White Cane Week takes place on the first full week of February to raise awareness of the challenges facing people like me who are living with vision loss. White Cane Week is sponsored by Canadian Council of the Blind to focus on the abilities – not disabilities – of people living with vision loss.
Although a white cane signals that a person cannot see well, many people with low vision do not use this “indicator stick” as it is called by CNIB. At a recent meeting of the CNIB Blind and Low Vision Support Group our leader, Don Horncastle, said many people are reluctant to identify themselves as blind. He told us that when he received a white cane from CNIB he “threw it in the closet and forgot about it for two years.”
There is a grief process that comes with the diagnosis of vision loss. Denial is one of the steps in grieving. Don said it takes some time before we decide to move from disability to vitality in our lives. The support group helps us to focus on abilities … what we are able to do, not what we can’t do. We can learn from others about coping skills to make everyday living more enjoyable.
Group discussion turned to the changes that decreasing vision has brought to our lives. Transportation is a big issue. There are many options for public transport, none of them perfect, but our support group can advocate for changes to make them better for people with low vision. For example, the Access bus wasn’t able to pick up blind bowlers in time for the 1 p.m. start time at the bowling alley. So upon request the Access transit drivers shifted their lunch hour to allow for pickup between noon and 1 p.n.
Several of us in the group were drivers before our eyesight failed. First one and then the other described having dreamed about driving, even though they are no longer able to see well enough to do so. It’s obvious to me that we miss the independence that driving a vehicle offered us.
The stereotype of blindness is someone for whom the world is always dark, but that is rarely the case. Almost all people who are blind can distinguish between light and dark. Blindness is often a progressive disability to which we must adapt. Perhaps you have seen the Braille markings on elevator buttons. It’s wonderful that these accommodations have been made for Braille readers but none of us in the low vision support group can read Braille. We talked about the difficulty of distinguishing between a five dollar bill and a $20 bill. There are raised markings in the upper left corner of the Canadian paper currency, but none of us in the support group has learned how to distinguish between those markings. I admitted that I rely on my debit card to tap for transactions, rather than using cash. It brought home to me that often I need to be forced before I learn new skills. Change is hard.
One of the things we cannot change is the behaviour of motorists who do not respect pedestrians at crosswalks. One of the group members said motorists do not stop even though she is using a white cane when she crosses the street. Navigating slippery uneven surfaces is challenging enough without being intimidated by a vehicle rushing past you in the intersection.
Technology helps people with low vision to live full and active lives. Regular readers of this column will know that I use the built-in accessibility features of my computer when writing this column. As Don Horncastle says, blind people can do anything, it just takes us three times as long!
The Prince Albert Blind and Low Vision Support Group meets on the fourth Wednesday afternoon of each month. To learn more contact Don Horncastle at 306 314-1860.
