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Health & Fitness

Blindsided

Lakewood's walkability rating, ease of access to public transportation, and concentration of grocery stores, restaurants, drug stores and other conveniences all work together to make this city a prime spot for people like me: blind or visually impaired, or as we in the know call it, "V.I.". And I'm not the only one who thinks so, I see lots of blind or V.I. folks when I'm out on a walk or grocery trip. I know they are blind or V.I. because, like me, they walk with a red-tipped cane. 

When I first came to the Cleveland area and began going to the Cleveland Sight Center, the counselors there recommended Lakewood as a place for me to look for an apartment or double to rent. They actually told me that a large number of their clients live in Lakewood for an abundance of reasons, including all of the ones already mentioned. We weighed all of our options, and landed in this great city joyfully. I cherish the freedoms that living here has granted me. No longer being totally dependent on someone else to give me a ride to every single place that I ever needed to go is a freedom that you can't possibly imagine until you have been in my position and lived in a city with virtually no sidewalks anywhere, minimal public transportation options, and a frighteningly high crime rate. But I digress...

The people of Lakewood have impressed me the most. Friendly, welcoming, and socially conscious, I get a real small town vibe with a real big city convenience here. Save for a few pesky quirks (think outrageous property taxes, potholes, that damned breed specific legislation- Ordinance 506.00, and trying to navigate Marc's parking lot without getting run over by a car), I really do love it here. However, having encountered several situations in which various people have become confused or bewildered by my cane use, or by my ability to look them in the eye when they spoke to me, I find myself feeling that it is incumbent upon me to take a moment to enlighten some of our local residents on the world of the blind and visually impaired. 

Just yesterday, as I was shopping at CVS, a woman shopping down the same aisle I was traveling chuckled then asked me, "What are you doing? Measuring the floors?" I took the opportunity to explain that I am legally blind, and that this is my cane to help me know if there is something in the floor that I might trip over or step on. Then she laughed again and said that she had never heard of such a thing. Now, I'm not sure if she hadn't heard of the red-tipped cane being a universal symbol of a blind person, or of a blind person being able to see enough to shop in the store...whatever it was, now she has heard of it. Not long ago, a nice gentleman stopped me in Marc's and asked, "You aren't blind are you?" When I explained that yes, I am "legally blind" but not totally blind, he very graciously said, "Well, you don't look blind at all! You really don't!" I don't really know what "blind" looks like. See, the thing is, blind looks so many different ways because there are so many different levels of blindness. Mine, for example, is related to my field of vision, not my visual acuity. Unless the lights are dim or it is night time, because I also have severe night blindness. Once the lights are out, I don't see anything that isn't directly under a light. A restricted field of vision simply means that I see pretty clearly, but only through a tiny little pinhole of an area. It's like looking through a straw. You can be standing right beside me and I won't see you until you get directly in front of me. Once you are directly in front of me, all I'll see is your nose and eyes, or your nose and lips, or your eyes and forehead, depending on where I focus my eyes. But I'll never all of your face at the same time unless you move way back, several feet away from me. Consider this: My visual acuity is 20/60, better than most glasses wearers! But, as I said, my blindness is related to my visual field. To put it in perspective, if you could see all the way around yourself, to directly behind your head, not only would you be a freak of nature, but you would have a 360 degree visual field. A normal visual field is 180 degrees. Mine is less than 5 degrees. "Blind" rarely means a person lives in complete darkness. More often than not, they have at least some level of vision. For some, they only see light spots and dark shadows. For some, they see it all, though very, very, very blurry. Others are like me and have varying degrees of a visual field. 

It's a difficult concept to understand, and I realize that, but there's a bit of etiquette that we could follow when dealing with these situations where we encounter something that we are unfamiliar with. Personally, I welcome the opportunity to answer questions. Feel free to stop me and ask if I mind a quick question. If I'm in such a hurry that I can't, I'll tell you that. But chances are that I'll happily stop to take the question. 

So in the future, if you see someone with a white cane with a red tip, remember that they are either blind or visually impaired. Remember that they may see you, and they may not, so it is good to announce yourself  and ask if they want assistance before you grab their arm to show them the way across the street. Chances are, they will decline your offer of assistance, being quite adept at navigating all by themselves. And if you see a person with that cane and they are reading a label, there's no reason to snicker or smirk, or stare in disbelief... Just remember that maybe they have vision like mine. And if you have questions, if your child has questions, really, it's okay to stop us and ask if we mind a question or two. Personally, I'll look forward to talking with you when you see me out!

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