RED AND WHITE

You’ve likely seen someone with a long white cane or stick that has red on it. You may have seen a guide dog with a red and white reflective sleeve on its harness rather than the usual yellow one, or even a person wearing a red and white checkered Sam Browne belt. But you may not have realised that it’s there for a purpose. It’s giving a warning message, and a very important one at that!

Red and white are the internationally recognised colours for deafblindness. So, the message being given to drivers – and the public in general –is that the person using them has a dual sensory loss. This doesn’t necessarily mean the person is completely deaf and completely blind. The degree of loss varies from person to person. For example, we had a friend Jeanie who was completely deaf and had very little sight, and she worked with her guide dog Trisha. On the other hand, there’s myself. I’m totally blind and have a partial hearing loss.

You may well be wondering: ‘How does someone who is totally deaf and blind communicate with others?’ Well, they use sign language, of which there are a few variations. I began to learn the deafblind alphabet not long after being registered partially deaf in the mid 1990’s. This involves signing what I want to say letter by letter, and then the reply is signed on my hand letter by letter. Although I don’t use it to a great extent, it has certainly come in very useful when I’ve been in a noisy environment. And of course there’s always the thought that, maybe in years to come, my hearing loss may get worse, and so I’m already prepared by having learned tactile signing.

Something else you may not be aware of is that deafblind people use computers. Someone such as myself who has a partial hearing loss can often manage relatively well with free screen reader software which comes pre-installed on your device. Some examples include Microsoft’s Narrator for Windows, Apple’s VoiceOver, and Android’s TalkBack. For those with partial sight and no hearing, there’s free screen magnification software that comes pre-installed on your device. A few examples are Microsoft’s Magnifier on Windows, Apple’s Zoom, and Android’s Magnification. Nowadays, there’s also the availability of very large monitors. What about totally deafblind people? do they have the freedom to access computers and the Internet?

Indeed they do! A wonderful piece of technology was designed some years ago which is connected to the computer. It’s an electronic Braille device that takes the text seen on screen, and makes it available to read by raising up rounded pins through the face of the display. As technology has continued to develop over the years, it’s even possible to link up Bluetooth Braille devices, not just to computers, but even to mobile phones and tablets!

It has to be said that, although I don’t like the idea, should the worst happen and my hearing continues to deteriorate, I do at least know that I’ll still be able to enjoy a level of independence, thanks to Guide Dogs for the Blind, tactile sign language, and the ever developing world of computer technology!