A Different Way of Seeing. Helping You Make Sense of the Overwhelm
“I can’t imagine any visually impaired person would prefer reading books using a computer voice rather than a human voice!” I’m probably misquoting the words but that was the sense of a comment I heard on one of the assistive technology podcasts I regularly listen to. My immediate response was to disagree vehemently… and then …
Our first stop on the tour of guide dog-friendly places Fiji and I go to was our nearby Woolworths retail store. Today we’re walking just a few steps away from Woolworths and stopping for a cup of tea… or a delicious meal , if you’re feeling a little peckish. In fact Sostanza, the coffee shop/restaurant …
Monday was the first meeting of the new Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa year, and my first as President of the Cape Chapter. After years of volunteer leadership through Toastmasters International you’d think I’d be immune to the anxiety of leading a new team through our first event, but somehow that anxiety never goes …
I love using emoji – sometimes they so exactly capture what you’re trying to convey, where you’d need a whole bunch of words. So I was intrigued when I listened to a recent episode of the Assistive Technology Update podcast and heard an article about some new emoji that are being considered – including emoji …
A little while back I said I wanted to start a series of articles recognizing places that were welcoming to my guide dog. Here’s the first of those articles. I live in Lakeside, in Cape Town. Our closest shopping area is the Old Bakery Centre, so named because it used to be a bakery. When …
I’m wagging so hard right now that I think my tail might just fly off! You won’t believe what’s happening! Mom and I are going to write a book together… In fact, I’m going to write the book and mom will just co-write it with me. Don’t you think that will be exciting? We’re only …
Yesterday was an extra special day in the Strachan household – my beautiful retired guide dog, Eccles, turned 14 years old… and that’s not 14 doggy years, it’s 14 human years. Back when I decided to embark on a career as a writer and speaker working in the disability field Eccles took the opportunity of …
“So, how would you navigate your way round a large public space in a shopping centre? What technology would help you do that?” Those were two of the questions I was asked when Fiji and I spoke at an architectural company who specialize ? in designing shopping centres, school and university campuses and large apartment …
It won’t surprise you to know I have a fairly extensive global network of blind and visually impaired people on social media. I also listen to several podcasts by and about people who are visually impaired. Recently I’ve been amazed how often I’ve heard stories of people being refused access to places and services because …
It’s no secret that people often become nervous when using words that reference disability, and I get that. They don’t want to upset us, or make us feel in any way diminished by the term they use. And I get that too. In fact, I’m not even sure I know what term I should use …