I struggle a lot with feeling a lack of control. When I feel like a situation has too many variables that are out of my control, I find it much more difficult to engage. I’ll avoid things and places I might enjoy, all because I find the unknown too difficult to deal with. I know…
Changing plans and mental health
I have been finding some things quite challenging as of late. They aren’t new difficulties. They are old difficulties that resurface again and again and again. I can make progress on learning to live with them and I have, but I’m not sure they will ever fully go away. Even so, I always try and…
Accessible voting
I’m planning a workshop on voting for the young people I work with. When I went to vote for the first time, I had no idea what the process would be like. I’d never been able to get my hands on a tactile voting device and was unsure how exactly it should be applied to…
A silly video about expressing your anger in English
I made a video. Not anything to do with blindness, just having fun talking about the English language. Languages are great, and I love how they allow us to use them in really creative and varied ways. A group of people can speak the same language, but depending on where they are from, the way…
Running
Ten months ago, I couldn’t run a 5k without having to stop and walk. It wasn’t even my fitness that was the barrier. My legs would hurt so much as the muscles were really tight. I would start running, and within about 500 metres be in so much discomfort I didn’t want to carry on….
Low Expectations
Blind young people objectively face many barriers. But one of the greatest barriers a blind person can face in life is low expectations. When a person grows up being told they can never achieve, they will begin to believe that message once they hear it enough times. “You cannot climb a tree” can easily turn…
Writing
I was inspired to start writing on this blog again. It’s been such a huge part of my life for a long time, but I have also spent a long time neglecting it. I might start writing and post regularly for a couple of months, but inevitably I stop and move on to doing something…
New White Cane: the Urban Xplorer from Awarewolf Gear
I recently picked up the Urban Xplorer white cane from the RNIB shop. I am becoming increasingly unsatisfied with Ambutech canes. In general, I think they are a solid choice of cane. However, a redesign means the joints are a lot shorter than they used to be, so I find that a joint will start…
Technology Tip: Speech and Sounds Schemes in JAWS
In my previous job, I had to create a lot of very structured reports. This meant using a template that was standard across the organisation. Certain bits of text needed to be in bold. Other bits shouldn’t be highlighted, even where they were in the template as a reminder. Essentially, I needed to stay on…
Living in chaos
Who would have thought that having a chunk of flesh from both sides of your chest removed would hurt? Everyone except me, apparently. I went in for a small revision to my top surgery yesterday. It was a comparatively small process, when you consider the original surgery. I was awake for this one, and because…