Disability Dialogue with Bill

Dreaming in a Coma

Have you ever had an experience that you were not sure when it actually occurred? Since what you understand now, you wonder how that activity could have occurred when you thought it did. I will explain:

In May of 1999 I slipped into a coma for three months due to a critical medical condition. After I awoke from my coma, was eased off the many drugs that helped save my life and helped with the pain, I slowly became aware of my surroundings. Not too long after this I began to think I was completely blind. When I learned how to talk with my newly acquired tracheotomy and was able to persuade my doctors I could not see. They brought in an eye specialist into the hospital to examine me.  With the examination they confirmed I was completely blind. The mysterious part of my story, I believe I had many dreams when I was in a coma which I already knew I was blind before any doctors examined me.  Most of these dreams lasted for days. In the same dream spanning across many days and nights as I would wake up each morning and go to bed each night all during the same dream.

In some of my numerous dreams I was attempting to cure my own blindness. 

Designing and Manufacturing My Own Eyeglasses - Dream:

I thought if I could manufacture customized glasses with specialized lenses it would allow me to see again. I constantly was working on designing and researching optics for the lenses I would put in the glasses to restore my eyesight. I even explored incorporating wireless sensors that connected to my brain to aid with possible nerve problems. Some of the experimentation I had to do by touch alone since I could not see the glasses I was working on.   As I tried many different variations of lenses to offset my vision loss I found I was not making much progress on my own.

I traveled for days consulting with other eye, optic nerve and brain specialists including many people who were optic lens experts. As a newly blind person with no mobility training enabling me to travel safely I quickly learned traveling with no eyesight was like a nightmare. I would just fumble around from town to town crossing over a variety of elevations, many types of surfaces and attempting to avoid obstacles. As I traveled I would listen for voices and if I heard any I would head towards who was talking to request assistance in locating the person I was trying to meet. With my idea of restoring my eyesight with specialized optics and sensors it seemed like it may not work I attempted other methods.

Mysterious Healer - Dream:

I heard of a person from across the bay from me could possibly restore the vision to the blind as well as cure other illnesses. I thought finding out if this person could help was worth a try. My first challenge was getting to the location where this person was which was approximately 40 miles away. Before I began I understood traveling on foot and being newly blind this trip would take days. Somehow I found a tunnel that ran under the San Francisco Bay just large enough for me to crawl on my knees using my hands to guide me.  I crawled for miles all the while having a sensation I should not attempt this kind of healing. I remember the pain in my knees and hands as I occasionally placed them on broken glass or other sharp objects. My head would occasionally bump into something therefore I tried to keep my head down so the top of my head would hit the obstacle and not my face.

After crawling for hours I somehow as if by instinct alone I found a tunnel that led me up to the street level. Once I was on the street I eventually located a person who assisted me in finding the location where the mysterious healer was. Although I was already in complete darkness due to my blindness, I was herded into a room with many other people.  When I heard those around me seeking to be cured I sensed it was even darker than my own complete blindness with a sense of eeriness. While I waited for what was to happen next to all of us who were jammed into this small room I felt very uneasy, frightened and wished I was not there. After listening to the healer enter the room and speak some muffled words which I could not understand I felt the crowd around me begin to disperse. I could tell this because I was no longer bumping into people and the room was much quieter. At this point I began to understand this person could not cure my blindness and I began to wonder how I would get back home.

Upon leaving the room and building I immediately started to search for anyone whom I could request assistance. After receiving help from many people I eventually found the tunnel under the bay and crawled back through it. With many more hours of traveling and attempting to avoid all of the hazardous and painful obstacles I gratefully made it back home.

Eye Transplant - Dream:

 I believe this next dream may have been after I got out of my coma, although I could be mistaken. Possibly this dream could also have occurred when I was in my coma. After enduring a few successful surgeries I began to think anything was possible.  I kept waiting for the day when the doctors would restore my eyesight and had faith they would during my hospitalization.

At this time I did not know the medical reason I could not see and thought the doctors could just replace my eyes and I would be able to see again. I would pray that the upcoming surgery would be successful. Also I prayed to ease the feeling of uneasiness I had for the upcoming eye transplant surgery.  I had one somewhat funny concern regarding the eye replacement surgery. It was that after the surgery was completed the doctor may accidentally select eyes that did not match in color. After weeks of waiting with no eye surgery discussed or occurring I realized the doctors could not restore my eyesight with an eye transplant.

Additional Dreams:

 I also had numerous other vivid detailed long dreams that directly related to experiences I was going through in the hospital. Upon returning home to my own bed after seven months in the hospital my vivid dreams subsided. It is amusing that I did enjoy recalling the many dreams/nightmares I had when in the hospital.

Has anyone else recalled dreams you thought you had while in a coma? Did anyone else attempt to cure an illness or disability in your dreams like I did? Have you heard of other people having similar experiences?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable comments and stories.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Quick Exploration of Boulder Creek Area: Plus Some Needed Relaxation

In July I had a couple of day’s free from my profession (work) which I truly enjoy although I wanted to take full advantage of my time off from work. Generally I work 5-7 days a week and approximately 50-60 or more hours a week and was ready for some relaxation.  I am completely blind and cannot drive myself to locations I enjoy although I could take a taxi even Uber to travel if I really wanted to get away by myself.  When my friend asked me to join him on an overnight trip to Bolder Creek I jumped at the chance to get away. I love mountains and I used to go to them weekly if not daily when I could see and drive myself. To be sure this was a successful trip I carefully packed my things I would need and made sure I could find each item by touch alone. My loving wife Kathy assisted me with packing even though she would not be accompanying me on this trip.

Time for Fun and Relaxation- Day 1:

As soon as we arrived at my friend’s cabin in Bolder Creek I got out of the car and felt the warm air against my skin and breathed in the fresh dry mountain air scented by the trees and shrubs which immediately began to relax me. After unpacking we sat out on the deck at the back of the cabin that overlooks the San Lorenzo River and had lunch. I could hear people laughing as they swam or waded in the river. I could also hear the occasional ducks quacking in the background as I imagined them swimming in the river.

After lunch we stopped by a nursery where I purchased a native California plant to plant in my yard to attract Monarch butterflies.

Besides some relaxing and visiting with each other as we drove around we went on a walk completing the Redwood Grove Loop Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton. I enjoyed the relaxing walk through the very large Redwood trees and through a variety of other native plants and trees. I even enjoyed feeling and smelling the trees bark and plants as we took our leisurely walk in the filtered sun. 

After our walk since my wife Kathy is full blooded Italian, plus I like Italian cookies as well, I had to stop by Ben Lomond Baking Company to sample some Italian cookies including Cucidatis (Italian fig cookies). 

To conclude our enjoyable Thursday my friend and I met up with one of my longtime friends who I have known since 1^st grade for a nice dinner and conversation in town at Scopazzi's Restaurant. Since the night was so pleasant we were able to enjoy our delicious dinner on the outdoor patio. To end our evening all three of us went back to the cabin where we continued our conversation.

Time for More Fun and Relaxation- Day 2:

After a nice breakfast at my friend’s cabin we visited with a few friendly nearby neighbors in the warm air surrounded by Pine, Oak and Bay Laurel trees with some birds chirping here and there. When we concluded our visiting and exploring the forest /woods we drove to Spanky's Cafe where we had an enjoyable lunch in this restored old farm house. When we finished our lunch my friend and I did some other exploring including visiting a place where they sell wooden carvings so I could feel the beautiful wood work and imagine in my minds-eye what each piece looked like.  We then planned to conclude our day by relaxing on Davenport Landing beach.

To get to Davenport from Boulder Creek we cut over the mountains and headed directly towards Bonny Doon Beach. The roads were windy with a lot of elevation changes until we eventually dropped off onto Highway 1and headed north to Davenport Landing Beach. Once we arrived we carried our beach essentials down a large sand dunes until we found a perfect spot near the ocean and a cliff face and cove. Relaxing in the nice warm air with the gentle breeze on the beach was very refreshing since it was 68 degrees which was more than 30 degrees cooler than BC which was 98-100 degrees which we had left earlier in the day. I also enjoyed listening to the waves and the people around us enjoying themselves by playing an acoustic guitar or playing music on boom boxes very softly off in the distance. It was very relaxing as I laid on my back in the sun on the soft warm sand imagining in my mind’s eye the surfers, wind surfers or others playing in the waves that were actually out there although I could not physically see them. 

Time to Conclude Our Fun and Relaxation:

When we concluded our enjoyable beach experience it was time to return home. After returning home to the very hot Santa Clara Valley (on that day ) it was time to unpack and return to my standard daily routine, which I also enjoy, although quite different than the exploration and relaxation I just experienced over the last two days.

Have you been able to find methods to relax like I describe above? Did you have any opportunities for exploration you were not expecting? Do you have any tips to make our opportunities turn out the best for all involved despite any perceived or actual challenges you may have?

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Celebrating 30th Wedding Anniversary with Gratitude

When I wrote my blog post, Anniversaries - What They Mean to You I was celebrating my 20^th wedding anniversary.  Now I am happy and grateful to be celebrating my 30^th anniversary this month on June 14, 2017.

If you have not had the opportunity to read any of my other blog posts to get to know me here is a short background describing what happened to me. I went completely blind in 1999 during a seven month hospitalization three of which I was in a coma. Now I also require two canes to walk, one support cane and one long white cane for navigation.  

As I wrote about in “Anniversaries - What They Mean to You” I will always remember my 11th wedding anniversary among all others except for my 12^th which I describe in my blog post above. I will never forget my 11th wedding anniversary because it was the last anniversary I could hold my wife and look into her bright caring eyes and see her loving expression on her beautiful face looking back at me. Thinking about the length of time that passed since that wonderful occasion brings up the thought of Kathy and me reaching another milestone. Our new milestone is over half of our married life I have not been able to see my loving wife Kathy or assist her the way I could or want to if I was not blind and did not require two canes to walk. Although I am working many hours a week in my profession, most other activities around the home are left up to Kathy to complete by herself which is very stressful and difficult.

Below are additional reasons I am celebrating and am grateful for to add to the ones I noted in Anniversaries - What They Mean to You.

• I am grateful Kathy did not accept the advice of the hospital personnel to send me off to a rehabilitation facility far away from family and friends. She instead decided to take me home to perform some rehabilitation herself which also enabled me to connect with local organizations to assist me locally instead of my being isolated in some far off location.
• I am grateful to have my dad build me a standing frame from plans he got from one of our local hospitals. This enabled my wife Kathy to work with me daily using it along with the other required therapy. This therapy eventually enabled me to walk again which I describe in Learning to Walk Again.
• I am grateful after having a total hip replacement that Kathy again took me home to help with the required rehabilitation which enabled me to recover and heal at home. I wrote about this in Accepting the Inevitable Total Hip Replacement , instead of sending me to a rehabilitation center.
• I am grateful Kathy did not take the advice of others and leave me when I was in the hospital. This enabled us to continue on our journey through life together, although now with additional obstacles and bumps in this road of life.
• I am grateful I have Kathy to maintain our home, our yard, our car and finances among all of the other things she does daily from sunrise to well past sunset, occasionally taking some time off for herself. 
• I am grateful Kathy brings light into my darkened eyes as we continue on our life’s’ journey to reach another wonderful milestone together, and dream and plan for many more in the future.

Since my 20^th wedding anniversary blog post, like some other people, we have endured financial difficulties, challenging living situations and experienced many other obstacles in our life which tests our health, marriage and friendship.  We understand we are not unique and these circumstances are all part of life that we accept and will continue to do the best we can together as partners in life.

Does anyone want to share any reasons why they feel anniversaries are special? Are you celebrating an anniversary of any type in which you would like to include all of us in your celebration? Do you have any additional thoughts to help us all not lose track of what is important in life? Lastly, any comments on how we can maintain gratitude and love through challenges?  

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Home Maintenance: Disassembling Wooden Frames Without Eyesight

Have you ever wondered how a completely blind person is able to accomplish home maintenance projects; for example disassembling somewhat large wooden frames around raised vegetable garden beds by touch and sound only?  I would not think most of you have thought about such things therefore I will explain for those interested in learning one person’s technique and strategy.

Why: Over 25 years ago before I went completely blind I built three redwood raised vegetable garden beds in the house we rented.  Over each of the beds I built large redwood frames where I placed weather resistant sun filtering cloth that allows air through but blocked out direct sunlight. I could then manually roll out  the sun filtering  cloth over the frame as needed to protect the plants from the intense direct sun. Since I lost my eyesight in May of 1999 the two remaining garden beds and the frames covering them had developed a desperate need of repair. To start the needed transformation   and the required repair of my vegetable garden area I planned to remove the two frames around each bed that were  left to allow the vegetables to  grow in natural unfiltered sun.  My plan is to recycle and reuse the wood from the frames for plant stakes as well as other uses for the wood around our yard thus preventing the waste of valuable wood and trees.

Strategy: I figured out all the tools I would need ahead of time to complete this project. Since I walk with two canes, one support cane and one long white cane for navigation, I have no extra hands to carry anything when I walk which makes planning crucial. After I located  one philips screwdriver, one flat blade  screwdriver, needle nose plyers, regular plyers, hammer, a plastic bottle of water  and my trusty  Huntsman version of a Swiss Army knife (my go to knife when I used to backpack) I was prepared. My loving wife Kathy set up a chair where I could sit as I worked on my project. Kathy also brought me all the tools I listed including an empty coffee can. This can was used so I could place any hardware in it during the disassembly process. I carefully placed my tools and coffee can near the right side of my chair so I could find everything more easily. Once Kathy had dragged each frame with some difficulty over to me one at a time I was ready to begin my fun.

Fun: As I sat in the chair with  the frame resting  across my legs with it’s four legs pointing in unknown directions I explored all sides of the frame with my fingers and hands to determine the layout  in my minds-eye and as to how I assembled it many years ago. After I had the image of how the frame looked I then determined the best approach to disassemble it. Then I felt around at each joint to determine if I used screws or nails as fasteners.    From feeling small indentations at the center of each fastener with my finger tip I determined they must be screws that held down each metal bracket.  These L-brackets attached each leg to the top square frame I had assembled with the same style brackets. I then selected my Swiss Army knife’s small screw driver and started to remove each screw. Some screws were extremely tight which required me to position myself in my chair in a way to maximize leverage.  This tactic allowed me to keep the required pressure on the screw as I removed each one. After removing a leg of the frame I found a short piece of wood that was connected to it. By feeling no indentation in the top of the fastener on this short piece of wood I determined I had put in nails which held the short piece of wood to the leg.  These short pieces of wood connected each leg on two sides to the top of the frame at 45 degree angles reinforcing each leg. After removing the short pieces of wood by pulling them off by hand or prying them off with the claw end of the hammer I used my plyers or hammer to pull out each nail. To keep my work space organized as I disassembled each section I stacked the shorter pieces of wood to the left of my chair, the longer leg pieces to my right in the corner resting up against the fence and placed all screws, nails and brackets in the coffee can.

When I was working on the second frame I noticed for some reason the screws did not turn, therefore did not loosen. This difficulty made me wonder if these were nails preventing my Swiss Army knife screwdriver from biting in the head of the screw as I attempted to twist it out. I then cheated and asked my wife Kathy if the screws were philips or straight blade types since I could not determent what they were by touching them with my fingertips. After Kathy looked she found some were phillips and others were corroded therefor I switched to my longer handled screw drivers to get more leverage. When I made this minor adjustment I was again well on my way to completion of this project. After removing many screws, nails, and all brackets I was pleasantly surprised when I reached down towards my feet and in front of me where I would keep the frame pieces that still needed work and found nothing but air as I grasped around with outreached hands. I also double checked by kicking out my feet keeping them low to the ground searching by touch and sound for them to connect with something solid  just in case a piece of frame landed out of hands reach during   the disassembly process. I was happy to discover that this test failed to locate any stray pieces, therefore I called Kathy over (she was working in some other area of the yard) to confirm I did not miss any. After verifying with Kathy that the first frame was completely disassembled she dragged the second one over for me to disassemble. When I had completed the second frame and had Kathy confirm that I had, she told me I did not miss disassembling a single piece of wood, removing a screw or any nail. This made me smile with joy.   When I had completed this project I then organized my longer pieces of wood that I placed to my right against the fence to later saw off the damaged parts to prepare each piece for a new life.

What I learned from this simple project:

• Overcoming the thought of completing a project like I describe and doing something that requires more exertion than one is accustomed to or have ever attempted before may be the most difficult part. Because of these challenges it is best to just plan and get started.
• Despite any challenge or disability if one plans thoroughly it is possible to participate in or complete many projects on your own.
• Although disassembling a large wooden frame like I described may be difficult or awkward with challenges such as being blind which is the equivalent of wearing a blindfold or walking around using canes, the satisfaction of completing a project is worth the challenges.
• If assistance is not available and you are forced to improvise and utilize work-arounds, it is still possible to complete projects.
• Being prepared with everything you may need before you start will help reduce the stress of having to stop in the middle of your project to locate something you may need or even worse find out you may be missing something required to complete the project.
• Keep a positive attitude and if you are outside, take advantage of relaxing in the sun, listening to the birds, the wind rustling through tree leaves, breathing fresh air and the joyful sounds of neighbors experiencing life. Pace yourself and enjoy the option to be outdoors.

Does anyone have any stories to share that explain projects you have attempted or completed where you overcame any challenge you may have? Do you have any tips for me and others to help us overcome what some people perceive as challenges to fully participate in projects and life? Any ideas to increase the probability of completing projects when help is limited or not readily available?  Any other experiences you want to share to help us take the required steps to experience all aspects of life, including the uncomfortable, unfamiliar or challenging aspects of enjoying life?

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Leverage Your Abilities to Demonstrate and Act on Your Transferable Skills

I am humbled and honored to have my employer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) publish an article “Prepare for any challenges - discover your unique transferable skills and talents”. The article describes what can be accomplished if one focuses on abilities and not disabilities. This article was written by leveraging some text from two of my blogs entitled “Employee of the Year” and “Discovering Your Unique Transferable Skills”. Also an internal HPE page for my bio added pictures and then edited the article to develop this new publication.  

I hope my “HPE Careers” article gives you some ideas that will enable you to leverage your abilities and transferable skills. 

Does anyone have any additional suggestions on how to leverage your abilities and transferable skills to help your employer, your family or your community? Do you have any other examples of the value of meaningful employment like I described in the beginning of my “HPE Careers” article? Lastly does anyone have anything else to contribute to this conversation? 

I look forward to hearing your valuable comments to help us continue this important discussion. 

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

 

Lemonade on the Road to Recovery

The story I wrote below was published in the summer 2006 edition of The Blind Californian, a Publication of the California Council of the Blind. Since many of you do not read the Blind Californian or have not seen it I re-published it here to enable you to read it. This experience took place when I was in O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, CA. May 1999 through December 1999.

 

Lemonade on the Road to Recovery

Have you ever wanted lemonade so badly you had nightmares and your tongue felt like it was a piece of sandpaper or steel wool? No? Well I surely have! Let me explain.

A few years ago, I was critically ill; in a coma for three months; hospitalized for seven more; and had many tubes and wires attached to me. During this time I was on life support with a ventilator attached to a trachea tube in my neck and could not drink or eat anything for four months. All nutrition was given through my intravenous line (IV).

I had many torturous nightmares during my hospital stay about being thirsty. In my dreams, glasses of ice cold beverages were always just out of reach, so close I could feel their coldness.  I'd see people watching me as I sat in my wheelchair trying to reach that glass, agony in my face, and nobody would take the time to push it just a little closer.  It was though I was invisible to all those people staring at me. I was so thirsty, it was pure torture.

My thirst was all I thought about while awake or asleep. I almost looked forward to the interruptions of pain, sickness, blood tests, surgeries and procedures; these things could take my mind away from thoughts of cool beverages and how good it would feel to have a drink. I'd lay there thinking of being able to walk over to the faucet, turning it on and have cool running water come out; about filling a glass of water and drink it down gulp after gulp until it was empty.  I passed the weeks and months not only thinking of drinking water but also of orange juice, iced tea, tomato juice or anything cold. My best daydreams were of the day I could leave the hospital, walk to a refrigerator, open it, and grab an ice-cold drink.  I thought this would be a dream come true. I thought how lucky all the people, not in my situation, were to be able to get drinks whenever they wanted; perhaps not even realizing they have it so good and taking it all for granted.

My mouth was so dry for so long I wondered when this part of my torture would end.  The nurses were allowed to swab my tongue with cotton swabs with a little lemon flavor but this did little to quench my thirst. About a month or so after awaking from my coma I was allowed to have a little crushed ice. The compassionate nurses would give me only about one teaspoon, or less, as a treat I greatly anticipated. It was such a joy and temporary relief.  I'd try not to swallow the ice or chew it too quickly, preferring to let it linger to refresh my parched mouth and tongue. When the nurses switched shifts, I would ask for more ice but eventually they caught on and put a big sign above my bed which said "patient not allowed anything by mouth." This was, according to the doctors, because my body was not ready for ice.

I eventually was given two rehabilitation therapists and my therapy started. They would have me do things to build up my strength, coordination and orientation.  As undesirable outcomes of my illness, I had become totally blind, could not sit up in bed or walk.  As you might imagine, I needed all the therapy I could get. Most of it was very difficult and painful at times.

One day I was told that, as part of my therapy, I would get to make and drink lemonade.  I thought I was hallucinating or dreaming.  Drinking lemonade would be much better then the things I normally did in therapy. First, though, we had to get me to the location before my fun could start. O

I could barely move, and could not walk, so getting me in or out of bed was always a challenge.  The therapists used a crane-like device called a Hoyer lift to hoist me from the bed and lower me into a wheelchair. Dangling from this device by straps was very relaxing and soothing to my body. Once I was lowered into a sitting position in the wheelchair, the straps were removed, the IV bag was transferred to a hook above me and I was ready for my journey.

I had no idea where we were going or what the therapists were carrying so I could make lemonade and I didn't care, I just knew I would be drinking real liquid that was all that mattered. I had a great big smile on my face as they wheeled me by the other patients, with my IV bag hanging high above me on its hanger. **Since I couldn't see anything, I just imagined me being wheeled by other patients beds; I looked over as I smiled, pretending other patients were watching as I paraded by.  I could have been smiling at the walls for all I knew. I imagined my therapists smiling as well, the love and joy in their voices made me feel they really wanted to help me get well and be whole again.

I was so excited, it felt like Christmas! Instead of never tasting thin fluids on my tongue and throat, I was on my way to drink Lemonade! I say thin fluids because what little liquid I did get had a thickening agent added, causing it to be gritty with tiny granular particles. They did this to prevent me from aspirating fluids into my lungs and getting pneumonia. Imagine drinking thick room-temperature water or thick and gritty orange juice, not very pleasant.  Now you can see why drinking any cold refreshing fluid would be so exhilarating, especially lemonade.

Soon we arrived at our destination and my therapist pushed my wheelchair up against a sink, handed me a plastic pitcher and told me to fill it about three quarters full. Since doing most anything was new to me as a blind person, making lemonade was a challenge. I reached to find the faucet handles on the sink and realized I had no way to tell which faucet was hot water and which was cold. Both handles felt exactly the same to me, and since I prefer cold lemonade I did not want to fill the pitcher with hot water. Realizing my dilemma (no doubt from my baffled expression), one of my friendly therapists gently put my hand on the cold faucet where I proceeded to fill the pitcher until I realized I wouldn't know when it was three-quarters full. Since, according to the therapists, the directions required this much water to make the lemonade, I explained my predicament.  They suggested I use my fingers. I quickly shoved my hand into the pitcher to test the water's height.  Once the water felt like it was at the proper level I turned it off. The pitcher felt heavy to me with my weak hand and arm, so after getting a good grip with both hands, I gently pulled the pitcher out and away from the sink while trying not to spill anything.

I was then ready for the lemons, wondering how I would cut them without sight.  I reached out, ready to grab a lemon or two, but was handed a plastic bag.  I asked, "What is this?"  They told me it was powdered lemonade mix.  I was a bit relieved because being weak and clumsy, I thought I might cut myself if I attempted to cut lemons.  I gently opened the Ziploc baggie and poured its contents into the pitcher. I did not have to worry about measuring because my therapists had already done it.  Setting the pitcher on my lap, as I sat in my wheelchair, I positioned it firmly between my legs, to hold it snugly, and proceeded to slowly stir the lemonade, with the wooden spoon given to me, so as not to spill anything.  When the therapists told me I had stirred enough, we added some ice cubes and I stirred some more to make the lemonade ice-cold.  As I stirred, I imagined drinking this delicious beverage.  I couldn't wait!

Once complete, I poured some into a plastic glass, judging it's fullness by its weight and cheating by sticking my finger into it. (The therapists must not have trusted me with a real glass.)  I offered it to the therapists (being the gentleman that I am, ladies first).  In amazement, neither wanted it, probably because I had stuck my fingers in it; but since I couldn't see the expressions on their faces, I never knew.  In any case, I was ready to indulge in this cold, delicious, thirst-quenching lemonade.  I took a sip and couldn't believe how good it was.  My taste buds went wild and my mouth seemed to suck it up before any of it had a chance to go down my throat.  Some did make it, and I felt this large quantity of cold, icy liquid going down.  Soon the glass was empty. I poured another and offered it to my therapists and, again, they declined.  I couldn't believe it.  They said go ahead and have another glass.  I thought I must be in heaven!  I slowly poured another glass with my finger in the glass, waiting until I felt fluid touch it. I drank this glass down very quickly, barely letting it hit my tongue.  I took the pitcher and swooshed the liquid around to test its fullness.  I heard the lemonade swooshing and could feel its weight.  This instantly widened my smile, knowing there was still more of this delicious, cold drink left.  Still trying to be a gentleman, I asked the therapists, one last time, if they wanted a drink.  They both said no, so I filled my last glass; drinking more slowly, savoring every last drop of pleasure as the coolness, wetness and delicious taste of this lemonade delighted my senses.  I did not know when I'd be able to have another drink and wanted this pleasure to last forever.  All too soon the glass was empty.  I then washed everything as this was a part of my occupational therapy lesson.

After this thirst quenching adventure, my wonderful therapists wheeled me back to my room.  All the way back I felt like I was in a daze and very contented.  Before I knew it, I was in bed.  I pulled the thin hospital covers up to my neck as I got comfortable.  I just laid there thinking about how enjoyable a nice cold glass of lemonade can be.  As I lay there in my own darkness, still smiling from the great experience I just enjoyed, I thought this was really a very good day and you sure can't beat a cold lemonade.

If you want to listen to a Podcast of this story visit Podcasts at the Global Dialogue Center and scroll down until you find LEMONADE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.

Has anyone else had such a challenge that it became an obsession, like my desire for a drink of water? Do you have any thoughts that came to mind for you after reading my story?

I look forward to hearing your valuable comments to help us continue this discussion.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Fresh Ocean Air, Quality Time with Family & Friends Heals & Revitalizes

In late June I was blessed to be able to participate in a family vacation in Aptos California with 18 members of my wife Kathy’s side of the family. What made this experience extra special besides the obvious of sharing exceptional memories with others one cares for, I had not been back to the ocean for a family vacation since 2012 which I describe in Family Vacation: Creating Memories, Enjoying Companionship and Nature.

Although I had an enormous amount of work to complete (which realistically for all never ends) I am grateful I allowed myself to take this needed vacation and had faith I would be able to catch up on my work when I returned.

As soon as we arrived at our destination I immediately sensed the stress melting away from my body as I felt the sun against my skin, listened to the ocean waves and breathed in the fresh ocean air. I had no idea such a vacation would positively and immediately affect my mental and physical health (beside one mishap I will explain later). Being completely blind I utilize other senses to interpret my environmental surroundings and mood of the occasion since I can’t see facial expressions. As I listened to the excitement of the others around me my senses instantly confirmed that we were about to experience a fun-filled vacation.

Just a Few of the Enjoyable Activities I Experienced:

• Lounging and relaxing while sitting by the pool feeling the warmth of the sun on my bodyRelaxing at the beach lying on my beach towel on the comfortable sand as the gentle sea breeze cooled me slightly from the heat of the sun
• Lounging and sitting out on the patio at the condo we were staying in listening to the ocean waves, breathing in fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun on my body
• Sharing many meals with my family members including the ones we prepared ourselves and the ones we went out to restaurants for
• Listening to my cousin play his guitar as we sang along under the stars with the ocean waves glistening from the star light as our backdrop
• Listening to the happy laughter from my family as they played fun games together
• Going on nature walks with my wife Kathy as she described the beautiful scenery to me which was filled with the ocean, bushes, trees, hills and ravines which we crossed on footbridges
• Experienced the excitement of the others as they described to me the many dolphins jumping completely out of the bright blue clear ocean water which they could see from our condo’s patio and balcony
• In the mornings and the evenings I would picture in my mind’s eye as the others described to me such as the many fawns (baby deer) with their parents close by eating right outside the windows of our patio
• Engaged in many conversations in which I seldom have the opportunity to experience the sustained quality time together
• Experienced the joy of partnering with many as we shared living quarters
• Going to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with my wife Kathy, two of my great nieces and one friend we each drove the bumper cars, played arcade games, went on other rides, ate corn dogs, hamburgers and deep fried artichoke hearts
• Not letting a nasty fall the first day of our vacation slow me down in which I bruised and scraped up my left knee badly and slightly sprained my left ankle and foot (I found out about the sprain when I returned home and was examined by my doctor)

 Observations and Reinforcements of Experiences:

• Life passes us by very quickly therefore we should make time and cherish time with loved ones instead of focusing on non-critical activities or inanimate objects
• In our very hectic and fast paced world most of us live in today we can always justify not taking time out of life to spend with loved ones because we feel we are too busy
• Taking time for rest and rejuvenation actually enhances our productivity and creativity when we return to our career or other important personal or professional commitments
• If you are fortunate enough to receive invites to be with others do not selfishly decline thinking only of yourself because possibly others might benefit from your presence
• If you happen to fall and receive injuries like I did (which I am almost completely healed), it is best to have such good fortune of having an emergency room doctor see me fall, causing them to stop their car and get out to help my wife Kathy deliver first aid to me
• Lastly, you never know what will happen in life and the opportunity you pass up to share with others may be your last chance

Does anyone have examples of vacation experiences that benefited you? Do you have any other  experiences I did not list that reinforces the fact that we need to take time out of life’s busy schedule to spend it with others rather than spending our spare time focusing on non-critical activities or inanimate objects? Do you happen to have a disability like I do or have any temporary challenges that you were able to overcome in order to participate in family vacations?

I look forward to hearing your valuable comments to help us continue this important discussion.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Bocci Ball for the Blind and All

Has anyone played Bocci Ball before? I had never played it before and received an invitation to play with a few of my family members and graciously and thoughtfully accepted the invitation.

You might wonder why I stated thoughtfully. This is because I am completely blind and walk with the aid of one long white cane for navigation and one support cane for stability. As you might understand I had to plan my strategy to participate and be successful since I did not want the team I was on to lose the game. Plus my main goal was to have fun in the beautiful outdoors and enjoy my new Bocci Ball adventure with my family.

Strategy:

I had my family members explain to me how the game is played and the rules. They also described the four red and four green balls we divided between the two teams we had with four people on each team. There was one smaller white ball, called the jack or pallino. From what I understand from only playing once the goal of the game is to roll your ball and get it closer to the pallino than anyone on the other team without hitting the back end of the court which immediately causes that ball to be a dead ball and is not eligible for any points.

I felt one of the balls to get a feel for the weight and width. I also had a person go to the end of the court and call to me so I could gauge the distance to the end of the court by sound. I could also hear where the borders of the rectangular court were by listening to the people walk up and down the sides of the court which helped me gauge the width of the court. With these sound clues I now had a mental visualization of the layout of the rectangular court.

Time to Participate:

At the start of each game a person would roll out the white ball (pallino). When it was my turn I had a person stand by the pallino and call out to me so I could locate the pallino by memorizing where the voice came from. Standing behind the foul line, I swung my arm back and forth to get a gentle rhythm and focus on the direction I wanted to roll the ball. Once I was ready I rolled the ball towards where I thought the pallino might be. The court was very, very fast so I only had to roll the ball slowly for it to roll down the court and if I planned correctly close to the pallino. I would then listen to the other voices either get excited if I rolled a good ball or hear the cringes or moans if I rolled a poor ball. Luckily I rolled more good balls then poor ones. Also with some astonishment I actually made quite a few points by getting my ball closer to the pallino than anyone on the other team. The team I was on was in the lead most of the time until near the very end when the other team took the lead and won the match.

I Won:

Even though our team lost I felt as if I had won. I felt I had won since I attempted to play instead of taking the easy way out by not trying. I was also pleased because I was able to fully participate in our family fun.

Do any of you enjoy experiencing new activities? What did you learn from participating in new activities to overcome what seems like obstacles to experience joy and inclusion? Does anyone have examples of when you had the chance to experience new activities life has to offer and you chose to participate instead of sitting on the sideline.

I look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Year End: Celebrating the Way We Were Emphasizing Gratitude in the Present

As each year closes and a new one arises I take time out of my busy schedule to reflect on past activities, accomplishments, obstacles and develop new goals for the upcoming year. This year is no different although a reoccurring thought is how my life has changed dramatically since losing my eyesight without warning. Because of this I now require one long white cane and one support cane to walk which tests my creativity to find methods to carry objects with no free hands among other challenges that comes with living life with no eyesight. The busy holiday season and year end causes me to reflect on the way Kathy and I had planned to live our life achieving our dreams and goals prior to this life altering event. We anticipated and expected the need to overcome standard challenges most people experience, although we never thought our love and devotion would be tested so dramatically including gratefully surviving a three month coma and a seven month hospitalization stay when I lost my eyesight.

Although this obstacle of living life only seeing blackness does have its daily challenges it is not too difficult to do well in my profession. After getting out of the hospital I immediately prepared by completing training to obtain the standard blindness related skills including assistive technology as I relentlessly re-skilled myself to successfully perform my daily work for my employer. I also am continuously increasing my   education by completing many professional and technical courses each year.

My greatest sense of loss is for my loving wife Kathy since we live alone and I can no longer assist her like I used to when I could see and walk with no limitations. My parents and other family members are also affected by my obstacles. Like others who are fortunate to be devoted to their career and providing for their family I am also working many hours a week. The main burden is all on Kathy to run the household including all home and car maintenance, driving, finances, all chores, taking care of our pets among many other tasks that keeps her extremely busy from sunrise to far beyond sunset. To assist in completing some non work related tasks I can’t complete without eyesight that Kathy usually helps me with I occasionally receive help from a caring volunteer from a local nonprofit agency which frees up some time in Kathy’s busy schedule. As I perform my job I can listen to Kathy (when I am not in conference calls) relentlessly keeping on top of all tasks, including squeezing in time to decorate for the holidays late into the evenings.

Some might wonder why Kathy goes to the trouble to decorate for the holidays and keeps the house we rent very clean and organized throughout the year since I can’t see anything but blackness. I sense she does all of her work beyond the tasks that are critical because it brings her pleasure and satisfaction. Kathy like myself also enjoys bringing joy into others lives’ and decorating assists with this mutual goal. Even though I cannot see the decorations with my physical eyes I see the beauty in my mind’s eye and can feel the joy of the holiday spirit. I can also sense the joy in others when we are blessed with the occasional company and our guests admire the home my wife and I have created with love and caring despite my inability to help Kathy with many tasks. The sound of joy and happiness is very gratifying and far better than any pharmaceutical medicine in my opinion to help overcome some ailments and attitudes. The atmosphere Kathy and I have created helps to ease the difficulties and obstacles we attempt to overcome daily. Although we seldom have time to relax since we are incredibly busy keeping up on all of the tasks we need to accomplish together I would not trade in my life with Kathy for anything. Holding gratitude in one’s heart and believing that one can overcome most any difficulty keeps my faith that Kathy and I will endure. Our mutual goal is to also leave time to help our family, friends, neighbors and others that are less fortunate.

If I was given the choice between if I want to see and walk with no assistive devices again or have Kathy as my wife, I will always choose Kathy to celebrate my life with!

Although I try not to allow my new obstacles to discourage me one song that always makes me consider what could have been and how much easier life would have been if I never experienced my challenges is the song “The Way We Were”.

For those of you who are hard of hearing or deaf and could not listen to the audio in the above hyperlink you can read “The Way We Were” lyrics.

Does anyone have stories to encourage others that may be experiencing challenges or have had life altering events that caused you to change your path in life? Do you have any messages of joy and gratitude you want to share? Lastly I want to wish everyone a happy, safe, healthy and blessed holiday season and a very enjoyable new year.

I look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments to propel us into the new year with happiness and gratitude.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Audio Description: Assists the Visually Impaired to Visualize Information, Increasing Safety and Convenience

Have you ever attempted to watch a movie/video on a screen that was so small you could not see it and in addition to that the audio track did not provide enough description which prevented the ability to follow the plot?  Have you attended a play, movie or other event in which your seats had an obstacle impeding your view which prohibited seeing the action performed which left you wondering what happened when only action was occurring and there was no verbal dialog? Have you ever attended a webinar where the video portion had technical difficulties and you could only listen to the audio and missed the essential non- verbal content preventing you from completely understanding the concept? Ever listened to a video on your mobile device and due to safety reasons could not look at the screen and therefor missed understanding the complete concept because not everything was described sufficiently? 

If you experienced any of the above accessibility obstacles how do you think this would make you feel? Would you feel excluded and truly left in the dark? This is how some blind or visually impaired people feel if they cannot fully participate in such activities.

Fortunately with today’s technology the blind, visually impaired and others without disabilities who may have the temporary obstacles described at the start of this blog post can participate and understand the content if the developer/producer/publisher incorporates Audio Description.

What is Audio Description?

Audio Description is an additional audio track that describes and gives context for essential visual information. Audio Description makes videos, multimedia, plays and museum exhibitions, as well as a large variety of other events and activities more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. It also helps others who are not disabled but may have temporary obstacles by capturing essential visual information into audible descriptions that are played during natural pauses in the primary audio track.

A few of several examples of where Audio Description can be added are shown below to assist the targeted audience understand the media being presented are:

• A scene in a movie, video or play where there is only action and no verbal dialog describing the action when the action is critical to understanding the movie or video - Describe the action

• An amusement park ride where the visual experience is critical to fully participate in the ride experience - Describe the visual setting

• When the speaker’s facial expressions, body language, clothing and colors add context to the meaning of what is being presented - Describe the facial expressions, body language, clothing and colors

• If the environment adds additional information to aide in setting the mood for the audience - Describe the environment  

• A webinar where the instructor is taking an action which they do not describe what is crucial to understand the concept - Describe the action

• If presenting a training video of a software application and reaction within the application caused by a mouse click or keystroke is critical in performing the task being verbally described - Describe the reaction

• When multiple people are talking and the audience can benefit from associating the voice of the person speaking with what they are talking about - Sparingly introduce the speakers

• A conference call where anyone in the call is sharing information and they do not describe that which is crucial to understand the concept - Describe the information being shared

My last four bullet points are good candidates to leverage the Low Tech solution borrowed from WebAIM: Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions.

Producing audio descriptions can be expensive and time-consuming. When producing a video for the web, the need for audio descriptions can often be avoided. If the video were displaying a list of five important items, the narrator might say, "As you can see, there are five important points." In this case, audio descriptions would be necessary to provide the visual content to those with visual disabilities who cannot 'see' what the important points are. However, if the narrator says, "There are five important points. They are..." and then reads or describes each of the points, then the visual content is being conveyed through audio and there is no additional need for audio descriptions.

To learn more about the value and begin to learn how to incorporate audio description into your products to increase audience satisfaction read...
"Creating Opportunities with Accessibility: Movie Theaters”
and ...
“Audio Description for Media and Live Performance Chicago Web Accessibility & Inclusive Design Meetup”.

Has anyone experienced Audio Description and can provide comments to help others learn? If you have never heard of Audio Description did you learn anything from this blog post? Can you think of other activities that can utilize Audio Description to increase accessibility and therefore inclusion? Does anyone have suggestions to leverage Audio Description for people without visual disabilities to help justify it being incorporated into products for universal design? Does anyone have any other comments on the subject of audio description?

I look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton