“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” ~ Morpheus

Last we talked I was in the midst of Orientation and Mobility training. Well, I finished that with just a few more trips to Philly and no longer need the service. I’m sure I could have a few refresher classes if needed, like trips to the airport, but I have not needed that yet.

Fast forward a little bit and I was invited to give a judo demonstration for the Montgomery County Association for the Blind again (See Pottstown Judo Visits MCAB Day Camp post from 2009). In return as a thank you the camp director invited me to a handicapped SCUBA event he was taking the campers to. The event was held to showcase the International Association of Handicapped Divers.

It was a gray, cold and wet October 17th, 2009. The event was simple enough. Show up, have a brief safety overview, learn a little about SCUBA equipment and hop in a nice heated pool with a dive instructor and paddle around a bit. (The heated part was nice, it was 45º outside; the water in the pool was about 84º)

As we waited in the tent getting our safety briefing, we where introduced to Kit McElwee. Kit is an IAHD Certified Blind SCUBA Diver. She was one of the first to graduate from the local program at this particular shop. – Her comments where brief – your going to get wet – your going to be breathing underwater. I learned later she was not feeling so well that day, and was just getting over a case of Shingles; can’t blame her…

After I finished my pool session… Mom and I where roaming around the shop and we literally bumped into Kit. I stopped and talked to her, as it was fascinating to talk about her SCUBA adventurers… and I told her about my Orientation and Mobility training. – What I didn’t know was, I had actually seen Kit on TV about a year earlier in a news segment about blind SCUBA. – I had no idea it was her, until I looked it up after I returned home. (See Kit’s original NBC10 interview “Game Changers: A Mission to Swim” below)

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

I also discovered later that Kit had the same Orientation and Mobility instructor I did. I discovered this when Elaine gave me Kit’s phone number (with Kit’s permission)… Kit was trying to get in contact with me. That day at the SCUBA shop we talked for about an hour. – Can you say, missed the vibe? We never got each others numbers to stay in touch. (oops…)

So, it’s true I had Kit’s number from Elaine, but I never called her. Busy, work, nerves… who knew, but a few weeks later as I was sitting at my computer working on some photos – the phone rang, mom answered it and brought it in to me ‘it’s for you…’

As mom handed me the phone, I groaned and grumbled, how dare some one interrupt my work! HELLO… and a soft kind voice on the other end says “Hi… this is Kit, we talked at the dive shop a few weeks ago…” Puzzled, but in a flash I recall… Oh my god it’s her! By this time I had looked up Kit’s first video interview online, I knew who she was.

To this day neither of us can recall what we talked about. But we know we talked for nearly FIVE HOURS… and we would have likely talked longer if Kit’s mom had not wanted her off the phone, some time after midnight.

Possibly Related Posts:

• National White Cane Safety Day
• Orientation and Mobility: SEPTA Regional Rail – Part 2
• Orientation and Mobility: SEPTA Regional Rail – Part 1
• Ladies and gentleman I give you JUDO at the White House…
• Ladies and gentleman I give you the presidents speech…

October 15th is National White Cane Safety Day

In 1921, James Biggs, a photographer from Bristol, England, became blind following an accident. Because he was feeling uncomfortable with the amount of traffic around his home, he painted his walking stick white to be more easily visible. In 1930, the late George A. Bonham, President of the Peoria Lions Club (Illinois) introduced the idea of using the white cane with a red band as a means of assisting the blind in independent mobility. The Peoria Lions approved the idea, white canes were made and distributed, and the Peoria City Council adopted an ordinance giving the bearers the right-of-way to cross the street.

News of the club’s activity spread quickly to other Lions clubs throughout the United States, and their visually handicapped friends experimented with the white canes. Overwhelming acceptance of the white cane idea by the blind and sighted alike quickly gave cane users a unique method of identifying their special need for travel consideration among their sighted counterparts. Also in 1931, in France, Guilly d’Herbemont recognized the danger to blind people in traffic and launched a national “white stick movement” for blind people. She donated 5,000 white canes to people in Paris.

Today white cane laws are on the books of EVERY STATE in the US and many other countries, providing blind persons a legal status in traffic. The white cane now universally acknowledges that the bearer is blind. For specific information contact your local government office for motor vehicles.

Model White Cane Law

White Cane Safety Days:

To make the American people more fully aware of the meaning of the white cane and of the need for motorists to exercise special care for the blind person who carries it, on October 6, 1964, the U.S. Congress approved a resolution authorizing the President of the US to annually issue a proclamation designating October 15th as “National White Cane Safety Day.”

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a leading organization for the blind, has established the third week in May as “White Cane Week.” During this week, a special concentration of efforts to educate the public concerning the hopes and aspirations of the blind is emphasized.

It should be noted White Cane Law, also extends to all persons with a Guide or Service Dog as well. Please respect the White Cane Law and what it means. Don’t be a jerk!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Between Life and the Keyboard
• Ladies and gentleman I give you JUDO at the White House…
• Ladies and gentleman I give you the presidents speech…
• Pottstown Judo Visits MCAB Day Camp
• Pottstown Little League Challenger Baseball

After we arrived at Market Street Station, we took a moment to look around. The train platform area is very large. Elaine took time to explain how the station was setup. There are two sides, in-bound and out-bound, with two tracks each (a total of 4 tracks), and an A-Section and B-Section. Depending on your destination, you need to be in either A-Section or B-Section and on Track 1, 2, 3, or 4. It’s really not too hard to understand, because one side is always IN, and the other side is always OUT. All the trains are also color-coded.

We identified the track numbers; they are clearly marked in huge letters above the trains stop area. I can read them with little trouble. We walked the length of the platform and located the A-Section and B-Section steps that lead to the main level of the station and all the shops above.

We went to the second level and looked around, again a very large open area, with shops and steps on the outside. Some areas of the station in this level are poorly lit. This is unsettling to me, because it’s even harder for me to see. Using the stations electronic signage is useless to me because of the way the LED’s are setup. By the time I get close enough to read a sign, the LED’s are no longer at a suitable viewing angle and they disappear. So much for using the schedule board.

We located the restrooms, newsstands, and small flower shop. These are good landmarks. We also noticed the entrance to The Gallery, an area of the station that opens to the major shopping store area above; a major attraction of the station.

Elaine explained how the station covered three city blocks underground from 10th Street to 12th Street. And we located the steps to venture up to street level. We did walk around some of the building at street level. The noise of traffic and the volume of people was a bit overwhelming. However, a street level lesson would come later. So we headed back into the station.

Elaine sent me around to locate different areas and the landmarks we saw. We also took the time to talk to customer service and see when the next train would be back to return home and Norristown Transportation Center. That being the 2:17, Track 1, Section A.

This concluded our lesson for the day. So I found the section I was to wait in and Elaine snuck off to blend in with the crowd and observe. Obviously she had to ride the train home with me but by blending in and observing it allows me to make my own decisions.

As I waited for the train, a large group of older ladies descended down the steps and milled around in front of me. I thought I was about to get swept up with a group of church ladies or something. One of them called my name! Very perplexed and wondering who the hell could it be… I knew the voice, but drew a blank on the face, as I often do… I come to find that it was Mrs. Landis, one of my former Pottstown Middle School teachers. Of all the people you’d never expect to meet, never in my life would I have thought about meeting her in the middle of Philly – at a train platform. She was in town with about 30 other retired Pottstown teachers (the large group) for an art tour and was heading home. Like me, to Norristown Transportation Center, then driving.

I explained to her what I was up to, and she was impressed, and proud that I’m getting out and about… The train pulled in, and we where off… I grabbed a seat near the front; the car was kind of full so Mrs. Landis took the seat next to me. At least now I’d have some one to talk to on the way home; and we did!

The rest of the trip was uneventful. As the train pulled into NTC, I said goodbye to Mrs. Landis and I left in a hurry with Elaine to help guide me to the bus, the connection time was less then 8 minutes! If I’d miss the bus, I’d be stuck at NTC for another hour!

She rushed me to the bus and I headed home. Still baffled of all things to see a former teacher of mine on the train!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Between Life and the Keyboard
• Ladies and gentleman I give you the presidents speech…
• Ladies and gentleman I give you the president…
• Your disabled, you understand…
• He’s baaaaack!