The link at the bottom of this blog post is to read my gorgeous friend Esthers story.
This is her story about her trip to go see Beyonce in London.
It hurts and upsets me so much to see this amazing young woman upset in this way by unthinking and uncaring people who haven’t the common sense to make the right decisions.
She was so excited about it.
She just wanted to see her favourite singer. Same as everyone else there. Not treated astonishingly shabbily by jumped up people with zero interest, zero compassion.
I’ve also just been speaking to my boyfriend Richard, whom also has a story about the same venue. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. These are his words.
“I am severe sight impaired and use a long cane. In 2021 I booked a ticket at Tottenham Hotspur to see an NFL game. I also booked a companian ticket and had to provide proof of my visual impairment. They decided to put me in the disabled section and when I arrived on the day of the game my seat had been removed to allow for a wheelchair. So the first 45 minutes of the game I spent standing up – it was humiliating, until they put me a seat in. Absolutely hopeless”
What on earth are they thinking treating visually impaired people like this! How dare they! It’s NOT on at all.
I feel sometimes I ought to give up bleating on about Inclusivity, awareness. Give up blogging when I see unbelievable errors like this. Trying to educate people about what visual impairments overall spectrum of sight really means. The misconceptions. The stereotypes that sighted people get all too wrong. That’s another blog post for later though.
It happens all too often unfortunately.
I’m half way through writing a blog about more discrimination in my hometown. More soon…
I’ve been away for a few nights with my buddies and we all had a fab time. Well needed and a long time coming for me, as I hadn’t been to foreign climbs for 15 years! Due to one thing or another.
Certainly different from the seeing world I was in last time I went. I had 20/20 vision back then. Unbeknownst to me, the genetic condition I had lurking inside me. Ready to show itself 5 years later on.
With careful walking and being mindful, (I did notice steps in the part of Tenerife I was in didn’t have any markers or contrasting colours at all to make it easier for visually impaired people to walk down them safely, but there usually was a useful handrail) it was all good and far less stressful in all than I thought it would be.
It also helped that my friend read bits of menu to me, mainly the seafood, tapas section although a breakfast was lovely for a change. The ladies also helped me with the coins in my change, reading prices for things, explained what items were etc.
Euro notes are also so much easier for me to read because the numbers are so big. Bigger than the UKs numbers on our notes anyway.
I also knew that if I came a cropper they would help. Which made the whole thing alot more relaxing for me.
Still alot more concentration, taking time to grasp what was in front of me and trying to process everything from all angles at a steady pace, whilst looking at the floor is an art in itself. I’ve learnt to just give myself a chance and be patient. I can’t rush, as that’s when accidents happen. A far cry from the carefree days of not having to think about all this, but to look at me now you wouldn’t even know I was doing all this just by looking at me. Like a swan gliding along, with the little legs going underneath ☺️.
I know I should get my phone out for reading stuff by myself, my magnifier, or use the Be my eyes app. I did a few times take a photo or a screenshot and zoom for reading a receipt, working our bills out. I should do this all the time. I just used everyone else’s eyes instead as I also trusted them all to be truthful with the amount it stated on the bill.
Now the one thing I always moan on about is my Photophobic eyes.
My sunglasses, coupled with wearing a hat, saved eye pain and glare. A few times I stupidly took them off for a bit in the shade and later on they were hurting, but they honestly saved me this holiday. They aren’t something I would ever wear before, but now I HAVE to. Even in the shaded areas.
I bought a beaded chain for my sunglasses as when we went shopping they were on off, on off, and saved me carrying them and at risk of popping them down and losing them completely. I wouldn’t be able to replace them, as ordinary sunglasses just wouldn’t have the correct protection.
They are essential to me and one of the most important things I own now. No doubt about it. I always have to have them with me.
Has anyone got anymore tips for traveling?
PD 1 A pair of black Cocoon sunglasses placed on a grey mesh sunlounger from the top view. They have a multicoloured string of beads attached to the ends of them to wear around the neck.PD 2 An orange sunset over the mountains in the background. The lights of Los Christianos, Playa de Las Americas, Costa Adeja are all lit up. Steps leading down into the street, the way into the town in the foreground.PD 3 A selfie photograph of myself, facing towards the camera. I’m a white woman with long blonde hair. A black bucket hat on my head. A pair of black cocoon sunglasses on my face. Chairs and tables are behind me. PD 4 A photograph of a receipt I took so I could zoom in and work out the amounts we each spent. The printed text on the receipt is in Spanish and is for A cheese, ham and onion baguette, 3 breakfasts and 4 Lattes in Playa de Las Americas.
The very funny comedian and now dancer, Chris McCausland, is showing everyone and bringing awareness to just what people with visual impairment CAN do.
He’s dancing up a treat on Strictly Come Dancing in the UK and it must be so freeing being able to move freely, unrestricted and still feel safe.
Chris, 47, lost his sight at the age of 22 due to a hereditary condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. However, the dad of one admitted it happened so “slowly” since he was born, that he didn’t pay it much attention.
So that is genetic like Stargardt’s Disease, but this affects the peripheral vision rather than central like my condition.
VIDEO DESCRIPTION Chris. Brown short hair. Dressed in a white striped shirt and contrasting dark striped tie with a grey waistcoat. Stands talking to the presenter Claudia Winkleman infront of a group of people including his bright red haired dancing partner Dianne Buswell.
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