I joined NFB (National Federation of the Blind) this past weekend. My friend Warren invited me to the Keystone Chapter of the NFB last month, but it snowed that day, so I didn’t feel comfortable going. It’s not that I hate snow, it is just the walk to the train station after the meeting that concerned me. I’ve never really gone out and about in the snow using my cane. For this month’s meeting, the weather cooperated.
In the days and weeks before the meeting, Warren and I talked and texted about it. He also told me about his time at the Colorado Center for the Blind. What an amazing place that sounds like. It seems he really learned how to manage every aspect of his life with very limited vision.
Back to the reason for this post, joining the NFB. Most people I know, including many friends and family, know that I can’t see, but they don’t realize how it affects almost every aspect of my life. They don’t get that moving something from its regular place on one shelf in the fridge to another shelf makes it almost impossible for me to find. Everyone at the NFB understands that and lives that. Just like when I had some training at CBVI in Chester, it is nice to be around people who have similar interests and issues and to learn from each other.
There is also that feeling of being independent. Since Eliz had plans, I felt confident enough to walk from 15th and Walnut to Suburban Station, find my way to the ticket counter and buy a ticket, then go to the right platform and get on the right train, then walk home from the Swarthmore station — about a mile. I did it all with very little trouble. I was surprised. My biggest issue was finding the ticket counter at Suburban Station. Once I had my ticket, the clerk walked me to the steps to the platform and I was good to go. Several passengers also offered assistance once the train arrived and warned me about the gap between the train and the platform.
While it doesn’t seem like that big a deal to most people, it was to me. To share stories and tips with people who are similar is very gratifying. To make it back home on my own seems almost miraculous.