On the 24th of January, a lady named Tina came to talk to us about what life is like being visually impaired. She had her guide dog called Forest with her. First, she talked to us about how they trained Forest to be a guide dog. She told us that guide dogs start training from a very young age and training continues until the dog is about fourteen months old. Guide dogs learn things like how to cross the road safely, to take their owners to local places, such as shops and to obey specific commands.
Tina has certain gadgets to help her with everyday life. These include a watch that speaks the time and a device that tells her the colours of objects, clothing and hair. Her smartphone has a special mode that enables her to use her phone, despite not being able to see. She also has a liquid detector that tells her how much to put in her glass, so it doesn’t overflow.
Tina has a helper who comes to help her with ordinary day to day things, such as cleaning, shopping and house work. She told us that the hardest part of her day, despite everything else is taking the busy bus home after a long day at work. If she wants to go somewhere that Forest doesn’t know, she requires a friend or family member to go with her. She relies on other people to choose her clothes when shopping, as she can’t see.
We have learned a lot from Tina about what life is like without one of the five senses we rely on so much. We now have even more respect for the strong, inspirational people who manage to live with disabilities.
By Kitty Murphy and Rhóinn O’Connor (6th class)