Cane Adventures

Bold, Blind & Beautiful?

November 15, 2018November 12, 2018 BlondeHistorian4 Comments

Two side by side photos. One Amy's plain blonde hair from the back, the other Amy's hair with the light pink to hot pink to purple fade at the of her hair.

I don’t really consider myself very fashionable. I’ve never had a massive interest in clothes. I wear makeup somewhat begrudgingly and constantly feel like I’m probably getting it wrong. My wardrobe contains more PJs than nice dresses. A recent transition to a new job has meant I’ve had to dress a bit more professionally in… Continue reading Bold, Blind & Beautiful?

A Blind American in London

November 12, 2018 Justin1 Comment

London Bridge, a grey atmospheric cloudy sky with sun breaking through.

My wife and I love to travel. We’re blessed to have the financial freedom to be able to do it, and her job working for American Airlines goes a long way towards making those travels happen. When we both have a week off, you can bet that we’re going to be on a plane heading… Continue reading A Blind American in London

Cane Accessories

November 4, 2018November 4, 2018 BlondeHistorian1 Comment

A long white cane with a rollerball pointing out from the right hand corner of the photo. Shot from above the cane is resting on a drain cover in the middle of a pavement.

Ironically, visual impairment is often an invisible disability. That is until you use a white cane. Thinking back, I recognise how many coping mechanisms I had developed to compensate for the absence of a mobility aid like a white cane. From my slow penguin shuffle walk, to my tippy toe taps to feel my way… Continue reading Cane Accessories

“Just Ask, Don’t Grab”: the role of Active Bystander Intervention

October 27, 2018 cttrainingltdLeave a comment

A flow chart titled active bystander intervention techniques. Heading, witnessing harassment and 5 arrows pointing to sub headings and boxes. 1. No action, do nothing to intervene in the harassment. 2. Direct action, directly intervene and confront the perpetrator. 3. distraction de-escalate teh situation by engaging the perpetrator or the target in conversation, 4, delegation ask someone with more power in the situation to intervene instead of you, 5, delay, wait until the harassment stops then approach the target to check they are alright.

With the rise in hate crime so evident, street harassment is on the minds of many of us. However, for disabled people, street harassment is a matter of every-day living. It is a very rare day that I am able to leave the house with my wheelchair and not be subjected to some form of… Continue reading “Just Ask, Don’t Grab”: the role of Active Bystander Intervention

Seeing AI: One App, Multiple Uses

October 23, 2018 JustinLeave a comment

Justin, a man in a red shirt, sun glasses and baseball cap is stood holding on to his dog's lead. Behind Justin is a mountain view, and he is standing on a patch of ground surrounded by shrubs. PJ, the seeing eye dog, is a black lab, sniffing the ground excitedly.

Last year, Microsoft released Seeing AI, an app designed to assist blind people with common tasks. This app not only performs tasks that a blind person used to have to have multiple apps installed to use, it made all of these functionalities free. One App to Rule Them All? When I lost my sight and… Continue reading Seeing AI: One App, Multiple Uses

Blind Abilities Podcast – Part 2

October 17, 2018 BlondeHistorianLeave a comment

The second part of my interview with Blind Abilities explores my journey of accepting the cane and applying for a guide dog. One of the best things about doing this interview with Jeff at Blind Abilities was the opportunity to open up more honestly about some of the struggles that I've had and the process… Continue reading Blind Abilities Podcast – Part 2

Blind Abilities Podcast – Part 1

October 14, 2018 BlondeHistorianLeave a comment

The first episode of my interview with the Blind Abilities Podcast is available! This was an amazing opportunity and I'm so glad that Jeff approached me a few weeks ago. I didn't realise how much I would enjoy doing the interview and talking about my experiences. Jeff is such a great interviewer and I chatted… Continue reading Blind Abilities Podcast – Part 1