Pat Roy has never had keen eyesight but in recent years, her vision has deteriorated to the point that she needs assistive technology to do many tasks most people take for granted.
But while some people might complain about the inconvenience, Roy simply shrugs, saying, “There are people who are worse off."
At 61, Roy is retired from her job as a medical office assistant because her eyesight was worsening. Her mother had Stickler syndrome, a genetic disorder that can cause serious vision loss, as do other members of her family, so she didn’t waste any time making changes necessary to continue her active lifestyle.
It wasn’t easy. It took time to do the research and trial an error to find out what would work for her. But now the president of the Dogwood Branch of the Canadian Council of the Blind can say her life is on track and she’s not missing out.
“You just have to get over yourself,” she told The Tri-City News. "You have to come to terms with it.”
Her kitchen is an example of orderliness and calm. There’s an iPad on the counter with recipes in large type — and an app that can read out recipes — spice racks with easy-to-read labels, and the dishwasher speaks to tell Roy what button to push thanks to an audio labeller called PenFriend.
There are also low-tech aids, such as teaspoons and measuring cups that are colour coded and have raised numbers or large lettering.
In her sewing room, Roy uses a closed-circuit camera that projects an image on to a TV to magnify her face, enabling her to put on her makeup, help her with needlework or other projects.
Roy can still walk briskly around her Coquitlam home, in part because she has lived there for more than 30 years but also because she still has vision in the lower half of one eye.
“I am reluctant to use a cane,” she says, “there is a stigma.”
One of the first things Roy did when she retired was join the Dogwood Branch of the Canadian Council of the Blind, where she met other people with vision impairment who helped her with practical advice and supports. Most in the group are older and are experiencing macular degeneration.
“I am the baby,” she jokes, of her Dogwood pals.
Inspired by the late Pearl Sawyer, the Dogwood group is hosting a Vision Loss Information Exchange on Sunday and Roy hopes it will attract a wide variety of people, including children and teens, who will likely find something of interest to them.
The goal of the Sept. 17 event is to encourage people to share experiences and learn new ideas about living with vision loss.
• More information is available by calling Pat Roy at 604-931-6835 or Rosa Harris at 604-552-7600, or by emailing [email protected].
WHAT’S HAPPENING
On Sunday, Sept. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Dogwood Pavilion in Coquitlam, the Dogwood chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind is hosting a Vision Loss Information Exchange to showcase clubs, groups, support services and technology to assist people with impaired vision. It will include:
• information about ScripTalk to help people manage their medications;
• details about Vocal Eye, which provides live description of major arts and cultural events;
• a meeting with Coquitlam Access-Ability Advisory Committee;
• info about guide dog services, PAWS for independence, library services, audio players and other programs;
• info on groups providing support for children and youth experiencing vision loss;
• a meeting with CCB Dogwood members and Canadian Council of the Blind representatives;
• info about blind hockey, curling and dragon boat racing from BC Blind Sports;
• info on technology to help you in your every day life from Canadian Assistive Technology, the Get Together With Technology group and Shaw;
• and details of driver testing from ICBC and safety on transit from TransLink.
