Back in the Saddle!

A lot has happened since my last posting. Unfortunately my eyesight is still slowly deteriorating but I am sleeping better. Nobody has let me drive their car lately. That’s probably a good thing. Up to this point many of my postings have focused on how my blindness affects other people’s behavior. My next posting or two will focus on how blindness affects my own behavior. Intra-spection can be somewhat disconcerting since I will be addressing my own behavior, good or bad, strange or normal. In the mean time, a hardy thanks to my viewers and a special thanks to Shannon for her comments and taking the time to read my blog.

Crossing the Street, Without Being Hit

After my last post, you may be thinking, “That darn fool needs to be careful”. And maybe he does. You may also wonder how someone who is blind gets around anyway. Although I utilize my residual vision for mobility, I have been trained to do so without any sight. (I confess that I prefer using eyesight but am capable of getting around without it.) The video demonstrates me crossing a busy intersection (much busier than the one where I almost got hit) and I briefly discuss why crosswalk beepers are not effective. Although I am grateful the city is mindful of the needs of the disabled, it is unlikely anyone asked us if this was a good idea. (The issue of beeping crosswalks is controversial among the blind community with people supporting them and others not. After watching the video you will understand why I am not a fan of them.)



Natalie was afraid that while videoing me crossing the street, she might witness me getting hit and would be forever traumatized. I have been legally blind since 1985(ish) and have been hit only once. And that was intentional.

Smacking the BMW!

Can you imagine almost hitting someone with your car, someone using a white cane, and then telling him he should stay indoors? As I crossed the intersection a BMW decided to make a left turn, missing me by less than a foot. As the car drove by, my cat-like reflexes instinctively kicked in and my 63-inch, metal-tipped fiberglass cane smacked the driver’s door. After getting to the other side of the intersection I indicated to the driver that I was going to a near-by bus stop and suggested we discuss the situation there. The car went to the parking lot next to the bus stop. (Yes, I realize this was not the best way to deal with the situation and I was somewhat concerned that a person the size of Hulk Hogan would emerge.) Out stepped a short, middle-aged blonde who threatened to call the police. I encouraged her to do so, informing her she would have a difficult time explaining to the police how it was my fault that she almost hit me. After a few minutes of fuming she started to get back in her car and as a parting shot, remarked that blind people should be indoors. At this point I had to just walk away to avoid losing my temper.

Blindness & Technology- KNFB Reader Phone

This posting is the first in a series that will demonstrate how many of the challenges of blindness can be overcome, or at least minimized, through technology. The KNFB reader combines Optical character Recognition software (OCR) with a high quality camera/cell phone. I can scan a bill, book cover, correspondence, or most print material and have the phone read it to me audibly. If I want to get fancy, I can email the images or documents to myself. Although it is very useful for reading menus, bills or letters, it is not practical for reading materials that are more than a few pages, such as a book. Vocational Rehab purchased it so I could read handouts that would be given to me while in class. Here is the viedeo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72VeC0X1Ejc


Here is the blooper video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZxxLs9nCpo

Note: My use of video is a work in progress. In the future I will limit videos to two or three minutes. Also, a special thanks to my daughter Natalie who is my photographer.

Race, Respect & Blindness

When I first moved to OKC, I did not use a white cane. I was still trying to function like a sighted person. When I rode the bus I was just another passenger using public transportation to get from point A to point B. Actually, that wasn't entirely true. Many times I was the only white person on the bus. Initially I was somewhat uncomfortable being so conspicuous but soon got over it. But two years ago I began using the cane as I travelled and observed some interesting changes. Most people were more courteous, or at least less discourteous, than when I didn’t use my cane. However it is not surprising since many people are likely to be more sympathetic to an individual with an obvious disability than someone without a disability. What is surprising is the difference of how I am treated by blacks and whites. Black people are more likely to address me as "Sir" or hold the door open for me than whites. I don't really want anyone to open a door for me as I am capable of doing so on my own. However, I do appreciate the concern and it sure beats somebody waving their hand in front of my face just to see if I'm really blind. (This actually happened to me and I used a great deal of restraint not knocking him out cold.) But I digress. My point is black people are more likely to demonstrate respect to me than whites. I have no idea why this happens but it does.

Bonuses for Being Blind!

Note- Image of new digital audio book player from Library of Congress.

You probably didn’t know but there are some perks for being blind. The first has to do with the IRS. I get an extra exemption for being blind when filing a return. I can also earn more money than someone who is not blind and still keep my Social Security DisabilityInsurance payment. If I am self-employed I can earn even more without my SSDI being affected. This is probably to offset the absurdly-high cost of self-employment tax I would have to pay.

Another benefit is free education through Vocational Rehabilitation. Actually its not free since you and your grandchildren will be paying for it, so thanks. However I did take advantage of this and earned a BS in Speech Communication from the University of Utah. Just like SSDI, if yu are blind, you get better benefits than those with another disability. Everything for my degree was covered. I even tried to get my Rehab counselor to buy me a pistol for a marksmanship class. That didn’t fly. I am grateful for my education, and I have put it to good use. But Voc Rehab is a colossal waste of tax-payer dollars. But that’s another story for a different blog.

The other advantage for being blind is access to audio books from the Library of Congress. (Its ironic that a person who loves reading as much as I do, can’t read like I want too.) The LOC provides qualified individuals with audio books on tape or in a new, digital format. All narrators are professional readers and if the book has been translated into English, the narrator must be fluent in English and the book’s original language. So when I listened to Les Miserables, (Victor Hugo’s classic) I heard all the French phrases and names pronounced in perfect French. The new digital format allows me to accelerate the reading rate with almost no audio distortion. This means I can listen to a book with a nine-hour reading time in less than six hours!

Baby Steps!

Last year I began a half hearted attempt at braille. I sort of, kind of practiced while commuting to school in Edmond but would soon replace my braille manual for the sounds of FM radio. But today was the first time I practiced braille knowing that I had to learn it and I was actually a little nervous. It took a high degree of concentration. I spent over an hour reading two pages whose words were limited to the first five letters of the alphabet. And so begins my first steps into the world of braille literacy and independence.

To Glen Beck

Note: This email was sent to Glen Beck. Mr. Beck’s comment reflects the greatest challenge to blindness, perceptions.

Yesterday, June 28th,part of your show’s conversation centered on an unusual topic: If you had to choose one of the body’s senses to lose, which would it be. You mentioned that losing your sight would be the least desirable as you love to read. Like you, I share your passion for reading despite being legally blind. However, I have read almost 20 books this year, so far, by using audio books from the National Library for the Blind. However, I am not limited to reading what the NLB provides. I can use a screen-reading program (JAWS) to read information from my computer, such as your website, or I can scan pages into the computer and use another program that performs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and then reads the entire file audibly. One advantage of using JAWS or Open Book is I can change the reading rate to fit my needs. I usually read at 300 words per minute. Can you do that? Additionally, if I am out and about I can use my cell phone (KNFB Reader phone) to read a menu or other item. The phone takes the picture and then performs OCR on the document and then it reads it audibly.

My blog, blynkofaneye.blogspot.com may interest you. I am losing my residual vision and the blog is my therapy. It describes my journey into blindness, the good, the bad, and sometimes, the funny.

Respectfully,
Thomas Taylor

P.S. I imagine some of your listeners might have been offended by the “Goldline” fake eye comment. I thought it was funny but a reference to the James Bond movie, “Golden Eye” would have been more appropriate.

Stress Relief, Martial Arts and Long Curly Hair

When I decided to create my blog, I wanted to have a blog that was unique, candid and interesting. So this post will include a short video clip of me showing off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH00JYBnePU

I have been practicing nunchaku for over 20 years. Generally speaking, if you stick with anything that long you are bound to get fairly good. But I must give credit where credit is due. I owe my expertise to Teri. (If you know my wife Teri, you are probably scratching your head right now!) When we were first married, she had long curly hair- high maintenance hair and it was not uncommon for her to take an hour and a half to get ready to go out. I took advantage of this time by practicing my martial arts and over the years have used it as an outlet for stress relief.

Lost Treasure

Words are inadequate to describe the grandeur of the changing hues of the early morning sky, a majestic backdrop to the passing, scattered clouds. As the sun ascends to take its place, the darkness has no choice but to relinquish its hold and give way to the greater power of the ruling light. I never grow tired of watching the waxing and waning of our solar system’s star. If my eyesight fades completely, I will consider not being able to witness the rising and setting of the sun as a lost treasure. Note- This is not the sunrise I saw this morning in OKC.

To the Circus!

Going to Wal-Mart is always an interesting experience even when vision is normal. I like to think of Wal-Mart as a human circus. There is always someone with an outlandish hairdo, someone on the verge of beating their small child in public or the individual who feels compelled to leave their cart blocking the aisle and totally oblivious that others might need to pass. Occasionally there is the lady who wants everyone to know she is the next singing sensation and shares her talent with everyone in the store. And my personal favorite is the person driving the electric scooter who nearly runs me down. This morning I had a new experience. My good eye was almost impaled by a fishing rod that was left in a cart. A cart in the middle of the checkout aisle used to hold items that needed to be returned to their proper location. Can you imagine the lawsuit? Blind man sues WalMart after having eye impaled by misplaced fishing rod. Later, I will share with you some interesting phenomena that I have noticed as I travel to various places.

Reality Check

Recently I had lunch with a (sighted) friend who asked me what I was doing to prepare for the loss of my eyesight. I told him that I was working on improving my proficiency with some computer skills and needed to get better at braille. But the truth is I am not doing much at all. In reality, I'm doing nothing. I am slowly but surely going blind and I'm doing almost nothing. And as Teri pointed out, I am not prepared. I owe it to my family and myself to face the challenge and not avoid it.

Fading Out

I don't want to go blind. But then again, who would want to? My eyesight is deteriorating because of fluid seeping into my retina. Now I know what you are thinking. At least you have your other eye. But that is not true. My other eye is totally blind. In essence, I am blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other. In addition to going blind, I don't sleep well. Those who are visually impaired or blind suffer from disrupted sleep cycles and my situation is compounded by the distortions that I see 24/7 and even when my eyes are closed. The most frustrating aspect of my current situation is that I cannot really function as I would like. But as I told my father, it could be worse. I could be smitten with a condition that makes life unbearable. Since I enjoy writing and need a positive way to deal with going blind, I decided to share my experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly. I hope you will find value in reading my blog just as I will be strengthened in sharing my life with you. In short, this is my therapy.