Month: January 2016

When I can’t rely on knowing an area (at least not very well) getting around places can be very difficult. I have never been to New York, so I had no idea how to navigate, and even though I was with my husband, there were times I did struggle to acclimatise. Here are my NYC stories.

Subway….

New York has a very developed subway system, trains are 24 hours (which feels like a pipe dream for Londoners!) and there are signs at a height which I can actually see. New York subways have big walking maps, which is handy for when we were out. They have (like we do in England) seats reserved for disabled people on the subway, but all the seats don’t have cushions. People were friendly when we got lost on the Subway (which happened quite frequently – a mixture of overconfidence and improvement works on the track). Disabled people who actually live in New York get discounted subway tickets too. This seemed rather good (although that doesn’t beat my TFL freedom passJ). Subway maps are available but they were too small and colour coded, this was unhelpful as I would have to rely on the husband, this amounted to varying levels of success (we missed a tour because of him!).

Getting there…

I haven’t been to London Heathrow for years. It was a nightmare. I can’t see the face of the security staff when I am waiting to go through – so unless they wave or shout at me, I wait. You can probably see them getting more and more irate. There are few signs, so once or twice I walked the wrong way and staff got annoyed at me. Once we were through security everything was a lot easier, I saw shops I recognised and I quickly acclimatised/spent money. JFK was similarly confusing, it could do with more people guiding you and more signs. The staff could also just be more efficient – security took ages.

Sights…

Going to New York in January is the best; there are no long queues for tourist stuff! Firstly this was great because I get stressed having to navigate through large crowds, but it also meant I could see everything as closely as I needed it to be! At the Ellis Island Immigration museum I could go up very close to the exhibits and they had audio tours. Broadway (where all the theatres are), do these ticket lotteries every day, where you can get cheap tickets for top shows. I managed to win some tickets for Les Miserables. I was scared that we would get random tickets at the back, but to my surprise we got tickets four rows from the front – I could (for once!) see everything (Disclaimer: Seeing everything for me doesn’t necessarily mean seeing everything. I mean, I can’t see faces, but I can normally tell who people are from their hair length, voice and body shape). I got some beautiful pictures when walking on Manhattan Bridge that show the sunset as we were walking across. My husband assures me the colours are beautiful.

Walking around…

So whilst there were many signs when walking around, something that really annoyed me (and this can also be a massive annoyance in London!) is unmarked steps. These are steps which have nothing to show where the step ends. I kept missing steps as they all merge into one. It drove me mad. I know it may not look as aesthetically good, but it’s a practical thing and surely EVERYONE would benefit from knowing where the steps end/start. Sort it out New York. The other thing I would be grateful for, as most of the roads are so wide (I can’t see the walking man) is some sound to know when it is safe to cross the road. I think I remember only one crossing where a speaker kept repeating ‘WALK’, but that was it. Sort it out New York.

Snow…

We were stuck in the BLIZZARD. I love snow, I love how pretty it makes things look and how kids (and my husband) seem to flock to play in it. While the snow was falling, husband and I went for a walk in Central Park and it was awesome. However, I have a complicated relationship with snow. When things are covered in snow everything looks flat to me, so I fall all over the place! When the snow is packed up and get icy – life is even worse. I am sometimes scared to leave the house when there is a lot of snow because of this, but it was so so pretty. See below for a snow- covered Central Park.

To sum up….

Travelling gets me to experience new things, I love it. However, I also want to be safe! Cities and countries vary massively in terms of accessibility. New York is one of the better places so far, but not the best.

Next blog in two weeks – speak then 🙂

There are some things which a person is just bad at (I am sure everyone can relate!). Sometimes it might be knitting and other times it could be maths. I am really really bad at sports (my husband says this isn’t true but he is way too kind!), no matter how much I want it or try.

I will never be good at football and this makes me sad. I loved football at school, really loved it. I liked playing in defence, because:

1. I like to tackle people.
2. I like whacking the ball as far as I can.

I will always remember being excited for my football grade, and then getting an ‘E’ for it (at some point we should really talk about how school grade systems for PE don’t really take disability into account…). I was well below average and this just sucked. I still play football from time to time. I have had accidents though, I broke my leg playing football with some guys at university (leading to me being put on a bicycle, wheeled out of Hyde Park and put in a cab for the hospital) and I have had several direct hits to the head. I have also tried other sports. My husband and I play tennis in the park sometimes. As soon as the ball goes into the air I can’t see it. When we play I am either upset with him because he misses the ball on purpose, or upset because no matter how hard I try, I just can’t hit the ball. I tried out cricket and goal ball for visually impaired people. I really wanted to join visually impaired football but I couldn’t find any local team. Anyway, cricket was not good. I was the youngest there by far and the only woman. I went a few times but then gave it up.

All in all, my relationship with sports is somewhat varied. Sometimes I love it and most of the time I don’t. I wish that I could learn aptitude in such a thing! I sometimes wonder if I would have been a sports icon if I was fully sighted, but knowing that I have dire running skills (which I don’t think my visual impairment affects), it’s highly likely I would be just as bad! Luckily, there are other things I am relatively good at so I shall just focus on them. Maybe write a book or two instead 🙂

I am in New York next week. I am aiming to blog, but might be having too much fun. Have an amazing week

I have been married for a year and a half, so these are my initial thoughts. When we got married, we felt a new sense of responsibility that we didn’t really expect. I don’t think we realised he would also be taking on the role of carer. Of course, when we were together he took care of me, but it felt slightly different.

When we are out, my husband seems either to look after me too much or not enough. In both scenarios I get irritated, either because I want more independence or because I didn’t want to get that bump on my head. It’s quite easy to be annoyed when I have just:

1. Banged my whole body against a lamp post
2. Fallen on some ice
3. Missed a few stairs

(All three scenarios have occurred).

Aside from the several bruises I have, I do like it that he seems to have overestimated my ability, either that or he isn’t paying attention (he daydreams a lot!). My husband has had to learn about fashion and make up. He comments on my eye liner and foundation! I ask if it is ok; he used to say ‘How am I meant to know?’, I now get ‘you need to put a little more eyeshadow on your left eye’. He has also developed his driving ability when public transport isn’t an option. This was hard for him, but he knew how much it meant to me. If he can drive, I also feel the independence from it.

Over the past few years I have become more accepting of people helping me. I liked not asking for help because I thought it made me vulnerable and I am a proud person. I have since realised that being able to ask for help when you (really) need it is a strength. So, my husband is my carer, but I think we are all caring for people in our own way. I care for my husband, my family and my friends.

Marriage to me is about working together, making the best of each other’s strengths and supporting them when they need it (also about loving each other of course!). I don’t imagine my marriage would be very different if I wasn’t visually impaired, I think the essence of the relationship would be the same. However, I definitely would not have met a random Norwegian man if my visually impaired friend hadn’t been living in university halls with him!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a peaceful break.