We’ve all closed our eyes for a moment or two wondering what it would be like if our vision was gone.
And no matter what we attempt to do in that brief amount of time – whether it’s tying your shoe, changing the station on your television or trying to punch in the right amount of time on your microwave – we find that completing even the most simple of tasks isn’t all that easy anymore. It’s actually more like next to impossible. Thankfully for me, I can open my eyes and eventually complete the task as I normally would. But for those with vision loss or total blindness, that’s not the case.
So when I took a trip to the New Hampshire Association for the Blind headquarters last week, I knew there would be some experimentation of what I could do without the use of sight. I actually welcomed the challenge to see exactly what it was like to try and maneuver around a space totally unfamiliar, like people with affected vision have to do on a daily basis.
But luckily it was done in a controlled environment. It’s not like they dropped me off on the corner of Main Street and said “good luck.” If that was the case, I probably would have sat down on the sidewalk (that’s if I could find it) and waited for someone to help.
After checking out some of the advanced technology for those with low vision, like the Max TV glasses, CC TVs and Ruby (a video magnifier), it was time to see what it would be like to be totally blind.
So on went the blindfold and I even shut my eyes for good measure, just to make sure that I was completely sightless. Just standing there was not so bad. It was when I was mobile that things got a little more intense – or scary, you might say.
At first, Jewett O’Connor, a vision rehabilitation therapist and mobility specialist, was my guide. I was about a half-step behind him, while holding on to his right arm with my left hand. Despite the fact that O’Connor had the gift of sight and was no way going to put me in harm’s way, I still had this feeling that I was going to run into something. It was almost like when you get up to get a glass of water in the middle of the night at a friend’s house you’re not familiar with. And during those moments, I almost always stub my toe or run into something, so I was on high alert.
During my maiden voyage, I felt as though I was going to hit my arm on a doorway or bump my head. We actually covered quite a bit of ground, even with me taking baby steps the entire way, and I’m happy to say I didn’t run into one thing. I even managed to sit down on a few different occasions. But that was easy because I love sitting. It’s one of my favorite things to do outside of lying down.
Then it was time to venture out on my own. With a white cane in my right hand fitted with a roller on the end (and my left arm ready to help), I passed through doorways, hallways and just about any other kind of throughway the association’s building had to offer. Yet even as my confidence grew, my steps stayed short and my fear of hitting my head remained. Man, did I probably look a little funny. Sure wish there was a video.
But my greatest challenge was still ahead of me – going down the stairs. I slowly made my way to the edge and securely grabbed the railing with one hand. I used the cane to stabilize as I stepped down and truth be told, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But I’m also saying that now, after completing the task.
The main thing I learned was how my other senses made up for my lack of sight. O’Connor had me walk down a hallway in the basement, with him as my guide, and asked me to tell him when we entered a large activity room. And I did so within two steps. Gold star for me.
But making my way to the outside world is a different story. And one to try another day.
