RP Tunnel Of Sight

Lately, I’ve been avoiding writing, and vlogging and many of the creative pursuits that usually bring me such clarity, grounding and joy.  I have so much whirling around in my head that every time I sit down to write I can’t seem to put an intelligible sentence together and vlogging…a short thought becomes forty minutes long and rambling. This has been going on since the summer.  Since I started travelling.  Perhaps my already chaotic thinking process has devolved with the…

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On October 13, 2018, I attended Vision Quest in Edmonton at the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Robbin’s Pavilion.  This Conference is a great event with a lot of opportunities to catch up on the latest research news, learn new things and see what technology has to offer the visually impaired and blind community.  It is the second Vision Quest that I have attended, and it certainly won’t be my last. Dr. Mary Sunderland, Director of Research and Education for the Foundation…

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Colina Cottage was a wonderful find on the Blind Bucket List tour.  Funny story, I had miscalculated my accommodation on my tour (forgot to convert pounds to dollars) and was over budget, so needed to find an inexpensive place to stay for a week or so.  I found Colina Cottage and the whirlwind that is Hilary Pound on Airbnb.  My week turned into nearly a month of rest and relaxation and a wondrous bounty of amazing people I met in…

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Have you ever wondered if you’re ready for a Guide Dog?  What is the process to get one?  How are they trained and who trains the trainers? And what is involved once you get your dog?  Well, in today’s article I’m going to try to answer all those questions and more with the help of Guide Dogs NI’s David Barnes. Dog’s have been man’s trusted companions for millennia.  They’ve helped us hunt, been loyal companions and eager workers on farms,…

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Disability Sport NI Northern Ireland has a lot to be proud of when it comes to creating opportunities for the disabled.  I had the privilege of sitting down with two charming ladies from Disability Sport NI, Judith Brennan, Active Clubs Coordinator and Andrea Herron, Communications and Engagement Officer.  They have developed models for community engagement through sport for the disabled that should be emulated worldwide. One of the biggest barriers for the disabled community is the lack of understanding of…

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This has been quite a week!!  The time is passing so quickly and yet I feel like I have been back for ages.  The old familiar places are starting to look more like I remember them and new places are being discovered every day.  I’ve put miles on the old pegs and have the blisters to prove it, but it’s all been worthwhile. Monday, June 11th I spent the day writing and catching up on emails, as I mentioned in…

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We’ve covered, to some extent, the fear of going blind, but fear doesn’t come to us on its own, it usually brings along its twin brothers isolation and depression.  It doesn’t matter which one turns up first, each will most likely arrive at some point during your journey to blindness.  As with all things we find a challenge, if we examine t carefully and break it down into its parts, it’s easier to deal with and not nearly as scary…

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Blind Bucket List – Week One (May 30- June 11th) It’s been a little over a week since I arrived in Ireland, but I will keep updating my adventures on Mondays, and will still be bringing you an article every Friday while I’m away.  I was a bit late this week with the regular Friday article – it shouldn’t happen again, just a few hiccups in the adjustment period.  Jet lag set in last Saturday, but I think it’s finally…

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Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people in the RP community discussing the fear of going blind, also known as Scotomaphobia.  A phobia implies an irrational fear, but what do you call it when you are going blind?  It is not irrational, it is a legitimate fear of the future and how blindness will inevitably change your life. I’m not sure when the fear first sets in.  When you are first diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, you can…

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