Charles Bonnet Syndrome CBS

Charles Bonnet Syndrome is a condition that causes mentally healthy people with vision loss to have complex visual hallucinations. They were first described by Charles Bonnet in 1760 after noting that his elderly grandfather who was nearly blind was experiencing visual hallucinations; he was being visited by visions of people, birds, carriages and buildings, all which were invisible to everyone but himself. It was in the 1930’s that the phenomenon was named after Charles Bonnet in recognition of his work in showing that visual hallucinations secondary to eye disease is different to the hallucinations experienced by those with mental health problems. Charles Bonnet was a Swiss philosopher and writer who wrote about his elderly grandfather who was nearly blind and who had lost his sight to cataracts and later started to have visual hallucinations.

 I started to experience “visions” at night about seven months ago; I found this distressing at first and was reluctant to talk to anyone about it and decided to keep quiet about the people and patterns on the wall, etc that I was seeing. It was really strange because what I was seeing was detailed, coloured and clear, much clearer than what I see in my everyday life. At this time I was struggling to cope with the loss of my husband who died at the end of April. The hallucinations and the grief that I was experiencing made me feel that I had no time to be on my own with my thoughts and memories of yesterday. As the visions continued, I found that by blinking at the image, it started to fade and switching my bedside light on have never failed me.  The hallucinations have mostly occurred at night, it happens when I wake up and then I see people walking around my bedroom. I know that they are not real and will not hurt me but will admit that I found it a bit distressing at first mainly because I did not comprehend what was happening.  Eventually, I went to see my GP who told me that it sounded like CBS and she printed some notes out for me to read when J got back home.

Cars parking on pavements

Why do car owners park their car on the pavement, surely they know that roads are for cars, etc and that pavements are public footpaths? How is it then that many car owners are parking their cars partly or wholly on pavements. Let face it pavements were not built for cars, they are footpaths; we all know that there is not enough room for cars to park there. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or people with visual impairments, elderly people and even a mother pushing a buggy.  Motorists that park their car on the pavement are ignoring the law. To be honest, any journey that I take can be dangerous for roads and streets can be hostile to anyone with sight loss as pavements and road works have to be navigated, and there are the cars parked on the pavements even though it is against the law.  In many cases the mothers have to go into road as they cannot get by with a buggy as there is no room to get pass the cars, elderly couples would have to walk in single file. Wheelchair users have no chance of getting pass. Please car owners do not park on the pavements, park in your drive or if not at home in a car park. Thank you

Table tennis

I have always been very keen on sporting activities such as table-tennis, rounders, tennis, badminton, hockey, netball and cricket. When I was about sixteen, I went on holiday to Butlins in North Wales and on my first day there wandered into a hall where people were playing table-tennis. I was watching a game when one of the players came over and asked me if I wanted to play a game so off I went to play. I told her my name but did not catch what she said her name was because of the background noise, however we played a game and I really enjoyed it and she told me that if I wanted to play again to come to the hall the next morning….I went every day!

I sat down to watch the other players and after a while, a spectator sitting next to me asked which one was Diane Rowe. I looked at him and told him that I did not know, I knew who Diane Rowe was but what would she be doing here? Later, I got up to leave and the player that I had been playing against called out saying “See you tomorrow, Jean”. The spectator who was sitting next to me turned towards me and said” I thought that you did not know which one was Diane Rowe”.  I felt so silly but elated that I had been playing table-tennis with Diane Rowe who along with her twin sister was the World Ladies Double Champions in 1951.

Crooked Spire of Chesterfield, UK

I thought that you may like a closer look at the "Crooked Spire of Chesterfield"! There are many traditional tales about how the church’s spire became twisted; one is that a magician persuaded a blacksmith in Bolsover to shoe the Devil’s cloven hooves. When the blacksmith drove the first nail in to the Devil’s foot, the Devil howled in pain and lashed out in agony as he flew over Chesterfield, hitting the spire with his foot and causing it to twist, another version is that the tower buckled because of the Devil’s weight when he sat on it. There is also the tale is that the spire was so amazed to hear that a virgin was being married that the spire became twisted because of it’s effort to see for himself.

Mary Hare Grammar School

The Mary Hare Grammar School was founded 1st January 1946 at Dene Hollow in Burgess Hill, Sussex and opened on 30th April 1946 with forty-seven pupils. In 1949, the school moved to Arlington Manor, a Georgean mansion standing in an estate of woodland and parkland and situated about three miles north of Newbury. The school drive was lined with rhododendron bushes and in front of Arlington Manor there was always a wonderful display of daffodils among the evergreen in early spring. The manor always looked splendid in the magnificent surroundings. The school was officially opened by Princess Margaret on 19 July 1950; this was obviously a memorable occasion for the Mary Hare Grammar School.

I can remember vividly the day when I walked through the main oak door of Arlington Manor as a first year pupil, I found myself in a large oak-panelled hall, on the left was a grand piano and on the right was a magnificent wooden staircase that dominated the hall but before me was a half- portrait of a lady in green. It was of Miss Mary Hare who was responsible for giving deaf children the opportunity to have the best education that they could possibly have. Later, I was to learn that green was Miss Mary Hare’s favourite colour hence why the school uniform was green. I find it hard to believe that I had music lessons playing on the grand piano in the hall and I enjoyed the evenings when some of the pupils stand around the piano singing songs while one of the pupils or teachers played the piano. Mr R Askew was the headmaster of the school.

I have noticed that there have been an increased number of people visiting the posting containing photos that I took while a pupil at the Mary Hare. I was at the Mary Hare from 1952 to 1959 so if any of the visitors to this site are old pupils of the Mary Hare, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Need help?

There are times when I feel that I need some help in getting around as it can be difficult when in unfamiliar places or in crowded shops and the obstacles in the street  such as placards and posts  that are difficult to see or should I say that I don’t  always see. I know where obstacles in familiar places are but not so in unfamiliar places and that is when I feel that I need help. During my mobility training, I was shown some techniques that I found to be very helpful and you may find the techniques interesting and helpful should you be a sighted person and with someone who may be a relative or a friend that have some vision loss.

First of all, I will admit that I hate it when someone grabs hold of my arm and insists on looking after me because they do not realise how difficult and uncomfortable it is for the person with a loss of vision to relax and be in control of their movements when others are holding on to their arm in an uncomfortable manner or as if their lives depend on it though I realise that some people with sight loss may prefer it that way; we are not all the same.  Most of my family and friends just tell me that their arm is there should I need it so when I do need help I just ask them to let me hold on to their arm and then I place my hand just above the elbow. I tend to hold on to their arm when we are walking together then we can talk at the same time and then I do not tend to leave them behind because I am walking faster or going in a different direction!

 If you are helping a friend or relative or even see someone who seems to be having some difficulty and you want to help, approach them slowly, introduce yourself and ask if they need any help. If your offer is accepted, ask where they want to go and if they would like to hold your arm. Stand by their side and let them hold your arms just above the elbow then start walking and they will follow slightly behind you. If you are crossing a road, make sure that you tell them if the kerb is a step up or step down and pause slightly before stepping up or down. After you have crossed the road and if you are parting company, just explain to them where they are before you leave.

 When you are going in to a shop, make sure that you explain if the door opens towards or away from you, and to the right or left. Open the door with your guiding arm and as you walk through, the person you’re guiding should hold it open, before following you through the door. There may be times when it has been necessary to walk in a single file, the person who is guiding should straighten their guiding arm and move it to the middle of their back then the person who is being guided will move in behind them while holding their hand.

Imagine that you have come to some steps, what do you do now? First, you must tell the person whom you are guiding if the steps go up or down. The person’s free hand should be on the handrail, allow them to find the bottom step and when they are ready  go up the steps with the person following you one step behind. Don’t forget to let them know when you have reached the top or they may trip over nothing. Before going down, make sure the person you’re guiding has located the handrail and the edge of the top step, let them find the first step down with their foot before moving off. Walk one step ahead, and say when you reach the bottom.

I had a problem with some steps the other day when I was out shopping with my daughter and grandsons. We had to go down some steps and because I have a loss of side vision and have to be very careful when going down some steps especially when  not familiar with them. There are steps that are either plain or they are edged in white and this helps me to see where the edge of the steps is. The steps that we came across had a black inlay; this would have been fine if it was on the edge of each step and I completely misjudged it. I lost my balance and would have fallen down the steps but my daughter quickly grabbed hold of me. After asking my daughter what had happened, she informed me that the inlay was an inch from the edge of the step; basically I received the wrong information as I failed to see the edge of the steps. They may look very attractive to fully sighted people but to someone who has sight problems they could be difficult to access even when there is a rail. I have been again to practice on these steps and I am confident now that it will not happen again.
 It would be great if you were able to help someone who had some vision loss in the proper manner and I am certain that the person with the vision loss would appreciate your help very much.

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A holiday in Coldingham that I will never forget!

I will never forget the holiday in Coldingham in the Scottish Borders as nearby was St Abbs a quaint fishing village and St Abbs Nature Reserve. St Abbs is on the east coast of Scotland serves as a centre for underwater diving due to its clear waters. We were lucky for as we arrived in the village so did two divers and they were sorting out all their equipment and not only that they practically gave us a running commentary! To the north of the village is St Abbs Head Nature Reserve with a large colony of seabirds.

 We went as near to the edge as we dare but my husband decided to take a photo of us watching the seabirds....just an excuse really so that he could stay further away from the edge.

The cliffs are inhabited by large colonies of guillemots,  kittiwakes, fulmars and razorbills, to be honest I do not know which is which but it was marvellous to see all the seabirds nesting and to be so near to them but they did make a lot of noise!

We went on a boat trip too and I am so glad that we did for the coastline was stunning and seabirds that can be found there include Kittiwakes, fulmars, quillemotes, razorbills, shags and puffins. The coastline of cliffs and narrow gullies was really beautiful and we were so amazed at the number of seabirds flying around, there were thousands!



Going to a restaurant

There have been some problems that were reasonably easy to sort out such as when having a meal. My husband, Ronald would point things out to me such as my glass of water, he would pass the condiments over to me and anything else that I would need rather than allow me to reach for them, as I was liable to knock things over. I found that it was better to have a plain coloured tablecloth such as a mid- green one on the table rather than a colourful patterned or multi-coloured one. For tumblers or glasses, I found that it would be better if they were coloured or had a strong coloured pattern on them though  this was no guarantee that I would not knock anything over because of my loss of side-vision. One Christmas when Ronald and I went to our daughter, Anthea’s home for Christmas dinner, instead of giving me a wine glass, Anthea gave me an attractive cup to drink out of during our lovely meal and I was very comfortable with that and did not knock it over.

When I go to a restaurant with family, I need someone to read out the menu to me as the printing is far too small for me to read and sitting at a table I would have to know where everything is otherwise I will end up knocking things over. I went for a meal at a restaurant once where it was silver service and I thought that I would be fine here but that was only until I felt something hot on my back; it was hot gravy! I know beforehand that I am going to find it difficult to join in with conversations around the dinner table and though hearing aids help to a certain extent and lip-reading helps to fill in the gaps it is still a struggle if you cannot see their faces to lip-read because of the low light that these places seem to have now.  There is another problem; some people speak very quietly so I cannot hear them mainly because of the background noise. The last time that I went out for a meal was with my daughter, Anthea and eleven year old grandaughter. As soon as we entered the premises, my grandaughter dashed off to look for a table that was placed in an ideal place suitable for me! I must point out that this was during the day....not at night! I enjoyed the meal and companionship.

A walk along the Chesterfield canal

Tapton Lock

It was a beautiful warm day when I went for a walk with my daughter and grandchildren along Chesterfield canal and I remembered to take my camera with me.

We were delighted to see this narrowboat

and this signpost

I had a few problems taking photos of all this green stuff and would ask my daughter if I had the canal on the photo. She would look over my shoulder at the screen on my camera and say "Left a bit" or "Right a bit" or "Down a bit" or "Up a bit" or when she is satisfied "That's ok"!

Finally, we came to this bridge and decided to cross over to the other side. I have always wanted to go on this bridge to take some photos ever since it was built. You can see in the background the Crooked Spire of Chesterfield.

You will see the Crooked Spire more clearly here.

A posting by my daughter

This article is by my daughter....

I love going out with my mum as we get to talk about anything and everything, and put the world to rights while my children are at school.  We went to town the other day and after doing a bit of shopping, my mum and I went to a café to have some refreshments. The subject that my mum brought up that day was something that we have never really talked about before; she asked me what it was like to lead someone who has sight problems.  You see that is what I have been doing; I have been leading my mum around town so that we could have a natter while walking.  When mum goes on her own she uses her long white cane and is quite capable of making her way around town but she gets fed up of the people who do not look where they are going because they are too busy talking and not looking where they are going.  It can be boring shopping on your own so sometimes we go together. The reason that my mum holds my arm just above the elbow when we are together is so that we can chat while we are walking.  The problem that I have got is that I talk a lot, so I put her off when she is concentrating on where she is going when she is using her long white cane. It's much easier for us both if I lead instead then we get to chat while walking.

 We went to the library café and we were talking about the last time I was there and mum brought up the subject of the difficulties of leading the blind and wanted to know what it was like helping to lead someone who has sight problems.  You see mum realised that it was not just about taking someone’s arm and setting off.

 Years ago, mum arranged some collections in town for the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society and I was asked to take a blind person to the place where they had to stand. I was a young teenager then and even though I had grown up with mum who was registered blind I really didn't know what to do. If I remember accurately the gentleman had a guide dog with him, so I thought that he would be fine following me. We were based in the library in town and I was helping by taking people to their designated area where they would stand with their collecting tins. After going about 25 yards I met my first obstacle, which was a barrier that we had to walk round. My first mistake was not asking in the first place how I could help him; the second mistake was taking the gentleman's arm and trying to lead him through the barrier. It went terribly wrong and he ended up banging into the barrier at least three times. This was something that I would never forget for the rest of my life. It taught me a very valuable lesson which was to learn how to lead a blind person properly.

Thankfully, over the years I have learnt a lot more and can say from experience that having the responsibility to lead a blind person is something that must never be taken lightly. You see, in the past twenty years since that terrible blunder of mine, I have learnt a lot and now feel confident when I lead my mum. Yes, I still make mistakes but I put that down to being a sighted person and do not know what it is like to be blind.
When I walk with my mum, I do not take her arm she takes mine and holds it just above the elbow, apparently this is the correct way. If you take their arm you will be walking slightly behind the blind person instead of being in front and leading them. The main thing that I spoke to my mum about was that in being the person leading, I am constantly doing risk assessments while walking; it doesn't matter how many times you have been down the same road it changes from day to day

  I talked about a walk that we went on a couple of weeks ago when we decided to take my children for a walk along the Chesterfield canal. As well as leading my mum, I would have to watch my two youngest children as well. We got to the canal and I told my mum to wait as there was a car parked on the road that we had to cross with the engine running and I was wondering if we had time to cross.

After we had crossed the road I noted straight away that the entrance to the walkway had bars that were situated very close together and we had to walk in single file to get through.  I sent my eldest child through first and then the other two followed.  My mum stood behind me and put her right hand on my right shoulder and then together with me leading the way we walked through. Thankfully it was a success and I breathed a sigh of relief.

The next thing I did before we set off again was to have a quick scan of the area to see where steps might be, where my children were and if the ground is flat, bumpy or sloped; I had to see how wide the path was. I arranged it so that my mum was on the inside of the path and the children were in front then off we went, having a steady walk so that we could enjoy the beautiful scenery. It also gave my mum time to see as much as possible with the small amount of vision that she has and to take some photos. In situations like this it's a lot harder than going shopping as there are a lot more potential dangers. Most of us have dangers drilled into us when we are younger so we automatically move when something is in our way. When you are leading a blind person, the most important thing is to remember that you have to be much more aware of what is around you and if you have enough space for both of you to get round. The problem that I faced the most by the canal was bushes and nettles, as they have stems that come out of nowhere and can easily be walked into. It's not like you can expect a blind person to swerve round a bush or automatically duck under a branch.

It can be quite draining when walking for a while which is why we always stop through our day to sit down so we often go to a cafe and this time we went to the café in the park so that the children could go to the play area while mum and I had a coffee. It gives both of us a chance to relax and just talk about where we have been and where we are going to next. I ask my mum and my mum asks me and I would never dream of saying no to my mum as I love the time that we spend together and wouldn't change that for the world.

I nearly had a guide dog!

A Guide Dog Mobility Instructor visited me at home and we did a short handle walk, the handle being a shorter version of the handle used on a guide dog harness. I held one end while the instructor held the other, we started walking with the instructor walking slightly ahead of me winding from one side to the other until we reached the end of our road then we stopped at the kerb, this was followed by more tests. They needed to find out what sort of person I was and to obtain information that would help them to decide what sort of dog would be suitable for me. Eventually, I received a letter informing me that I had been put on the waiting list for a Guide Dog. The hunt was now on to find a dog with the appropriate physical and temperamental characteristics to match my special needs

About nine months later, I received a phone call from Guide Dogs informing me that they believe they have found a potential guide dog for me and arrangements were made for the Guide Dog Instructor to bring the dog to my home to see if we would be a successful match.  I will call him “K”, he was black, a cross Labrador and golden retriever and he was a lovely and a handsome dog. I liked him and knew that he was the one for me and now it was time for us all to go for a walk. This was the first time that I walked with a guide dog, I really could not concentrate as I was  so excited and thrilled to meet the chosen dog and there was so many things that I had to think about.  We took “K” home to meet my husband, Ronald. The Guide dog instructor told me that “K” would be anxious and possibly nervous because he did not really understand what was happening. She described to me how he may react and you know that is exactly what he did but after a few minutes he introduced himself to my husband who returned the favour and then” K” came and sat next to me. He was so lovely and I knew that he was the dog for me but it was not until the next day that I was told that he would be my guide dog.

The training was due to start on 18^th October 2010 but before then during a visit to the surgery my world collapsed because I was told that I needed to go into the hospital for an operation. I told my guide dog trainer and she explained that I would have to give up “K”, I knew this because I was told that it would be at least three months before I would be fit again; life can be so cruel.

An appointment was made for me to see a consultant on 28^th October 2010 and it was confirmed that I would need an operation which was arranged for 21^st December but luck was on my side because the following Monday, I was told that they had a cancellation and did I want it. I went to the hospital for an assessment on 3^rd November and had the operation on the 4^th of November, I was well looked after and the nursing staff and medical staff were made aware of my disabilities and I returned home the following Monday and about four months later I informed Guide Dogs that I was fit again; a few weeks later I was back on the waiting list.

 I am still waiting for the call to say that they have found a dog for me, I do not mind waiting but I cannot deny that I am really looking forward to the next stage of my training.

Talking Buses

Guide Dogs are campaigning  to get audio and visual announcements on the buses to help everyone, not just blind or partially blind people. They want buses  to have a visual display  and an announcement  with details  of the next stop and final destination so that everyone knows where they are along a route and where to get off. If you would like more information click on the link below.

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/news/stephen-fry-is-on-the-bus-but-cheryl-coles-a-girl-whos-not-aloud/

On holiday

I have been away on holiday with my daughter, Sharon and her four children and we have had a fabulous time. We stayed at a holiday country park near Milford-on-Sea in the south of England near the New Forest. The New Forest is unique as it was set aside hundreds of years ago by William the Conqueror and the vast area of woodland and heath were protected allowing the royal hunting parties to enjoy hunting for deer and other wild animals. Nowadays, we can see ponies, deer and even some highland cattle grazing in complete freedom. I have added some photographs for you to look at……..

On our journey down south, we called at Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Hurst Castle

Highland Cattle

New Forest Ponies

Needles Lighthouse

New Forest

Maud Maxfield School

Until recently, I had no idea who Miss E Maud Maxfield was and decided to do some research hence here is a summary regarding Miss Maud Maxfield and the school.  East Hill House was the home of Alderman John Wycliffe Wilson and his wife, Ruth. John Wycliffe Wilson had a long and distinguished career, becoming a member of the City Council in 1890 and Lord Mayor from 1902-3. His wife, Ruth was also very active in Nether Chapel and education being the first woman to be appointed to the Sheffield Schools Board where she served for nine years. They were friends and colleagues of Miss E Maud Maxfield who was also a member of Nether Chapel and interested in education. From 1894 Miss E Maud Maxfield was also a member of the Sheffield Schools Board  and then from 1903 a member of the Sheffield Education Committee, her special interests being the care of mentally and physical defective children and children who were deaf and blind.

After John Wycliffe Wilson died in 1921 his son, Talbot Wilson sold East Hill House to the Sheffield Education Committee to use as a day school for deaf children. Until then deaf children from Sheffield attended Deaf Institutions as boarders in Doncaster, Manchester, and Derby. It was decided that deaf children should attend a day school in Sheffield where they lived.  East Hill House was ideal being a large house with surrounding gardens, playing fields and within easy reach of the town centre.

Miss Maud Maxfield was involved in arranging all this and the schools founded at East Hill were named after her. East Hill became the Maud Maxfield School for the Deaf and opened in 1922, but there was also a school for the partially sighted, the Myope School which opened in 1923 and was housed in three x-army huts placed near the entrance gates. Miss Maud Maxfield always took an active interest in both schools and was a frequent visitor; she died in February 1940. The school moved to Ringinglow Road and I believed it closed in 1981

Eye Health Week

This is an extract from an email sent to me by Guide Dogs.

“Sight Matters Event - Sight Matters is an annual event held in various locations around Nottingham City Centre. The event, hosted by the Low Vision Services Committee (LVSC), aims to raise awareness of local and national services for visually impaired people and their families and friends, an exhibition of equipment and access technology and demonstrations from organisations such as Guide Dogs or sport and leisure groups.

The 2011 event will take place during Eye Health Week focusing on preventable eye conditions, looking after your sight and services to support you should you have difficulties with your vision. Activities taking place across Nottingham:

Wednesday, 15 June – between 10am and 3pm.  Awareness in the Old Market Square, Nottingham City Centre. Events by Guide Dogs and other organisations.  It would be nice if you could come and support us on the day.”

Along with my daughter, Sharon, we went to Nottingham for the day so as to give “Guide Dogs” some support. We travelled to Nottingham by train; the journey took about forty minutes. I have not travelled by train for many years and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to get on the train but will admit that I was holding on to Sharon. We found some seats and were able to sit opposite to each other by the window………makes it easy for me to lipread and hear Sharon.

Eventually, we arrived in Nottingham, we knew that we had to follow the signs to “Trams” so I left that to Sharon as it would have taken me much longer to find the signs with my eye sight. After a few minutes we were on a tram travelling to the Old Market Square which only took a few minutes. The conductor was a very cheerful person and soon realised that we did not know Nottingham so probably after seeing my white stick, told us to make sure that when returning to the railway station, we queue on the other side of the tramway; I replied that I would do my best and we all laughed!

We saw the GuideDogs stall in the Market Square and went over to see what was happening. We had a go on the tombola and won some prizes and looked at what was for sale, following this we had a lovely chat with Steve and another gentleman who was helping him out on the stall; they both had guide dogs and were very friendly. Sharon and I had a look round and took some photographs then we went to watch the first of the demonstrations. I know that guide dogs are special and so are the people involved with the training but after the demonstrations, Sharon had to admit that she did not realised just how special they were; she loved watching the demonstrations.

Later, we went to the Pizza Hut but as we walked in I turned toward Sharon and told her that I could not see a thing as it was so dark inside but realised that she was talking to a lady who turned out to be the manageress. On noticing my white stick, she suggested that we went in to an area that was actually closed to the public and was at the front near the windows; it was so much better and there was a lot of light. We had a lovely meal and eventually Sharon fetched me some ice-cream which was covered with  chocolate sauce, smarties, chocolate raisons, teddies and others; it was delicious. The waitress was very friendly and we made her laugh especially when I told her that I did not think that I’d been in a Pizza Hut before. At the end of the meal, the waitress asked me if I would go to a Pizza Hut again and my reply was a positive yes as long as it was light enough for me to see what I was eating!

We went back to the square and had a walk round before returning to the railway station, calling in the café for a cuppa and then getting on the train to return home. We had a wonderful day and hope that it will not be long before they find me a suitable guide dog.

A visit to Beamish Museum

Last week, I went on a day trip to Beamish Museum with my daughter, Sharon and her four children. Beamish Museum is an open air museum that shows what life was really like in the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian years. There were some steep slopes and there was a variety of different ground surfaces and houses, shops and other buildings that had exhibits, they all had had stepped access. All these buildings tended to be dark inside, not ideal for someone who has usher syndrome where nightblindness is one of the symptoms. One of my grandsons kept asking me when we were going to the museum but he found it difficult to understand that it was an open air museum and that we were in it! We had a marvellous time and the children want to go again and I enjoyed it too.

We know that the purpose of the long white cane is to prevent the person who has a loss of sight from falling or bumping into obstacles due to a change in ground surfaces especially in unfamiliar places. Beamish is an unfamiliar place to me as the last time I visited Beamish must be about thirty years ago and many changes have been done to the museum since then. I found that I needed the help of a sighted guide and this role was adequately provided by my daughter and eldest granddaughter who took it in turns to guide me. They would just offer me their arm and I would hold it close to the elbow then I would be just that short distant away from them and would be able to follow them with ease.   The reason being is that even though my long white cane has a roller tip which keeps contact with the ground when I sweep the long white cane from right to left and then left to right it indicated too many changes in the ground surface for me though some areas were satisfactory.  This shows that there may be times when we need help from others and so we must not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for it. Inside the shops and other buildings it was too dark for me and after a visit to the bank I decided to go outside where I sat on a bench and enjoy sitting in the sun; thankgoodness that I had my dark red glasses on!

 Here are some photos taken at Beamish:

A hint, if you want to enlarge the photo just click on the photo.

Deaf/Blind

People who are Deaf/Blind have a dual loss of sight and hearing and they face severe difficulties. I am not totally blind and I am not totally deaf, I have hearing aids to help me to hear speech but nothing to make me see like a normal sighted person because at present there is no cure or treatment available for Usher Syndrome which is an eye disease where people progressively lose their sight and hearing.

I did not find it hard being deaf when I was a little girl in the 1940’s because I was never aware that I was different to the other village children. I had a strong relationship with my mother who wanted the best for her daughter however being deaf made me who and what I am; it is part of me. Having said that, I appreciate the fact that I would not have made the friends that I had at the two schools that I attended and thereafter and I will always be grateful for the headmistress, Mrs Groves who recognised that I was not coping with the school work at Scarcliffe Primary School  because I was hearing impaired.

I found connecting to the hearing world after leaving school very challenging with communication being top of the list for being the reason why it was so difficult.  There are several different ways that people with usher syndrome can communicate with other people such as speech, hearing aids, lip-reading, finger spelling and the British Sign language. I use speech, hearing aids and lip-reading but as my field vision changes, by that I mean get smaller it becomes harder for me to lip-read and thus become more dependent on my hearing aids. I went to two deaf schools but never learned how to sign properly, some of my school friends were experts but now, I wished that someone had shown me how to sign properly. It would have been useful for me but having said that none of my family can sign but recently have expressed a wish to learn. The manner in which people sign would have to change too because as the field vision narrows then the area needed to sign would have to narrow as well.  Many deaf/blind people find tactile signing such as the British Sign Language and finger spelling very useful but though I admit that I am no expert when it comes to signing I do know some signs and can do finger spelling.

Here is a bit of history; I cannot tell you who created the British Sign Language but I do know that Thomas Braidwood, a teacher from Edinburgh in Scotland founded “Braidwood Academy for the Deaf and Dumb” in 1760 and it is acknowledged to be the first school for the deaf in Britain. Thomas Braidwood’s early use of sign language was regarded as the beginning of what was to become the sign language of to-day. When I was a pupil at the Mary Hare Grammar School I was in Braidwood House. The British Sign Language is the main sign language in the United Kingdom and is the first language for many deaf people.

Guide dog

A Guide Dog Mobility Instructor visited me at home and we did a short handle walk, the handle being a shorter version of the handle used on a guide dog harness. I held one end while the instructor held the other, we started walking with the instructor walking slightly ahead of me winding from one side to the other until we reached the end of our road then we stopped at the kerb, this was followed by more tests. They needed to find out what sort of person I was and to obtain information that would help them to decide what sort of dog would be suitable for me. Eventually, I received a letter informing me that I had been put on the waiting list for a Guide Dog. The hunt was now on to find a dog with the appropriate physical and temperamental characteristics to match my special needs

About nine months later, I received a phone call from Guide Dogs informing me that they believe they have found a potential guide dog for me and arrangements were made for the Guide Dog Instructor to bring the dog to my home to see if we would be a successful match.  I will call him “K”, he was black, a cross Labrador and golden retriever and he was a lovely and a handsome dog. I liked him and knew that he was the one for me and now it was time for us all to go for a walk. This was the first time that I walked with a guide dog, I really could not concentrate as I was  so excited and thrilled to meet the chosen dog and there was so many things that I had to think about.  We took “K” home to meet my husband, Ronald. The Guide dog instructor told me that “K” would be anxious and possibly nervous because he did not really understand what was happening. She described to me how he may react and you know that is exactly what he did but after a few minutes he introduced himself to my husband who returned the favour and then” K” came and sat next to me. He was so lovely and I knew that he was the dog for me but it was not until the next day that I was told that he could be my guide dog.

The training was due to start on 18^th October 2010 but before then during a visit to the surgery my world collapsed because I was told that I needed to go into the hospital for an operation. I told the guide dog trainer and she explained that I would have to give up “K”, I knew this because I was told that it would be at least three months before I would be fit again; life can be so cruel.

An appointment was made for me to see a consultant on 28^th October and it was confirmed that I would need an operation which was arranged for 21^st December but luck was on my side because the following Monday, I was told that they had a cancellation and did I want it. I went to the hospital for an assessment on 3^rd November and had the operation on the 4^th of November, I was well looked after and the nursing staff and medical staff were made aware of my disabilities and I returned home the following Monday. To-day, 18th May 2011, I received a letter informingme that I was back on the waiting list.

Further education

 I enrolled as a day release student at the local Technical College where I found it very tough going.  During the lectures, I found that I could not hear or understand what the lecturers were saying and often did not know what I had to do. I realised that like it or not deafness was a disability and one that is not visible and I felt cut off and isolated. Thankfully, a few of the students began to talk to me but I was certainly the odd one out as  I found that I could not depend wholly on lip-reading and my hearing aid and that it was so easy to lose the thread of what the other students were talking about. There was one lecturer who did go out of his way to help me by giving me notes at the end of the lectures explaining what he would be talking about in the next lesson and a list of books that I should get from the library; his help was very much appreciated.  I had to spend many hours studying and making notes in order to keep up with the other students but did complete the course successfully.

I was very happy living in the Deaf World but on entering the Hearing World, it was not long before I realised that I was not as well prepared as I would have liked to have been but I really believe that it was up to me to make a success of the final transition into the hearing World though the ideal situation was to have deaf and hearing friends. I can say in all honesty that the years at the two deaf schools that I attended was a time that I felt that I really belonged to a “group” as it was and for a long time afterwards very difficult for me to really fit in with the Hearing World.  There were many times when I felt left out of group conversations and it is easy to feel lonely when in that position; I prefer one to one conversations.  I found communication and mixing in the hearing world the most difficult obstacles that I had to face. I realised that using a hearing aid alone was not enough to allow me to understand everything a hearing person was saying but by using a hearing aid and lip-reading at the same time on a one to one basis, I was able to understand most of what was being said providing that that they did not put their hand over their mouth making it impossible to lip-read.

Having night vision problems made walking in poorly lit areas extremely difficult. To try and solve this, I would look for a guiding line such as a wall, a kerb, some street lights or even follow someone and hope that we did not collide. They were not good ideas really because it was certain that I would bump into something or someone or even trip over a kerb but it was the only thing that I could do at the time when out on my own at night. The bus station was some distance away from the Technical College and if I did not catch the 9.00pm bus I would miss the connection at Bolsover leaving me to wait another hour for the next bus. To solve this, I would walk out of the lecture that bit earlier to ensure that I caught the 9.00pm bus to Bolsover and by doing this I was able to miss the crowd of students rushing out of the buildings instead of having to wait until it was clear and safe for me to walk to the bus station.

Mary Hare Grammar School

I enjoyed my school days at the Mary Hare Grammar School in Newbury, Berkshire and thought that you may like to see some more photos .

The wooden summer house

Wooden bridge in the grounds, an area that the pupils were not allowed to enter. I was able to take this photo because our form was having a nature lesson with Mr Salt at the time.

Stone summer house

Behind the summer house are the netball and tennis courts.

Two of my school friends: Valerie and Pauline

The fish pond and beyond are the playing fields.

Friends

Friends

All these photos were taken in the early 1950's, the school has changed a lot over the years and I am sure that I would not recognise it now. I have fond memories of the school and will always appreciate what they did for me.



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I had more free time

When I started to bump into things at home, stumble over objects this was usually when someone inadvertedly moved something and I thought that I was being clumsy so I was not duly worried about it.  Our two girls were very young at that time and they would leave toys and books scattered about on the floor but that is what all young children do when playing with their toys. My husband kept telling me to stop rushing about and to take my time! I did not know then that it was because of the eye disease that I was bumping into things and falling over objects.  Nowadays, the first thing that I do is to scan the room or any other room that I enter and take note of where things are even if it is someone else’s home that I visit regularly as you never know if they have moved any furniture around! I will take particular care in noting where the doors are and if they are closed or half closed or open because colliding with a door really hurts; I know because I have done it many times and with cupboard doors as well!

When the girls started school, I felt a bit lost mainly because I found that I had too much free time on my hands so I decided to join the Mother’s Christmas Workshop that led to many other outlets. Far from ignoring my sight and hearing problems, I was gradually learning to live with the problems instead of sitting at home and worrying about it. The experience as the result of my deafness has, I am certain, helped me to face up to my visual problems and though it may seem a paradox, but helping other people to understand my difficulties by talking about them has helped me to overcome many of my problems. One thing that I did mention to my new friends was that if they saw me in town or wherever, they must tap me on my shoulder or even stand in front of me to get my attention as I did not want them to think that I was ignoring them. One lady did, she knew that I had sight problems but did not know that I was hearing impaired too and she thought that I had ignored her when she apparently spoke to me when she saw me in town; these things do happen!

As the girls got older and wanted more freedom to go out with their friends, it was suggested that I join Highfield Bowling Club where Ronald was already a member. I decided to apply for membership and was invited to join. I had already played bowls with Ronald when on holiday in Rhyl in North Wales and really enjoyed playing the game. The bowling club that I joined played in the Chesterfield and District Crown Green Bowling League and though the club did not have many teams playing in the league at the time, it was not long before the club entered more teams due to increased membership.

It was decided to enter a Ladies team; I started going down to the green most mornings to practice on my own and to get to know the green as I really wanted to play for the ladies team.  The practice paid off as I was picked to play with Olga who was a wonderful team player and we played well together. I had to work hard at my game but was able to develop a technique that worked for me but I found it difficult at times especially when playing in bright conditions and would usually end up with a severe headache.  After a few years, Ronald was ready to pack up because of health problems and I decided to join him as I was no longer enjoying the bowling scene. I’d experienced some resentment from some other players and have just about had enough.  Ronald and I have always been grateful to the many friends that we made on the bowling circuit and we still keep in touch with the bowling club.

When I left school

When I left school, I found employment as a laboratory assistant at Robinson and Sons Ltd, a local firm that specialized in surgical dressings and boxes.  I enrolled as a day release student at the local Technical College where I found it very tough going.  During the lectures, I found that I could not hear or understand what the lecturers were saying and often did not know what I had to do. I realised that like it or not deafness was a disability and one that is not visible and I felt cut off, unhappy and isolated. Thankfully, a few of the students began to talk to me but I was certainly the odd one out and  I found that I could not depend wholly on lip-reading and my hearing aid and that it was so easy to lose the thread of what the other students were talking about. There was one lecturer who did go out of his way to help me by giving me notes at the end of the lectures explaining what he would be talking about in the next lesson and a list of books that I should get from the library; his help was very much appreciated.  I had to spend many hours studying and making notes in order to keep up with the other students but did complete the course successfully.

 I was very happy living in the Deaf World but on entering the Hearing World, it was not long before I realised that I was not as well prepared as I would liked to have been but I do believe that it was up to me to make a success of the final transition into the hearing World though the ideal situation for me would have been to have deaf and hearing friends. I can say in all honesty that the years at the two deaf schools that I attended was a time that I felt that I really belonged to a “group” as it was and for a long time afterwards very difficult for me to really fit in with the Hearing World.  There were many times when I felt left out of group conversations and it is easy to feel lonely and isolated and I found communication and mixing in the hearing world the most difficult obstacles that I had to face. I realised that using a hearing aid alone was not enough to allow me to understand everything a hearing person was saying but by using a hearing aid and lip-reading at the same time on a one to one basis, I was able to understand most of what was being said to me providing that that they did not put their hand over their mouth making it impossible for me to lip-read them.

Long white cane

It was several months after falling down the stairs at home before I resumed my mobility training and was eager to get on with it. Before I started on my long cane training, I did a refresher’s course which was proved to be very useful and did help to improve my confidence. It was now the turn of the long cane, the first four sessions were held at a Community Hall. The purpose of the long white cane is to allow the user to detect obstacles at ground level that could be hazardous such as kerbs, steps, cars parking on a path even though it is against the law while allowing users to use their remaining vision to look ahead and to look from one side to the other and to look down just occasionally. One of the symptoms of my eye disease is a loss of peripheral vision which is often called "tunnel vision"; this suggests what a good mobility tool the long white cane could be for people who have sight problems and who have lost some or all their peripheral vision.

 First I practised walking with the cane in the hall and then had a go on the stairs; I was okay on the stairs/steps. As you will already know there are different types of stairs, some have handrails; there are some with landings and some with turns. When a handrail is present I have to put the hand that is nearest on the handrail, my other hand works the cane. I rest the tip of the cane on the second step in front of me and as I go down the stairs the cane tip slides forward and drops down to the next step. When it stops dropping and maybe slides a bit on the ground then I know that I am two steps from the bottom. When going up I do the same basic thing except the cane won’t do the slide and drop thing. I hold the cane, gently keeping it upright and then lightly press the cane against the step and slide it up to the next step keeping the cane ahead of me by two steps. When the cane reaches the top it has no step to press against so I will know that I have two steps left before I reach the top. To find out how wide the stairs are, I move the cane across from one side to the other and this will also tell me if there are any objects on the stairs.

Later, I practised walking along a pavement which I found very troublesome because of the poor condition of the pavements, my long cane kept finding the holes and getting trapped, then there was a car parked half way on to the pavement. On approaching a corner I was told to pay attention to what clues was available, as it was a route that I would use regularly and it was essential for me to have a clue. After sorting that out I learned how to get round the corner. Before crossing the road, I had to listen for any traffic coming and determine which way they were travelling, I found this hard at first but with practice found that I was able to distinguish which way the traffic was travelling. If I could hear traffic coming and I was standing close to the kerb, drivers will most likely think I am trying to cross the road and will probably stop and shout to me that it’s okay to cross over. I have been told to say thank you and then wave them on. When standing at the kerb if I could not hear any traffic coming or see any traffic with the limited vision that I have got then I would cross the road otherwise I step back and wait a bit longer. We practised crossing the road and then it was time to return home and this was when the problems started!  I was facing the sun and could not see a thing, unfortunately the glare from the sun makes my eyes run and then everything became blurred and I could not see where I was going making me feel disorientated.  I was told to try and keep going which I did because I knew that my rehabilitation worker would stay near me and eventually I was in the shade. It left me feeling a bit insecure and lacking confidence but I intend to persevere with the training but I did wonder what I had let myself in for! 

When walking along with the long white cane it would sometimes get trapped in a hole or a rough area which result in me getting a jab in my abdomen. I avoided this by holding the cane a little to the right of my body; I found it easier and was told that as long as I was comfortable, it would be satisfactory. After a couple of sessions though, I started to enjoy working with the long cane but I still had my reservations.  Would the long cane be a hindrance when in busy places, would people move out of the way and let me pass or would they trip over my cane, they may not see me coming probably because they are busy talking on their mobile phone or they may be looking in a shop window and suddenly turn and trip over my cane.

The long white cane that I am using has a roller tip which maintains contact with the ground as I walk along, this will indicate changes in the surface such as when I am walking on the pavement and I accidently walk on to the grass verge, I will immediately notice the change in texture and then realise that I have walked on to the grass verge.

After several sessions with the long white cane I found that I was becoming more confident and I was beginning to enjoy walking out with the long white cane. I never thought that I would ever say that!  The long white cane is a very useful and effective mobility tool and though I resisted at first to learn how to use the long white cane, I am so pleased that my rehabilitation worker quietly explained to me the advantages of the long white cane. There were some problems, I found that there were times when I had difficulty in distinguishing between the green grass and dark or mid-grey pavements which was mainly because I could not distinguish between the two colours and so would sometimes end up walking on the grass, however I was shown how to overcome this problem.

To be honest, any journey that I take can be dangerous, for roads and streets can be hostile to anyone with sight loss. Pavements and road works have to be navigated, and there are the cars parking on the pavements just to name a few. On one occasion, I was out walking using my long white cane near my home when I heard a voice saying “Excuse me please”. I was not certain where the sound was coming from but soon realised that it was coming from behind when a girl, aged about eight, on her cycle literally flew past me. I was so pleased that I did not stop and turn around or she could have knocked me over.