Blind Troubles...

Each and every day I have many troubles and a lot of them are due to being blind. I never let these troubles keep me down though, I push past the difficulties in life to live a normal life like everyone else. I have the troubles of running into garbage cans, cars, and every once in a while into someone. Running into the garbage cans and cars are due to me walking along the curb to get out to the street so I can get on the bus. I can not walk on any sidewalks until I get to a busy street because either there are none or they cut off randomly which is very weird.I use the bus system to get around most of the time and they are great. At times though they do not announce the stops so I have to depend on the driver to tell me when my stop is coming up. At other times the bus I need just passes me up without even stopping so I have to wait for the next bus depending on when the next one comes. I am getting a guide dog next month so running into things will no longer be an issue. I love to inform people on how I do everything being blind but a lot of people are so rude when they see me walking around. Some people like to grab me to try and guide me to where I may be going which is completely wrong and rude. I do not know any blind person who likes to be grabbed and drug around because that person does not know how to guide. Another rude gesture is when people call my cane a stick I understand it looks like a stick but it is a cane just like the one elderly may use. One personal thing that bothers me the most and I have heard this one from other blind people to is when other people with vision move everything around and do not tell me where it was moved so it takes me a long time to find it. One thing I want to challenge anyone who is reading this post is to try and eat food with a blind fold on, walk around your house with no lights on , take a shower in the dark, or get dressed in the dark. You do not have to try it I just think it will open many eyes to how blind people live their lives everyday. Blindness is not something that can cause someone to have no life and do nothing because it seems so impossible. I had sight for many years and actually going blind has been a eye opener for me because now I see the true way people are when it comes to differences in people. I actually tend to forget that I am blind because I have adapted to living blind very well and truly excepted going blind. Try my challenge and you can see too.

The White Cane

A lot of blind people use a white cane that helps them navigate and avoid obstacles in their path. A visually impaired person also benefits from using one if they are night blind which means even though they can see during the day they are not able to see at night. Another reason for sometimes needing a cane is if a person is not able to walk on very bright days when there are not many clouds. For a person who has some remaining vision, an identification cane is useful as it lets them know if something is in their peripheral vision or right in front of them - in the case that they have a central vision loss. An identification cane also lets the public know that the individual using it may have some degree of vision loss. A totally blind person needs a cane to detect cracks in the sidewalk, find and use grass lines, and to help with finding where stairs are, to name a few. The white canes are not just white, they are red and white because it helps someone with sight notice the cane. It is also possible to specialty order canes for the visually impaired and different colors. The white cane may also be made out of aluminum, fiberglass or graphite. There are many different tips that may come with a white cane. They are called marshmallow, pencil, ceramic, or flat tip. There are straight canes, folding canes and telescoping canes. A folding cane and a telescoping cane are a lot easier to break at the joints, but the straight cane will break if there is not a proper place to store it. there are two ways to use a cane the techniques are constant contact or two touch . Constant contact is when the tip of the cane stays on the ground and is rolled the persons shoulder length. The two touch is when the user steps with the left foot and the cane is on the right where the shoulder would be the opposite happens when the user taps the cane on the left side on the ground. Some users use a mixture of both while walking.Personally I like the folding cane with a pencil tip and I use the two touch technique unless I need to switch to constant contact for one or more reasons. Some of those reasons can be to find truncated domes to cross a sidewalk. These are the bumpy things most people have no idea what they are for. I have had many interesting times with my cane. Many times I was walking down the hallway in school and got my cane caught in between someones legs while they are walking and my cane snaps in half. I have also had times that a mobility specialist is trying to show me something on the ground I may come across at times and I completely miss it. I have also gotten a graphite cane stuck straight which I was told is nearly impossible with a crack along the side. I have dropped my cane many times while walking around because I catch cracks and my cane gets caught and I let go. Other times I have someone accidentally kick it out of my hand. Some funny moments are when I am trying to get on the bus and while the doors are opening I get my cane caught on the opening door.. I have also gotten my cane caught in bushes when they are really close to the sidewalk. The most fun is when I am walking close to another person with a white cane and their cane hits mine over and over it seems like we are having a sword/cane fight.I am willing to answer any questions about the white cane or otherwise.

From Winter to Spring

This year has been full of two bad storms where many people were injured or killed due to car accidents. This year has also been filled with terrible stories of people freezing in the cold. Well the time has come that it is spring. In many areas it does not seem so though. It becomes warm and cozy like spring is then the snow comes upon us again. Even in the states that are known for their warmth have gotten cold beyond what is the normal. I have heard too many people say when will the snow stop this is spring. I have also heard many people say I believe it when the weather man says there will be snow tonight.I am one person who likes the cold weather or not its bitter but even I am not liking the cold to hot cold to hot pattern. Easter has passed with snow in the night when this holiday is known to celebrate the growth and rebirth of life. The nice day turned into snow in the secret of night destroying the beauty of the growing flowers. When will this cold stop destroying the life held in spring? How do you feel about the spring not really being what spring is supposed to bring?

FreeLance Inquiry????

As everyone already knows I love to write and am looking to create it into something more. I am trying to start up some freelance work to continue my writing. Does anyone know of any newspapers or magazines wanting to take on a new freelance writer? I am willing to write almost about anything for an article or personal essay. I would love to be able to write about my wrestling experience and wanting to continue something in the wrestling field. I am not fond of politics because I do not understand most of them. I have already sent out two query e-mails but I have not gotten any response back right now. I wold also enjoy any e-mails from people about some ideas or critiques on writing.Any e-mails towards personal queries are to be sent to asiaevans102897@gmail.com with the subject line WM so I can know what the e-mail may be about. I also enjoy writing poems and short stories with almost any subject.

Questions??????

Bring it on! Ask me anything! Stolen from a couple friends. Friends, what are some things that you wonder about Blind People, that you have been too afraid to ask? Please ask even the most potentially offensive or sensitive things that you want to, on this thread. (personal attacks/insults not allowed though)

Blind Friends, lets do what we can to help educate. Please, if you the time, and the ability, join me in answering! 

GoalBall: a blind sport

Most people do not think a blind person can do any kind of a sport. Well I would like to tell those people that they are wrong and there are actually sports just for the blind. Goalball is one of them. Goalball can be described as either blind soccer or reverse dodgeball. It is kinda wrong to describe it like blind soccer because there is a such thing as blind soccer. I recently went to a tournament of goalball and it was very fun even though the girls did not win any games but the guys did. To explain it right there are three people on each side of the court and they can either be standing or on hands and knees. Each player is wearing blacked out goggles and the referee checks them before the game starts and when each player may be substituted out. There is a right wing, a left wing, and a center player that each time the ball comes towards them they do something called laying out to block the ball from going into the goal. The referee asks the audience to be quiet because there is a type of noise maker in the ball. This is only one blind sport that is apart of the Para Olympics. A blind person can do any sport a sighted person does yet most people do not even consider it a possibility. A blind person can even go to the Para Olympics for sports like Wrestling, swimming,soccer, basketball, and sports just for the blind. So if you think that just because you are blind or have a visual impairment you can not do sports or have to quit them you are mistaken. If anyone wants to look up more information about blind sports you can go to usaba.org you can look up some games that weekend on this website too.  

Reading and Writing

I have always enjoyed reading novels and trying new author's. since I went blind I have read more than most people would in a year. I have read series of 15 books and I have just read novels for an author.I choose a book to see if I like the author if I do and I suspect the book I read is part of a series I look it up. Eventually if I like that author I end up reading all the audiobooks that author provides. I truly enjoy when an author has an active series and is continuing to publish stories. I put the date in my calendar and get really excited when the book comesout. The only thing that sometimes gets me sad is when the audio version of the book does not come out the same day as the ebook comes out. I have many authors I love and am excited when their books come out in each series that author may have that is active. If an author has more than one series that is publishing books that means to me that more than one book from that author is coming out in one year. I also really enjoy writing these blogs and maybe I could go somewhere with it but I am not sure how. When I make my blogs all I do for the moment while I am writing them is let my mind go free and allow me to write about the subject I am thinking about. I have been told that I could write a biography about myself because I have an interesting story I just would not know where to start. In school when the english teacher wants a short story, poem, or summary written I am very good at it. I truly enjoy writing the short stories and poems that tell a story within them. Do you like reading or even writing? Maybe both?