Check the websites of the National Library Service For the Blind (USA) or the Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (also USA). In Canada, try the CNIB library.   All links provided on my blogroll.
• Call your local service provider for the blind if you live in a city. They are always very happy to use your skills.  The jobs vary, but there is an acute shortage (here, at least) of logistical supports for many blind people.  For example,  think about driving and assisting with grocery or clothing shopping. Reading mail in someone’s home once a week takes all of twenty minutes or less. Help out on a group social outing (you have no idea how few social events some people get to).  You can help people complete forms for all the various things that require ‘filling out’.  Blind people without available family or friends have a huge problem when they need to ‘look’ for an apartment to rent. Reading ads, driving to ‘view’ and describing the prospective unit and helping through the lease process can be very difficult for a blind person. Accompany some one on medical appointments. There might not be much of an opportunity to display ‘what-a-great-person-I-am-to-be- hanging-around-a-blind-person’ aspect of yourself, but reading mail? sure, no glory, but IT’S A GOOD THING!
• Check out a Guide dog school’s web site.  Even if you are located nowhere near it, you may be able to organize a fundraising event for it. Google ‘”guide dogs” and sort out what schools are in the USA or Canada.
• People in small towns like to think they’re just as busy as city dwellers. I like to think they can make time to care for their neighbours who need help because they live out of range of resources.

Reason #1 Why I Love Opal

Opal is the girl of my dreams. She demands so little, and gives more to me than anyone can begin to imagine.

Reason #95.036 why I love Opal

Opal is genuinely kind to Lucy. (Lucy is our nutty cat)

Reason #25401 why I love Opal

Who needs a clock when I  am guaranteed to get a big, wet kiss from Opal at 5.30 am?  Now that’s how to start the day!

Reason #30782 why I love Opal

Actually, it’s not ALWAYS about love. Sometimes, it’s convenience…dog owners and handlers who are experiencing a ‘touch of gas’, can tussle their canine’s head and say, “Really, Fluffo!”

Dogs: Life ‘In the Moment’

I am not a professional dog trainer. Nor am I an expert on dog behaviour. I am, however, EXTREMELY knowledgeable about MY dog’s personality. I know what makes Opal tick….at long last.  By the time my pre-Opal period had moved to the training phase at the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind training Centre, I had a headful of half-baked ideas about dogs.  You might describe my eager desire to learn-it-all and stick-to-it as mild obsession with a touch of naievity.  There’s nothing like experience to drive it home.  Opal and I have had our ups and downs. She has ‘tested’ me as only a clever dog can.  Now that we have survived almost two years together, I can reflect on what I learned.  One thing is certain; dogs live ‘in the moment’.  It is futile to attempt to relate to your dog as though it were otherwise. To put it in perspective, I will cautiously use the ananalogy that dogs are much like two year old children in that their mental ability and attention span is similar.  Of course some dogs are much brighter than others.  As with humans, their abilities and ‘brain power’ must be developed and utilized through proper training in order to reach their potential.  It is pointless to correct your dog for something that happened five minutes ago.  (NOTE: I say  ’correction’, not punishment) It’s not fair to your dog to address the situation or behaviour after the fact.  They have no idea what you’re going on about.  Also, don’t  take it personally when your dog looks at you with that bored and vacant look when you say (with much wistful nostalgia) to him/her…”remember our trip to Bonavista Beach, Fluffo?”  Chances are good though, that Fluffo will go nutty the minute he finds himself back on that same beach and ‘it all comes back to him’.  Of course, the minute you leave?….out of mind until the next time.  Dog behaviour experts tend to agree that dogs ‘think in pictures’, rather than in the kind of abstract concepts that humans develop. Opal, for example, often displays ‘anticipation’ when we go to the mall and she sees the escalator.  It’s a visual cue that reminds her that something good happens when we go up that thing called “Escalator Up” on the way to the Rocky Mountain Candy shop (a piece of kibble).  Similarly, she is not impressed when we try a new route on a busy street. She has no picture history in her mind of this strange place. She is concerned that I am making a ‘mistake’ and that I don’t know where we are.  Maybe I don’t, but it is my job to convince her through my confident voice and body language, that it’s OK because mom knows best.  Remember, that your dog can only learn from your ‘correction’, when you initiate it IMMEDIATELY.  There are some situations when this is overidden when it involves the safety of the dog. For example, if your dog runs into a busy street,  your priority is to ensure his safety, rather than to stand around correcting him for not coming. (It’s YOUR fault that he’s off leash in the first place!) Don’t blame the dog for your errors in judgement. If you leave a dinner plate with a slab of steak on within his easy  reach, you have just created a situation where temptation and opportunism can take over. Avoid the whole ugly scene (dog with a bellyful of steak, you with no steak)  by being consistently proactive about removing anything you do not want your dog to get into. 

Why Blind People Get ‘Freebies’…Rights or Charity?

People who are legally Blind (20/200 vision or worse with best correction), get a lot of free stuff, or perks ( or so it appears). This has led to great misconception by the general public. Other groups of persons with disabilities have expressed discontent with particular ‘advantages’ given to the Blind community. In addition, I sense  that a pervasive guilt trip is going on with many blind people.  Let me explain the kind of freebies that are at the root of  the whole issue.  While some countries have very similar policies, I will only speak to the situation as it affects most Canadians who are ‘registered’ with the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind). What sorts of ‘advantages’ or freebies do blind people have, and why do they have them? Books. Talking books and Braille books are available (usually with a free device to play the audio material on) from the central CNIB library.  Books, major magazines, and newspapers in audio or Braille format, travel back and forth, POST-FREE to people in Canada. In fact, ‘free matter for the blind’ is stamped on many items, including all BRAILLE matter, including personal letters, bank statements,  utility bills, government documents, and Braille paper stock. Other audio correspondence material travels post-free as well. These might include course tapes to a school such as Hadley  School for the Blind,  tax assessments on cassette from Revenue Canada, or the like.  All items mailed ‘free matter for the Blind’ must be mailed in unsealed envelopes or containers.  Blind students requiring textbooks, or anyone doing research or wanting specific information can request it of the national library for the blind, and they will eventually receive their information in audio, Braille, or computer disc format.  The process takes time and students often end up paying people in their community to do the job because of school project deadlines.  Why do blind people get free books and postage of same? This has to do with the right that recognizes that everyone must  have ACCESS TO INFORMATION.  The core of this right centers around other human rights, including the right to equitable  education, employment, and fair and responsible participation in the democratic process.   The reality is, that the number of people who are blind, remain disproportionate in university enrolment,  and employment.  Interestingly enough, the internet may be changing all that. Technology has given everyone more information. It is making life much easier, in some respects, and much more complicated in others, for all of us.   The Right to Information Access,  is extending into the area of web accessibility. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is suing retail giant, Target, because their web site is not accessible to people who use screen reading soft ware.  This case is drawing a lot of attention because the issue of web accessibility for the blind, in a world that has created a “digital divide” in its rapid growth, could prove to be pivotal. It might  ensure that there is universal access to services, commerce and entertainment on the web, in the same way that physical access is mandated in the ‘real world’.  The second area that gives alleged ‘perks’ to the blind, is transportation. In most urban centers where public transit exists,  registered blind people normally receive a pass for free transit. Why? For some of the same reasons the blind have Access to Information. In order to get to work, school, health care, government offices,  or to go shopping, voting, or anywhere else, blind people must rely on transit. Blind people are not permitted to drive, therefore the free transit pass was introduced as a means of protecting the right to access employment, education etc.  This is a very sensitive issue.  Other groups representing people with disabilities argue that they should have free transit too.  Indeed, in some European cities, they do. However, the argument that supports limitation of free transit to the blind, is that people who  are deaf, and some wheel chair users, are permitted to drive modified vehicles and theorectically have access.  The reality is that a large number of ALL people with disabilities,  live in poverty and will never be able to afford a vehicle of any kind, let alone one that requires expensive modifications. Many blind people never exercise the availability of this free pass, because they do not travel independantly and choose to use a form of para transit which they must pay for. Others travel with friends and family members, or they simply don’t travel at all. In the city of Halifax, the free transit pass is negotiated between the CNIB and Metro Transit. The current pass was re-issued in 2005 after a two year period when blind people were caught in a ‘negotiating’ period and were told to just carry their expired passes.  The pass issued in 2005 expires this year (2008). The air is now rank with apprehension  again, as new negotiations continue for renewal. I am disgusted by the tactics employed. Many blind people express feelings of  intimidation when they encounter unacceptable service from a Metro Transit driver. They choose not to formally complain or report drivers because they are afraid of ‘losing the pass’. There is a prevalant sense that they should feel ‘grateful’ that they have a free transit pass and should ‘just suck it up’. This is partly because they do not know their rights,  do not understand that there is recourse available to protect their rights (Human Rights complaints),  or they do not possess a sense of  full ‘entitlement’.  In the area of air and train travel,  passengers with disabilities are sometimes permitted to have an ‘attendant’ travelling with them at a free or reduced rate.  Some movie theatres provide  free admission  for ‘attendants’ accompanying a disabled person.