Emily Davison2013-05-20T15:16:45-04:00Emily Davisonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=emily-davisonCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Emily DavisonGood old fashioned elbow grease.Access All Areastag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.23815542012-12-29T14:42:51-05:002013-02-28T05:12:01-05:00Emily Davisonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-davison/
But, the one most shocking line delivered from one of TFL's bus drivers working the 261 bus en route to Lewisham Bus Station. that I wasn't allowed on the bus.
Why? You may well ask, I was expecting some bogus remark about my guide dog being a risk to health and safety. No that was not it at all, the bus driver added because
I have another lady with an assistance dog on the bus and I can not take on more than one dog.
I firmly but politely replied that this was a violating of the Disability Discrimination act and was therefore not politically correct. I continued to pitch my point asking where the dog was and that my dog was also a guide dog and therefore would be fully trained and not a threat.
The rule seemed somewhat peculiar to myself, as I have encountered many previous situations where public transport played host to more than one dog.
What's more, consider the question of if there were two visually impaired colleagues traveling together?
After this confrontation I exited the bus and tried to forget the whole story business, after asking for his name with no luck and being informed that there was another 261 behind the first one in question. It seemed like the better option after all.
However, on speaking with a TFL representative and researching this "rule" online I found a contriving online source that informed me that there was in fact
no limit on the number of assistance dogs allowed on the bus, as long as there is space
As I am visually impaired and could thus not observe the number plate I was unable to make a full complaint in order the right this incorrect information.
However, the aftermath of this incident results in one to ask one question where did that idea stem from initially?
This is again a result of miscommunication and an unsatisfactory set of rules within today's politics.
Events like this within the UK are rare, but this does not mean to say that they do not occur. There is a strong need for a drastic change in the world of the disabled. A set of rules and regulations firmly enforced by the law in order to defend disability minority groups from a confrontation like this and the humiliation of it.
As a libertarian my approach towards life is inclined towards the Millian approach which would be to argue that the individual should be free to do as they see fit provided that they do not infringe on another's well being.
The answer to this anecdote with disability would not only be that more Positive freedom is required for them to live independent, autonomous lives in terms of the means to live freely. But, also negative freedom is paramount to the functioning of disability groups. That is, disabled individuals should be free to live independently without obstructions.
This is true in every sense of the word.
Sadly, modern day society does not always share the views held by John Stuart Mill. it seems to me that many of Mill's very simple ideologies would have a big and very positive impact on events such as the one expressed within the article and in fact on the lives of many disabled people.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/transportaccessibility/16393.aspx]]>To be Here or Not to be Here, That is the Question!tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.23111792012-12-16T10:01:25-05:002013-02-15T05:12:01-05:00Emily Davisonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-davison/'People like you shouldn't be here.'
'Fancy brining a Guide Dog to a place like this!"
'Why is she coming to a place like this if she cannot see.'
Believe it or not, but these harsh comments are not a work of fabrication, they are very much real and unfortunately directed towards myself as a Visually Impaired person.
Being an BA English Literature student, it comes as no surprise that I have an interest in visiting places of interest and historical landmarks across the UK. But, what does come as a massive culture shock to me is the multitude of comments from the general public regarding my visually impairment and consequently the requirement of my visual aid (a cane or a guide dog) being of an inconvenience to them.
Every individual is permitted access to Public places within the UK and those with disabilities being no acceptation to that rule. The Disability Discrimination Act stipulates that "Reasonable Adjustments" should be made to establish equality and accessibility of the service providers to disabled users. The earlier comments therefore make no sense when considering the politics behind accessibility. After all, we were not born with one sense of visuality.
When an infant is born they are usually bestowed with the five senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and sound. When considering this from the empirical dogma, it is prudent to say that we utilise each of these senses in order to build an understanding of the world via experience.
Even without the visual perception there is something to be enjoyed within a new environment. Taking into account the most crude example to explain this, a culinary example would be that food can look appealing to the taste. However, when the sense of taste actually judges this, it does not always rise to such expectations.
If a person was blindfolded and taken into a stately home or castle the other senses would constantly be working in order for the brain to cognate an idea of how the exterior world appears. A blind or partially sighted person gains insight of what the brain is missing visually by hearing the sounds of echoes in which gives a scale of size. A great hall of a castle would therefor sound large because of the sound traveling at a distance.The sound of foot septs would indicate different materials that they were walking on from the creek of wooden flooring to the echo of flagstone floors. There would also be the smells of polished wood, the smell of burning candles and the smell of age. This combined with the feel of wooden banister, ornate wooden carvings, and stone walls would create an image of history and age to a visually impaired person.
There is also the contributing factor of seasonal events, during this time that I visited one such historical place this year there was a Christmas event occurring within the establishment. Where there was a live band playing festive music of the era, as well as the opportunity to hear actors speaking of the historical preparations that took place in the lead up to Christmas during the 1920s. The smell of mince pies also wafted from out of the kitchens, which is a smell higly associated with the festive season. Wine and preserves were also on offer for tasting, All of these activities on offer are completely accessible to one with no sight, hence my point that a historical place is not simply for the fully sighted.
One example of a place that I love is old bookshops, the sort that are cosily tucked away within the winding streets of London. True that I may not be able to view the print, at least not without the use of a visual aid. But, what I love is the smell, the smell of ageing parchment and the feel of leather bound tomes in my hand. Being a writer I always strive to gain a full sensory experience of the exterior world, which is why this topic sparks interest within me.
I ask again why would one say these comments to a visually impaired person?
The simple reason for this is due to the unfortunate explanation of misunderstanding and miscommunication. Many take the world of sight for granted and thus disregard their other senses and what they actually provide. Education is of paramount in order to conquer this perception of visually impaired people in relation to recreational activities.
Misunderstanding is not the only reason, the saying "time waits for no man" is a common saying to everyone and it is categorically true. It seems that in places of interest where many spend a substantial amount of money to visit, many revert into their heteronomous self. fuelled by desire to see everything there is to see and to do everything there is to do. Obstructions become a matter of irritation and this contracts the swift tongued responses as mentioned earlier.
The staff of such places that I shall not explicitly mention have consistently been helpful, sociable and polite promoting a positive message towards the sites visitors. The public response towards my visual impairment has not always refracted so similarly.
The idea of a Guide Dog within a historical place is open to controversy as is using a mobility cane. The initial response is that I will either damage the furniture due to my not seeing it. Or that my Guide Dog will dirty the floor coverings with her paws.
However, both ideas are deniable, for one not everyone who utilises a visual aid are completely blind and if so they have an idea of whats around them thus the use of a visual aid indicates what is around them and hence they will not necessarily damage their surrounds. Neither will an intensely trained, obedient, spot checked Guide Dog be of any harm to it's inside environment.
The implication that a Visually Impaired person is a whirlwind awaiting to happen is an unfair and fabricated persona. Living in a democratic society full of explicitly consenting citizens equates those members of society being permitted equal rights to visit public places.
Live in a hypothetical world for one minute, where in this world your vision is distorted or completely blank. In this world rationalise how you would manage and understand things that you can no longer see or at least not to it's full extent. In this world understand how much you rely all of your senses and what they are designed to do in order in creating a perception of the world and how you would use these senses in this instance.
Put this question to yourself
What would I do?
In answer to my earlier question, indeed, to bee here is the firm answer.
After all, knowledge is a Universal concept and available to anyone who can imagine. ]]>Making Astronomy Accessible for Blind and Partially Sighted Peopletag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.21210222012-11-14T19:00:00-05:002013-01-14T05:12:01-05:00Emily Davisonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-davison/
From the very first steps that man ever took on the moon, to the speculated possibility of alien life on another Planet.
For decades science fiction has dominated a large portion of the media. Children are fascinated by blockbusters such as Stephen Speilburg's "ET," George Lucas' cult classic "Star Wars," and the all time classic BBC's "Doctor Who." With all these influences it's no wonder why children announce that cultivated saying
'I want to be an astronaut when I grow up.'
In the UK alone Astronomy has grown into becoming a popular sub culture. Professor Brian Cox is now recognised among the mass audiences as being the "peoples person" of Astronomy.
For a sighted person it is extremely easy to become addicted by what the night sky has to offer to the naked eye, let alone with a telescope. It would take the average person thirty minutes to take a brief tour of the constellations on a clear, cloudless night.
However, when we take Astronomy into consideration it is majorly correlated with visual perceptions. According to RNIB's latest statistics there are almost two million people in the UK living with sight loss and an estimated 25, 000 of that figure are children.
When all things are considered this is a hard fact to deal with, especially as we are a nation of Astronomy lovers. Living in the current climate Astrophysics is growing more advanced and scientists across the globe are exploring new astronomical avenues every day.
I myself am visually impaired and have studied a GCSE in astronomy the Royal Greenwich Observatory last year. I am currently undertaking some short courses and my Guide Dog Unity has even been awarded the name 'Astro Dog' by the staff who work there.
One of the ways it which Astronomy can be made more accessible for blind and partially sighted people is the creation of tactile, braille, and audio described images. This is exactly what the charity "Living Paintings" is aiming to achieve.
"Living Paintings" is a small charity dedicated to creating innovative books that explain the visual world to blind and partially sighted children and young people. They are run by a small group of volunteers who create, paint and audio describe these books. The books cover a wide variety of subjects from fashion, science, popular fiction, and the arts. The service is available to all Visually impaired children and young people on a free loan service.
They are currently working on two of their latest Astronomy projects. "Ka-Boom: A Young Person's Guide to the Universe" a guide book of the Universe and Constellations for Visually Impaired teenagers. That offers tactile pictures of various well known deep sky objects and constellations in the night sky. The second project "Sky Seeker" a fictional storybook about space exploration for the under 7-11 year olds with three tactical pictures and an audio CD. These books were funded by the "Peter Harrison Foundation" who also funded the renowned Royal Greenwich Observatories Planetarium.
Julia Caines, Peter Harrison Foundation Administrator, gave me her view on the project and what she hoped it would offer for visually impaired children and young people.
'We really hope that it is going to benefit blind and partially blind children and young people. When we were first approached by "Living Paintings" we thought the project was so unique and beneficial to help visually impaired people learn about astronomy.'
Liz Davies, the Production Manager, is very keen on the project as it offers
'a sensory experience to teach astronomy to visually impaired people.'
Living Paintings are currently in the production stages of this project, but already it is prominent that this project will be very successful.
As I am working with the charity on two of their latest projects and being a proofreader for some of their work. I have already had the opportunity to preview some of the tactile moulds that will be used.
On inspection of these tactile images of the constellations Ursa Major (little bear,) Orion and the Andromeda Galaxy. Shutting my eyes for a brief moment and feeling the tactile images, they offer a true representation of how deep sky objects appear to a sighted person.
Living Paintings have previously constructed an astronomy book, similar to the nature of the current Guide. The previous book "Touch and See: A History of Space Exploration" explains previous manned and unmanned missions into space. Missions such as the "NASA Apollo Space Missions" and "The International Space Station."
The book explains in full detail previous space explorations, by giving and audio segment to imitate the life of a real life astronaut. The driving idea of the project stemmed from the true fact that an member of the general public could contact NASA via a specific telephone number and have a conversation with a real life Astronaut.
'We used this idea to our advantage and in the audio track there is a segment which involves a child having a conversation with a real astronaut about the Solar System.'
The books will encourage and inspire Visually Impaired Children and Young people to explore the cosmos. Even if they cannot physically see it, there remains the opportunity for them to develop their scientific knowledge and to gain an understanding of the night sky boasts.
The previous book constructed by the charity received a high amount of positive feedback. Regarding how easy and enjoyable the book made learning about astronomy to visually impaired youths.
The library service is available to organisations, schools and for parents to interact with their children. One teacher of a Visually Impaired student relayed how the book gave their student a vital source of information.
'This book was a wonderful chance to access information in a fun way. It was a very valuable way of presenting the idea of the solar system to a blind child.'
The fact that the charity offers such a significant, intellectual recource to all of human kind is an key thing to a person living with sight loss. Through the simple thing of a tactile, audio book "Living Paintings" are offering a vital link to the cosmos to visually impaired people.
'The books will enable Blind and Partially sighted Children and Young People to learn the dynamics of the Universe' said Liz.
Knowledge of how life began and of life beyond our Solar System is arguably the most valuable class of knowledge to the human mind. Astronomy and science in general is not an elitist form of knowledge and all individuals should be able to ask important questions about the Universe.
"Living Paintings" have made a significant breakthrough in the barriers that visually impaired people face when considering Astronomy. Their latest projects are in inspiration and an example that other charities should follow.
Liz finished by stating the main purpose of their charity
'the main crux of the charity is to make the visual world accessible in an interesting way for all Blind and Partially Sighted Children and Young People.'
The book will be available in 2013, as it is still in drafting stages at present. The finished project that will be a success and an important milestone to the Visually Impaired people who use them.
Congratulations to "Living Paintings" for overcoming such a barrier and aiding the process for a visual impaired child's development.
