Hello Ardith,

On Thu 2038-Jul-08 23:20, Ardith Hinton (1:153/716) wrote to Richard Webb:

RW>  I just never liked umbrellas, I have to carry a white
RW>  cane in my hand to get aboutt safely, and the umbrella
RW>  in my other is a pita.  FOr the same reason I don't like
RW>  traveling with suitcases for personal luggage, but prefer
RW>  backpacks, or maybe a duffel bag.


AH>           Yes, I like to have a hand free too.  I use various bags
AH> which I can hang on my shoulders and/or on the back of a wheelchair.
AH> :-) 

I end up using the bag that can hang on the back of Kathy's
wheelchair quite a bit too.  Means I"ve got quite a bit of
stuff hanging off her chair, with a bag for her oxygen tank
too .


RW>  FOr me personally though I like those cheapy plastic
RW>  ponchos, or (if I must) the grab a garbage bag.


AH>           We've used cheap plastic raincoats similar to those the
AH> teenagers in Ketchikan were laughing at.  They're light & they don't
AH> occupy much space... I think they're great for travelling.  I also
AH> take extra garbage bags along when we're camping.  They can be
AH> adapted to serve many purposes if need be....  :-) 

Indeed, rain covers for you and equipment you wish to keep
dry.  I always keep a box of garbage bags in my "jump" kit
for emergency deployment.


AH>           Uh-huh.  We thought flying would be impractical even
AH> before we heard Mayor Sam's power chair went missing upon his return
AH> from Torino.  Fortunately he had a backup chair at home.  But if the
AH> chair had been lost or damaged when he was on his way to Europe...
AH> arghh!  Long ago, when I was in Montreal with a community band, one
AH> of the gals wasted a whole day getting her flute repaired. It's
AH> difficult when you're new in town & don't know who speaks English. 

YEp, that's a problem, and with Kathy we'd have to rent her
a battery operated concentrator, or deny her the oxygen
support while on the flight, have the company that supplies
her tanks meet her at airport at other end with fresh
supply.  Quite impractical for her.

AH>           A word of warning about cruises, should you ever have an
AH> opportunity to travel that way.  We investigated several cruise ship
AH> lines before going to Alaska & found only a few which would take the
AH> type of chair we have.  Many of the others claim they take
AH> wheelchairs... but somewhere in the fine print they say they won't
AH> take anything with more than three wheels, anything which can't be
AH> folded up, anything you're unwilling or unable to leave in the
AH> corridor all night, etc.  Maybe what they have in mind is a jogging
AH> stroller... [wry grin]. 

Yah sounds about right.  DOesn't sound like we'd want to
hassle iwth it, even though both of her chairs fold.  THe
newer wider chair she prefers may fold up, but it's poorly
constructed, and every time one folds it one has to
basically rebuild it at the other end when deploying it for
use.  For this reason I insist these days she just grin and
bear it with the standard sized chair which she's had for
years, older but much better construction.


RW>  BLind folks who are affluent enough to make the trip as
RW>  a vacation and who are dog guide users used to avoid it
RW>  because of the canine quarrantine laws.


AH>           Yes, that could certainly be a problem.


AH>           Guide dogs are valued by their humans & well taken care
AH> of.  They're also very serious about their work... and not likely to
AH> have contracted rabies in a territorial dispute with a wild animal. 
AH> I think it is reasonable to make exceptions there.  I prefer the
AH> term "service dog", however.  I once read that somebody in EchoLand
AH> was making arrangements to get a dog trained to alert the nearest
AH> adult when her eight-year-old daughter was about to have a seizure. 
AH> I think of her & cringe over signs saying "Guide Dogs for
the Blind"
AH> are allowed to enter a drug store or food store where other dogs
AH> aren't.  Yes, this mother could put up a fuss.  But it's tiresome
AH> when one must do it routinely....  :-( 

YEs it is, and we as blind folks find it tiresome as well.
The service dog thing is newer on the scene, have to change
my terminology, used to the old ways .
I've been training our rott for a bit of guide duty, but
I"ve trained her even more to "pick it up" for mommy when
she drops something she can't reach.  SHe's mommy's
protector and constant companion when she's at home.  IN
fact, Kathy's hospitalized right now so Schotzi's a bit lost and confused. 
I'm also handicapped with only one working
arm.  CAn drag this keyboard onto my lap to type a msg once
in awhie, but keyboard umbilical stretched to its limit and
I have to sit uncomfortably close to this desk.  We were in
a rollover accident the other day, totaled the vehicle.
FOr this old man, almost steady diet of sandwiches because
being a right hander cooking much of anything not easy, and
even operating a spoon or fork with the right difficult,
having difficulty raising hand to level of my face while
gripping the utensil.  MEd folks say soft tissue injury
though, so hopefully it'll heal with little diffficulty
.

RW>  Wasn't a problem for my visit there though .


AH>           Because you didn't have a dog with you, or because some
AH> exception(s) had been made to the rules by then?  I'm a bit hazy on
AH> the time frame....  :-) 

Didn't use a dog, was a white cane user.  I've used a self
trained guide dog occasionally over the years,  but never
liked to rely on one, because I felt my lifestyle and work
made life unfair to the animal.  People who have organized 9 to 5 type gigs
can do well with service animals, but when
one does 12 or 16 hour days on occasion, etc. it isn't quite fair to the
dog.  HE or she needs his rest and relaxation
too.  Also, bandstands are quite noisy places, and I always
felt that blind musicians who insisted on bringing their
dogs into such environments were engaging in an act of
cruelty to the animal.
I refused to hire a drummer on a regular basis for a band a
few years ago because he insisted his dog accompany him to
gigs instead of using a cane just for gigging.

Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+