The life of a visually impaired individual..

We had to do a home management project and each group was given a specific disability to research. We got a visually impaired individual. It was so interesting to talk to her about the different aspects of her life and hear how she deals with her disability and focuses more on her abilities and makes adaptations for the aspects that she needs to. We were blown away with how independent she was and were also fascinated with the different tools she uses to help her with her ability to function like her colour reader that she puts against her clothes and it tells her what colour she is wearing so that she can dress appropriately. Read on about the findings we got when we spoke to her.

Cleaning

The service user cleans like any other person would, except that she must rely on her sense of touch to feel whether the area is clean or not. She has a domestic worker that comes in about once a month to give the whole place a clean but she does it on a daily basis herself. Obviously it would take her a little longer than you and I, but according to her she manages quite well.

Her mother refers to her as the “best dishwasher”. This is because she can feel whether grime is present or not unlike a person with sight, who would merely look to see if it clean and not check and feel if it is clean.

Cooking

Cooking is also done normally but with great reliance on her senses of touch, smell and hearing. There is nothing unusual about the layout and structure of her kitchen. Just as anyone else all her ingredients and equipment are put in specific places to make it easier for her to remember. But she says sometimes she even leaves things where she can’t find them.

She uses long gloves during cooking as a safety precaution. She also uses her sense of smell and taste to know when the food is cooked. As she said “If it smells right, it’s probably cooked”. She also knows her stove and oven and knows approximately how long it takes for certain things to get done. She waits for awhile after setting the oven temperature so that she is certain her oven is at the correct temperature. 

All her cooking appliances have clay markers on them which she makes herself to make them easy to use e.g. mark where 100˚C is on the oven. If one can afford it talking scales and microwaves are available. She has an egg timer that she has put putty on each minute mark so that she is able to time her food. She also has a cake cutter and a battery operated stopper for liquids.

Laundry

The service user doesn’t do her own laundry but when she is forced to, there are clay markers on the buttons of the washing machine so she knows which to press. She will be able to hear when the washing machine has finished its cycle. Ironing is something she cannot do due to safety issues involved. Lucky for her she has her mother to help but she can also use a launderette.

Shopping

Getting to the shop

The service user relies on her mother and a friend to shop with her however shopping alone is possible as she did for many years in Johannesburg. Many blind friends of hers do online shopping where their shopping is delivered to their door.

There are many things for her to consider from the moment she leaves her flat. She can feel the buttons on her lift and some lifts have Braille markings.

Musgrave shopping centre is immediately opposite her block of flats. However, transport to any other shopping centres is a major problem. If she is shopping alone the service user uses a cane, if not, she holds the arm of the person accompanying her. Crossing Pedestrian crossings is reliant on Ros’s heightened sensors. If cars are moving horizontally to her then she is unable to cross, running vertically to her she can cross the road safely. Some robots now have buzzes on them to tell you when to cross

Selecting items

The service user is usually not alone therefore selecting items she needs is assisted by the person accompanying her. She also says that many shop assistants are very helpful and get her what she needs There are many assisted devices that can be used which work on the layout of the shop and shelf allocation as well as the scanner for barcodes but these are very expensive.

Paying for items

Money is designed to have various lengths, sizes and weights depending on their value. There are also special markings on the blind for them to see which note it is. In South Africa we have a series of dots at the bottom left of the paper money for the blind people to distinguish the money. Individuals can choose other ways to recognize the various values by having many dividers in their wallets, folding the money in different ways.

Budgeting

When discussing aspects like budgeting, one must remember that the service user is only visually impaired. Her cognition etc is perfectly in order. She is very intelligent, having completed matric and obtained a masters degree. Therefore she has all the skills we have in order to budget and manage with other things like time and energy management. She is also perfectly capable and is able to make her own decisions. One must be very careful not to treat individuals like the service user in any inferior manner as they can manage with everyday activities no matter the obstacles they face.

Home Maintenance

The main decorating of the house was already there when she moved in. Her family then helped with the rest of the decorating. Her decorations are based on significance rather than attractiveness. She has a lot of her dad’s paintings hanging up. She has to always ask for help when things break and need fixing. Often things go long without fixing because she feels very hard to trouble others.

Adaptations

•      Colour reader for when she gets ready and is also used to tell her if the lights are on or off.

•      She has a speech programme - J.A.W.S on her computer and has been taught how to touch type.

•      She also has a similar programme on her phone. It speaks and tells her every control. It also reads her smses for her.

•      She says that a guide dog wouldn’t suit her lifestyle

•      She has no problems in lifts because of the Braille and can even count if it has no Braille.

•      She says that in the modern world it’s harder to be blind because of all the technological advances; everything is too expensive and not suitable.

There are also many specialty labeling products for people who are blind or have low vision.

• Braille Labeler: Embosses Braille on 3/8" or 1/2" labeling tape. The upper rim of the dial is brailed; the lower rim has the standard print alphabet. 
• Bump Dots: Black, orange, and clear raised plastic dots with adhesive backing. 
• Hi-Mark Tactile Pen: A three-dimensional plastic liquid that makes raised lines, dots and shapes. You can also use it to mark the handles of your frequently-used tools.
• Spot 'n Line Pen: A three-dimensional plastic liquid that makes raised lines, dots and shapes. You can also use it to mark the handles of your frequently-used tools.
• Maxi-Marks: Black plastic dots and slashes with adhesive backing. 
• Touch Dots: Black, white, red, yellow, and orange raised foam dots with adhesive backing.
• Touch-To-See Labels: Braille and tactile adhesive labels. Each reusable label contains a raised letter or number with corresponding Braille.
• VOXCOM III Voice Labeling System: Record audio talk labels and messages by depressing a button and inserting a card into the unit. The card attaches to containers and household items.

Extras

She gets frustrated when she has to rely on people for lifts or to go to places with because they often let her down and then she has to cancel her plans. The biggest thing is the lack of transport and how expensive the transport that is available is. She feels the blind need a good support structure.

She has a love for music so all her CDs are marked in Braille. She also has a gym ball because she wants to start doing some exercise but hasn’t been taught how. Most of her adaptations and information are from the S.A national council for the blind. A main problem is that she can’t read any hazardous signs

One thing she really hates is how people will ask those around her about what she wants rather than talking directly to her. She is also aware of when people stare at her because they suddenly stop talking when she approaches. It then becomes very hard to walk around them because she can’t hear where they are.