June was a month filled with travel for me. As I maneuvered my way around bustling airports and unfamiliar hotels, my marshmallow-tipped white cane leading the way, I encountered the joys and challenges of blind travel. While the majority of the public are respectful and kind, there are some rare “gems” that inspired me to write another round of thank you notes.
Dedicated to my Daring sisters who met me in Salt Lake City in early June and know how to find the humor in blind travel.
Thank you public restrooms, for having such a variety of flushing mechanisms, causing me to fumble around in a small area where the dirtiest of germs are lurking on every possible surface. I am especially grateful for the toilets that flush before I have even finished doing my business.
Yours Truly,
On the Go Joe
Thank you stranger on my left, for keeping pace with me as I walk to baggage claim. Yes, YOU, the one who thinks that I cannot see you slowing down when I slow down, and speeding up when I speed up. Thank you for being my silent companion, ensuring that I get safely to my destination.
Gratefully,
Peeping Back at You Tom
Dearest Airport Security, Words can hardly express how thankful I am for your awkward gestures, vague instructions, and patronizing tone. I may not have graduated from the same Ivy League college as you, so I am grateful that you talk to me as if I am 5 years old. The way you instantly turn on your baby voice and say “good girl, good girl” as I walk through the screening process makes me wonder if you are about to tickle my chin. But instead, you swipe my palms and send me on my way with a look that assures me of your pity.
There were all the usual ingredients for a fantastic getaway weekend with the girls: gourmet cuisine, a scenic backdrop for an invigorating hike, shopping for matching Alex and Ani bracelets, endless peanut m&m’s, and lots of laughter. But this girl’s weekend also Continue reading “The Dare”→
I said to my supervising teacher, “You gave me such stellar reviews from my student teaching, and I feel like I described my teaching style and goals really well in my interview. I have a 4.0 GPA, and the students loved me! Did the principal say anything to you about why he didn’t hire me?”
Photo Credit: Morry Angell, Guide Dogs for the Blind
It’s 1983, and two curly-haired 5 year-old girls sit on their dad’s lap, staring into a screen of flashing lights. They hold their heads back as doctors place stinging drops into their matching hazel eyes, and they wonder what all the fuss is about. Continue reading “Women on the Move: Jenelle Landgraf (repost)”→
(with adaptations for moms who are visually impaired)
I’m not a crafty mom. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m not even on Pinterest. I’m usually too tired for big projects that involve more than one or two steps. I also have a visual impairment, which doesn’t help. Basically, if I can do this with my kids, so can you!
Why the sudden desire to do a homemade project?
Well, I recently started homeschooling my 2 creative, amazing daughters, ages 6 and 9, and I feel like they deserve some fun, interactive projects. Continue reading “Simple Soap Making For Kids”→
photo description: Joy speaking on stage at GDB Legacy Luncheon with Roja by her side. [Photo credit: Morry Angell, Guide Dogs for the Blind]Just when I thought Joy was finished with all her little surprises (i.e. relocating me from Santa Barbara to Chicago, dressing me in lion costumes, and parading my stellar guide work skills all over schools), she pulled out the big one: a stage. Yep, an actual stage with a bunch of humans staring at me (more than usual, that is).
The bonus? It was back where I was born. In fact, we even stayed in a room that looked just like the one I first met Joy in, back in training (if I weren’t at the top of my game, I would have been nervous she was exchanging me! But nope, she needs me too much. Yep, I’m THAT good….) Continue reading “New Dog on the Block”→
Happy Mother’s Day from Doublevision Blog! In honor of Mother’s Day, we are sharing words of wisdom from mothers we respect and admire.
“Mothers don’t need to “see” in order to love; we simply “feel” it. The depths of emotion we have for our children takes root within each of our souls. Never let another person’s words cause you to doubt this unshakable bond. Always remember, loving your child requires no “special” accommodations.”
As a mother, I am guilty of comparing myself to other mothers, and sometimes judgement follows. Sometimes it is judgement towards myself (Why can’t I be more patient with my kids like that other mother at the park?), and sometimes my judgement is directed towards another mom (Wow, she sure lets her kids run the show!) But when I’m in a good healthy state of mind, I focus on learning from the mothers around me. I observe their empathetic language and attempt to use that same tone when my child is having a meltdown rather than fueling the tantrum with my own frustration. I observe how they put away their cell phones, and get down in the sand to build a sand castle with their child at the beach, and I feel encouraged to fully engage with my own children.
Most recently, I’ve been learning some amazing lessons about motherhood from a fellow blogger, Holly Bonner, author of “Blind Motherhood”. I’ve gleaned so much from this honest, witty, unstoppable mama, and knew instantly that our readers would want to meet her, too. If you haven’t met before, I’m pleased to introduce you to Holly Bonner.
Blind Motherhood by Holly Bonner
Welcome to Blindmotherhood.com! I’m Holly Bonner, a 36 year old, wife, mother and social worker! After completing chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2012, I became legally blind from a neurological condition. Thrust into a much darker world, I went from the role of social work practitioner to the part of disabled client in need of services. With months of training in technology, mobility and ADL (adult daily living) skills; I finally began to feel like I could confidently rejoin the land of the living with my trusty white cane by my side. Then, what doctors had said was impossible happened, I got pregnant! Doctors….LOL! What do they know, right? Continue reading “Blind Motherhood”→
After a 4-day cross-country road trip, our family moved into our new home in Southern California last week. Moving into a new space is exciting, as it’s a chance to reorganize, switch out furniture and experiment with new decorating styles. It can be a tad stressful, however, especially for someone with low vision. Learning and memorizing new layouts while trying to figure out the most functional aesthetic way to set up all of your things can feel daunting, particularly when you are accustomed to having a very specific place for each item.
In our case, we had to fit all of our belongings in a 16 ft. storage pod prior to moving, which meant that we had to part with a lot of stuff, including our couches and kitchen table. Hence, we’ve spent the first week both unpacking and re-buying furniture and organizational items. I’ve definitely learned a few things this week that I’d like to pass on to our readers.
Whether you’re reorganizing while spring cleaning or moving into a new home, here are some tips to get you started:
1 – Clear the floors of all clutter. Visually impaired or not, visual clutter sucks the life out of life. During the first few days here, I kept tripping over shoes, leashes and purses (most of which were mine!), as all of these items seemed to congregate in our living room by the front door. I knew that tossing all of our shoes into the small hall closet would be disastrous when it came time to locate the shoes and head out the front door. So we just kept leaving the shoes out, but even when they were nicely lined up by the door, they were taking up coveted floor space and stressing me out (first world problems, I know!) On one particularly cranky evening, on our 4th or 5th evening here, I grabbed my purse and announced, “I’ve had enough of this! We’re going out shopping and not returning without a hanging shoe rack!” And now our shoes hang quietly in the closet, not daring to bother this clutter buster.
Photo description: Closet with an organizer for shoes
2 – Call in the troops! Fortunately, my parents came to town the day after we moved in, so they were with us for the first week’s transition and helped out a TON! Whether helping to set up shelving, playing with the kids, or unpacking and organizing bins, they definitely earned their “free” room during their 11-day visit! If you have neighbors, friends or family who are willing to lend a hand, take them up on it! And don’t be shy about reaching out to ask for help. Moving is not the time for prideful independence!
Photo description: Joy and family with Joy’s parents, eating at a table in a scenic outdoor setting.Photo description: shelves waiting to be filled in a garagePhoto description: microwave with tactile bumps placed on certain buttons.
3 – Make shelving a priority. In an expensive, population-dense area like SoCal, every inch of space matters. Even though we were accustomed to living in a small house in Illinois and are renting a decent-sized townhouse, we lost our basement and barn storage, so we’re relying heavily on our 2-car garage here (the upside of being a one-car family!). My husband got some awesome, inexpensive shelves from Lowes, which have helped us get organized. Shelving is always worth the extra money and effort because you can’t put a price tag on sanity!
4 – Tactile bumps are your appliances’ best friend. Learning to operate my new appliances was one of my biggest visual challenge, which is probably why I waited several days before even attempting to tackle it (seriously, my parents did 5 or 6 loads of laundry the first several days here before I even ventured to find the lightswitch to the laundry room!) Once ready, however, I mastered my appliances rapidly, one-by-one, beginning with the washer and dryer. Since our previous basement washer and dryer were around 50 years old with no bells and whistles, the new sounds that chirped out of these appliances left me both intimidated and exhilarated. Fortunately, none of them are touch-screen, so tactile bumps placed on certain key buttons are the perfect accessible solution. My mom carefully went through each button and setting with me, and I scoured over them as if preparing for an exam (those pop laundry quizzes really sneak up on you) I put raised tactical stickers on the settings I would be choosing most often and memorized the buttons in between those. And then I moved on to the kitchen, where my dad walked me through the stove, oven and microwave. Since I have a double oven for the first time in my life, I felt pretty crafty putting all round raised dots to symbolize buttons that coincided with the top oven and square-shaped bumps for buttons associated with the lower oven. The microwave was a bit trickier at first, but after affixing stickers to certain numbers, cook time, and the start button, it too became a cinch. The dishwasher buttons proved to be the trickiest, as they’re located on top of the door where it closes, so raised bumps were not an option. But the buttons themselves were slightly raised, and the “normal” cycle is 3 in from the left, and the “dry” button is 3 in from the right, so those ended up being easy to memorize. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without these tactile bumps to orient my fingers and brain….such a simple accommodation that makes a huge difference! 5 – Take breaks, be grateful and have fun! Moving is ranked among the top most stressful life events for a reason. It’s hard. You’re relocating a bunch of stuff that you didn’t realize you still had, you’re grieving the loss of neighbors, friends and family that you will no longer see daily, and you’re trying to figure out how to fit things in unfamiliar drawers and cabinets. So be extra kind to yourself. I know it’s cliche, and I am probably the worst example of taking the time to enjoy such tasks, but the few times that someone was able to convince me to take a walk (or an early morning ocean trip!), made such a difference in my energy and stress level.
Gratitude continues to be the way to navigate through any stressful scenario. Yes, there is a new house to figure out, but be thankful that there is a house to figure out. Yes, there are lots of belongings to unpack and organize, but be thankful that there are lots of belongings (or be so fed up that you give a bunch of them away!) And yes, there are lots of changes and transitions to navigate, but be thankful that life would offer such adventure!
Like most guide dogs, Roja does great on car rides, though our family’s recent 4-day excursion from Illinois to California really put us to the test. As we enter spring and summer and the season of road trips, I thought I’d pass along some travel tips I learned along the way!
1. Prep and pack well. Lay the essentials out the night before you leave, to ensure you don’t forget any of your precious pup’s items. Be sure to include: food, dog bowls (collapsible travel bowls if you’re tight on car space), dog bed/rug/crate (depending on preference and space, harness, leash, grooming kit for teeth and hair, small toy or bone, gentle leader, a tie down, and poop bags. You may also want to pack special high-reward treats if you foresee transition issues. And if you don’t already have bottled water packed for yourself, make sure to at least pack some for your pup. You can certainly get water at rest stops, but if you’re trying to make good time on the road, the stops might be few and far between.
I did remember to pack most of Roja’s items but I made the mistake of not condensing them to one bag, which made it difficult to locate items, such as the grooming kit, when I needed them.
2. Avoid areas that may contain ticks and fleas. One of my friend’s pet dogs contracted Lyme disease from a tick at a rest area en route to California a few years ago. As you encounter new terrain, especially at rest stops in rural or wooded areas, ticks can be a concern. The risk of pesky fleas or even Lyme diseases may be higher than you’re used to in your area. If your dog is pretty good at relieving on pavement, that’s your best bet. If they prefer grass or shrubs, try to stay close to the building and in lower, mowed grass.
3. Be wary of shady gas stations in the middle of nowhere. We learned this in the middle of New Mexico. As we started to exit our Subaru, a stray dog came running up to Roja, and since my husband wasn’t sure whether this dog would be friendly with Roja (or was even vaccinated!), he quickly put Roja back in the car, closing her tail in the door. Since Roja is so quiet, we didn’t even know it was stuck until our 6-year-old, who was next to Roja, started sobbing. “Mom! Rojas tail is in the door!” Since my husband was using the restroom, I opened the door to free her tail, which was just enough time for the mangy stray to jump in our car. I tried to lift the filthy dog out, but it wriggled out of my grasp. I opened the door, and both dogs ran out. I finally reigned Roja back in and then used the bathroom, which had the distinct smell of a barnyard. Oh, and the gas pumped so slow at this station that it had only reached $5.00 worth of guess in the 20 minutes we were there! And that’s what you may encounter in rural New Mexico!
4. Doggie breath mints and water should be within arm’s reach at all times. Roja doesn’t typically have very bad breath, at least not like some of my friends’ dogs. But the combination of anxiety over traveling and the disruption of regular feeding/water schedule must produce some extra toxins because her breath was rancid! Roja was directly behind me, at my daughters’ feet, and I could always tell when her velvety head had poked up between our seats to say hello, as the stench of dead fish wafted over the center console. Unfortunately, I did not pack any greenies. I did brush her teeth one night at the hotel, which helped, but I wished I had something to just pop in her mouth in the car!
By day two, I learned to have her water dish with a bottle of water at my feet so that I could put water on the console at a moment’s notice, as she didn’t always want to drink at rest stops but then would end up panting between stops. Originally, we were keeping her dog bowl in the very back behind the suitcases, which was impossible to access unless we were stopped.
It’s 1983, and two curly-haired 5 year-old girls sit on their dad’s lap, staring into a screen of flashing lights. They hold their heads back as doctors place stinging drops into their matching hazel eyes, and they wonder what all the fuss is about. 
