On falling

Falling is fatal for old people. For us it is a darn nuisance. Life is an interesting challenge with visual impairment and even more so with a broken wrist. My clever tenant who is 81 got bumped in a supermarket and started to fall. Instead of saying what people usually say,”Oh, Oh”, he said,”Catch me.” Now isn't that clever?
Two or three people grabbed him and he didn't fall. Bravo!
These are called adaptive techniques. We can learn them and now you have.

My friend John, who I met at the lighthouse for the blind, told me that he had been visually impaired all his life and had never driven a car. He always wanted to. His friends took him out on a powerboat into the Atlantic Ocean and gave him the steering wheel. There were no other boats around. It was clear to the horizon. They said, “Go for it, John” and he put the boat in full throttle and drove. He loved the feeling of the motor and the energy of the boat and that he had full control.
Control is one of the areas that we sometimes feel we have given up.

What has been wonderful for me has been taking bus lessons. I have wonderful instructors from Laidlaw transportation. They have a whole division for private us instructions and help the elderly and handicapped and the visually impaired learning how to use the bus systems in Seattle. I was so excited. My first trip was to Capitol Hill where I go to a low vision support group. Everyone in the group comes by bus and I was arriving by taxi so I was excited to learn how to get there by bus. The tricky part is knowing where to get off the bus, although the bus driver usually tells you, but not always. Once off the bus I have to know whether to go around the corner and wait for the bus or crossover the street and wait for the next bus or cross diagonally and wait for the bus. The transfers are tricky. Especially because in Seattle downtown streets run one way so there is always some walking when transferring. I made it all the way up to Group Health with my bus instructors and then they asked me if I could find my way to my classroom. I said, “Yes, I think I can." I started to walk forward and along came a very dapper-looking gentleman, obviously cited as he was walking very fast and with a balance in his walk, looking good. I stopped him and asked if he knew the way to the South building. He responded, ”Take my arm and I will lead you there.” So I did and there I was in a few minutes in the South building. I turned around and there were my two instructors and I smiled and said,” I did it!” They said, ”You failed, you were supposed to get here by yourself.” “I thought that my job was just to get here, whichever way worked. And besides, wasn't he a cute guy?” My instructor said,” So was Ted Bundy!” That was my first day of bus glasses. I did get better, more compliant is probably a better word. But only when my instructors are watching. I still like to ask people for help because it is a way of engaging others and I like to talk to people. I have pretty good radar and usually pick middle-class regular kind of folks. I could have been ashamed but I was just amused.

Once I got the idea of how to get around my bus instructor inadvertently told me how to get to the casino on Bainbridge Island. It is practically a straight run from my apartment. I get on the bus across the street and take it to the end of the line. The 16 bus ends at the Bainbridge ferry. I get on the ferry, take a nice little ferry ride, get off the ferry and there is a bus waiting to take me to the casino. The casino bus meets every ferry. In 15 minutes I was playing blackjack. Can I see the cards? No. But I have a system. I tell the dealer that I can't see the cards. Since everyone’s’ cards are up, the dealer or sometimes the person just sitting next to me tells me what I have. The only other piece of information I need is what the dealer is showing. I have a seven and a four in the dealer has an eight. I double down and usually win. The dealer gives me my winnings in five dollar chips so that I can count them. When I have mixed chips like green chips which are $25 then I can get mixed up and occasionally make a bet larger than I planned. . But once the dealer knows my situation they are usually watching out for me. I am so happy at the casino. I feel so empowered being able to get there and play with the help of no one except the dealer. I can come and go, go for lunch, go to the table, and have the best time.