Me Versus

Me vs. Pouring Drinks

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Me vs. Pouring Drinks

Pouring yourself a drink. That is something that I bet the vast majority of people think nothing about doing for themselves. Easy, peasy, right? Now, imagine pouring yourself say, a cup of hot coffee while wearing a blindfold. Still easy? Nope. Not at all.

In my case, I can see a little out of one eye so it is not as much of a challenge as it is for those who are completely blind. For me, the issues are a combination of minimal depth perception combined with struggling with color contrast. This is especially a problem in lower-light environments.

SO how do I deal with it. Like with all things, I modify and adapt as best as I can. In the case of pouring coffee that I mentioned above, I tend to pour slowly and listen for when it sounds like it is getting full. These things help but as Hot Wife can attest, my record is not flawless. Let’s just say, messes have been made.

A lack of depth perception is something that most people can at least understand. Just cover one of your eyes and try to catch a tossed ball or reach for something on the counter. It is much more difficult than you would think. In my case, I also struggle to differentiate between colors that do not have a lot of contrast. Pouring lemonade into a lightcolored glass or coffee into a brown mug are good examples. The liquid just fills up and I barely notice before it is already overflowing. Super annoying, and not just for me I am sure. I could choose just the perfect contrasting color cup to go with whatever beverage and that would help but who has time for that?

When I am not pouring piping hot liquid, I can use the tip of one of my fingers to feel when I am getting close to filling up the glass. A show we used to watch had a funny phrase for this. The main character was fully blind and when his kids asked him to pour them a juice, he mentioned that they’d be getting “finger juice,” since he used his finger to measure when the cup was full. I definitely wash my hands prior to doing this and generally only do this on my own drinks, but “finger water” and “finger tea” might happen from time to time. To be safe, if you come over and I offer your a beverage, maybe pour it yourself.

Me vs. Braille

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Me vs. Braille

What a fascinating thing the tactile language of braille is. It utilizes a set of raised dots in a grid to represent each letter of the alphabet, plus numbers and punctuation. There is even a more advanced version called contracted braille that combines common letter groupings to make reading more efficient. It is hard to imagine that dots could convey all of that information through the touch of a finger, but it does.

What is almost as fascinating as the language itself is the history behind it. The story of how the written word has been translated into a language for the blind is a long and wandering one. One of my favorite podcasts, 99% Invisible, recently had an episode entitled The Universal Page. This episode provided a great overview of this history, along with looking at current trends and needs in this space. I highly recommend giving it a listen and reading the post that accompanies it. Notable to me was the emphasis placed on the need for involving individuals with visual disabilities in the development of new tools and methods. Who better to involve in the process than those who need it most?

I myself have always been hesitant to learn braille. I have even had some opportunities to take classes several years ago but I declined. At the time it just didn’t seem necessary considering all the digital tools and audio options that were out there. However, if I am being completely honest, it was more a matter of pride that was really motivating my hesitation. Deep down, by learning braille I felt like it would be an admission of need and I was not yet ready to do that.

Lately I have begun to feel my perspective shifting. My recent blog posts are evidence of that shift along with a realization that my blindness is an integral part of what makes me unique. It does not define me but it is a massive factor in how I live life. To fight this is to fight myself and that really makes no sense. I began to look into options for learning braille and came across Hadley via the American Foundation for the Blind website. Hadley offers braille training through correspondence courses, free of charge, along with a variety of other resources. After doing some reading on the site, I registered and received confirmation that I will begin in a few weeks.

I am excited to take this step. The time just feels right.

Me vs. Carlsbad Caverns National Park

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Me vs. Carlsbad Caverns National Park

rock formations in the Caverns

A blind man walks into a cave.

Sounds like the opening line of a joke doesn’t it? I have always been fascinated with the array of National and State Parks that dot our country. Of course, most of this fascination has been more intellectual in nature, as I am not an “outdoorsy” guy. I know that I am not the only computer nerd that prefers the indoors, stereotypes do exist for a reason. Recently however, I have been making noises about trying to do more travelling around our area. To try and make some memories by visiting some of the Parks and Monuments that are within a day-trip distance of our home in Lubbock, Texas.

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Me vs. The World

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Me vs. The World

Sometimes I feel like the world is out to get me.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I feel like the world that I live in is not particularly well suited for me. You see, I cannot see, at least not very well. I am legally blind. What “legally blind” means, in my case, is that I am completely blind in one eye and I have considerable loss of vision in my other eye. I have had nearly thirty eye surgeries throughout my life. Most of which came before the age of eighteen, dealing with issues like retinal detachments, glaucoma and cataracts.

Throughout my childhood and early adult years, I was able to live a relatively normal life. I played sports in high school, was a voracious reader of books of all sorts, built my own computers, played video games and drove myself where I needed to go. As my vision worsened as I entered my thirties. Many of those things that I used to be able to do easily had to go away or change drastically. Now, in my mid-forties, I am having to continue to adjust and learn how to live in a world that is designed for the fully sighted. It has not been easy and I want to talk about it.

This will be the first in what will be an ongoing series of articles about living in this world as a blind person. This initial post introduces you to me and will serve as a starting point. At the very least, I hope to put into words what my experiences are on a day to day basis. I will strive to address what I have done using technology and other methods to continue to enjoy those things I love. Additionally, I hope to shed a light on how much more needs to be done in our world for those with visual disabilities and advocate for change.

Is the world out to get me? No. But I’d love to go out and get the world.