Program Helps The Blind Live Independent Lives

Many people take the following things for granted: preparing food, turning on the stove and pouring a cup of coffee. But imagine having to do these things without your eyesight. That's what Mary Bradley faced when she lost her vision.

"It really dawned on me when I picked up my mail and I couldn't read it," she said. "I couldn't do my financial pieces, I couldn't shop for myself, I couldn't do any of those things." But today, Mary -- and many like her -- are living independent lives thanks to the Adaptive Living Center at the Lighthouse International.

"The adaptive living center is actually like a home," said Dr. Tara Cortes. "It's got a kitchen, it has a laundry, it has a bedroom. So, people really learn to function in their homes and be able to their activities of daily living."
From cooking in the kitchen to getting around outside, the Center helps the visually impaired learn a variety of skills. "We have orientation and mobility specialists who help people walk outside independently, and perhaps use buses and subways if they still want to do that," said Naomi Mendelsohn, who works at the Center. "We have social workers who address the emotional needs and concerns, and our Low Vision Department who would try to assist with any magnifiers or other devices that might be helpful."

Bradley used to help other people as a social worker for New York City, so she appreciates what the Lighthouse has done for her. "I came with the desire," she said. "They gave me all the tools to get to where I needed to go."
For more information about Lighthouse services and resources for coping with vision loss, call (888) 222-9320 or visit http://www.lighthouse.org.

In New Zealand, it's the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind www.rnzfb.org.nz

IHT ThaiDay - Manager Online: How do they do it?

By Nattha Keenapan
13 December 2005

Braille blocks are of limited use on Bangkok's bumpy footpaths. Many blind people complain that thetextured paths lead them into obstacles.

Not easily: for Bangkok's blind residents, gettingaround is needlessly difficult

For Piyakorn Mongkonsapakit, the city is dim and full of hazards. Many times he has stumbled to the ground when the footpath beneath him ended suddenly. He has often run into trees, and occasionally fallen into open drains. What annoys him the most are the vendors' carts that block the footpath."For the blind, getting around is a hassle," says the23-year-old Ramkamhaeng University student. "For the blind in Bangkok, getting around is misery."

Piyakorn still has some vision. Everything is, though his eyes, a blur, but he manages to make out large objects on the street. Most of the time, he gets around Bangkok on his own. But he does so, like other blind people in the city, with more difficulty than is necessary.

Authorities have tried to devise measures to help the blind get around, but blind people say those measures don't work. Here, we look at the problem and see what can be done to make the city safer - and more accessible - for those deprived of sight.

Braille blocks

These are the yellow squares along the footpath with a bulging surface pattern of straight lines or circles. Some footpaths have them, others don't. Somehave a few of them in the middle of the pathway and then, none. Many people wonder what they're for.

"Oh, it is the line that divides the walkway from food carts so we can know where we can set up our cart,"says a street vendor."

I think it is a foot massage bar," says a passerby."

Isn't it just the footpath pattern?"

"I don't know what it is, but it once broke my high-heel shoes."

Actually, the textured Braille blocks serve as walking guides for the blind. There are two ways that they are employed. The Japanese style is to pave a stretch of the entire footpath with them. The American style places the bricks intermittently along the path to warn of upcoming obstacles like trees, flyovers or intersections.Thailand uses the Japanese style. But blind people here say the Braille blocks are not as effective as they should be. One reason is that they're difficult to distinguish from the ordinary pathway."

In foreign countries the footpaths are paved with smooth concrete. But footpaths here are bumpy and paved with squiggly bricks, so we hardly recognize which is which," says Kanit Phamanee, a blind student at Chulalongkorn University.

Due to their high price - 450-700 baht per squaremeter - the blocks are not available everywhere. Blindpeople complain that the blocks sometimes lead them no where but into a collision with a trash bin or bus stop."

It is quite a hassle. They're not everywhere and even if they are, they don't really work. I'm not so confident about them," says Piyakorn. "I still need to use my cane, as well as my hand, to touch things in front of me, especially at night."

Some believe the ineffective Braille blocks betray the authorities' insincere and careless attitude toward the blind. Further, some suggest that warning blocks made of cheap local materials would be better."

You can use coarse sand mixed with cement at certain spots to warn of changes ahead. It would be cheaper and more convenient and make the blind feel more dignified and independent, rather than having themwalk along the Braille blocks," says Tham Jatunam, secretary-general of the Association of the PhysicallyHandicapped of Thailand.

Guide dogs

Professor Wiriya Namsiripongpun, a law lecturer at Thammasat University, has used a guide dog for 21 of his 54 years. He believes he is the only blind personin the country to do so, and he may be right.

While guide dogs are quite popular in western countries like the United States, they are not easy to keep in Thailand, for a number of reasons.

Wiriya, who was blinded by an explosion at age 15, encountered guide dogs leading professors and lawyers around when he studied in the US.

He got his first dog from Leader Dogs for the Blind, a training school in Michigan, after finishing his studies in 1983. The dogs, mostly Labrador Retrievers, are sent to live with volunteers for a year, who teach the dogs their manners before sending them back to the school. Those showing the most potential- the smartest, bravest and friendliest dogs - aretrained for another six months.

"Then you spend another month training with the dog,"Wiriya says. "The trainers can tell within 11 days if the dog and the person are a good fit. If not, they will get you a new dog. It's free."

Wiriya came back from the US with his first dog,"Skeet," a Labrador retriever who led him everywhere for 11 years. He went back to the school to get his second dog, another Lab named "Toby," who was with him for another 10 years. Toby died last year and Wiriyais now back to using a cane."

I like the dogs more than the cane. I feel safe and liberated," says Wiriya. Walking with the dogs is good exercise, he adds. And they are good company.

The dogs respond to spoken commands - if they don't,the master gives a tug on their collar. A dog is on duty whenever he wears the collar. Without it, he is free to run around and play without fear of punishment.

No matter how well-trained a guide dog is, facts of Bangkok life make using one difficult. Wiriya says both Skeet and Toby were often distracted by stray dogs or cats. Sometimes they got into dog fights."

Toby was bitten twice and he did not want to walk further until somebody chased the stray dogs away for him. Skeet was a little braver. He would just walk."

Stray dogs aren't the biggest problem, however. Of greater concern to the blind is the law that forbids dogs from entering public places like buses, trains, restaurants, hospitals and hotels. The practical result of this is that there are no guide dog training schools in Thailand."

Some bus drivers did not allow me to board the bus with the dogs. Sometimes when I traveled to other provinces, I had to hide Skeet or Toby under my seat and cover them with my suitcase. Sometimes the staff found out and charged me extra," says Wiriya. "But Iwill continue using the dogs. When I have timeI will go back to Michigan to get another dog."

Canes

Most blind people in Thailand now get around with the help of a special cane, according to Chalam Yam-iam, a lecturer who teaches the blind about orientation and mobility."

I have worked with the blind for more than 40 years and using a cane is the most popular way to get around. The difference from other techniques is that it gives freedom to the blind," Chalam says. "It is also a source of confidence and hope when the blind feel comfortable with the cane and are confident enough to go anywhere on their own."

Canes come in different types and sizes. Some are collapsible. The tips may be made of nylon or steel.

Chalam says the blind should be trained to familiarize themselves with their environment for 120 hours. The training starts by teaching blind people to use their other senses more accurately, then the cane is introduced."

They need to learn to swing the cane properly and to walk with the correct rhythm. And then they need to have quick senses to recognize the feedback ofthe cane's tip. It is dangerous for the blind to use a cane without proper training," Chalam says.

Although cane is said to be the best solution for the blind, Chalam worries that a lack of funds keeps most from obtaining proper training. Last year Chalam completed only one 120-hour course at the Thailand Association of the Blind. None have been scheduled forthis year."

Most of the trainers are not even skillful themselves because they are not trained properly. Some were trained for just one day and then went to teach the blind. So the blind people do not walk properly with the cane. It is not safe. The government needs to support this because it is important for the blind," the instructor says.

But no matter what facilities or equipment the blind have - be they Braille blocks, canes or even guidedogs - their biggest problem is still the city's footpaths. The walking routes here are narrow, bumpy, full of disorganized vendor carts, and pedestrians often share the space with motorcycles. Furthermore, many do not pay any mind to the blind people walking among them."

Now my friend even attaches a small bell to his cane to make people more aware," says Piyakorn. "We still fall quite often into open drains. When we think we are familiar with the path, and we walk quickly, with confidence, there will still be one fine day when somebody will open a drain, just like that."

While many blind people hope more facilities will beintroduced to improve their quality of life, such as speaker systems for the traffic lights and public buses, the first thing they hope for is better walkways."

We don't expect much - only a smooth footpath so that we don't stumble into traffic or fall into a drain,"Kanit says. -

Additional reporting by SarunyooNokkaew and Sirinya MongkhonwatAll site contents copyright ©1999-2005 Thaiday Dot ComCo., Ltd.