I used to be my father's 'Seeing Eye card son' in poker

Dubuque Telegraph Herald, IA, USA 
Monday, October 29, 2007

I used to be my father's 'Seeing Eye card son' in poker

By CRAIG D. REBER TH staff writer

Vision-impaired not helpless, deserve break

Seeing two law officials walk along Asbury Road while blindfolded and clutching 
white canes rekindled memories.

Dubuque Assistant Police Chief Terry Tobin and Dubuque County Sheriff's 
Department Capt. Dan Chapman volunteered as part of White Cane Safety Day.

Cathy Sauser, low-vision coordinator for the sponsoring 

Tri-State Independent Blind Society, said the event's primary purpose is to 
publicize how tough it is for the blind to cross streets -- or travel anywhere, 
for that matter -- and what those white canes mean.

To me, Sauser was preaching to the choir. My late father, Darwin, was blind.

You never would have known it, though. Until his death in September, he was 
always upbeat -- never down about his blindness. As a teen in the late 1930s, 
he lost an eye in a sporting accident. Vision in one eye didn't prevent him 
from serving honorably during World War II in the Army Air Corps. (His draft 
board originally classified him "4F," but that's another story.)

After the war, he went on to a successful career in retail management. Then, in 
Advertisement 

 
the late 1970s, his other eye failed. 

Before his world went totally dark, he had tunnel vision which prevented him 
operating a motor vehicle. My mother, Deloris, did the driving in the family. 
After I got my driver's license in 1968, I frequently served as my father's 
personal driver.

Dad and I drove to Utah for a vacation in the summer of 1984, when he was 
totally blind. It was the first time I had ever served as his "eyes" on a long 
trip, describing in detail everything. Well, not quite the first time as his 
"eyes." My father loved to play poker, and as his sight worsened, I often 
served as his "eyes" in the numerous games. No one minded. I was called Dar's 
"Seeing Eye card son."

As an adult, I never took my sight for granted. How about enjoying a steak 
dinner? Sighted people can cut their steak or baked potato into pieces. Put on 
a blindfold and try eating a steak dinner.

After my mother died in December 2003, Dar chose to stay in the apartment they 
shared. He managed with very little assistance. Dar once was an avid reader. 
When I stopped by, I always knew he was home because I could hear the 
indispensable "talking books" that he listened to in his bedroom. Radios were 
well-received Christmas and birthday gifts. Dar loved listening to sports, 
especially baseball and football. It was his link to the world, besides the 
day-to-day conversations with people at the apartment building or his 
thrice-weekly trips to Tri-State Dialysis.

Something else sighted people take for granted is buying clothing. I'd be his 
clothes coordinator, as well as critic, on what the shirts/slacks colors were 
and if they matched.

Does anybody know what time it is? I'd never heard of a talking watch before my 
dad wore one. When you're blind, you don't need a traditional clock. But, to be 
up in time to catch the morning bus for his trip to dialysis, dad needed a 
watch. He would push a button and a voice would announce the time. I always 
ensured his watch was programmed to reflect the changes between Standard and 
Daylight Saving times.

The vision-impaired aren't helpless. But they live in a different world. And I 
know and appreciate the many challenges they face daily. If you're a motorist, 
be aware that there are people, pedestrians with white canes, who need you to 
be their "eyes." When driving, be patient, apply the make-up in your home and 
avoid using the cell phone. Sight-impaired people have enough hassles. They 
don't need to worry about distracted motorists.

Shirley Conrad, Dar's close friend who is sight-impaired and legally blind, 
told me about the time she was crossing Kennedy Road at Asbury Road. She was 
standing on the little island, holding her white cane, when a driver climbed 
out of his truck and helped her across. He said, "I didn't want to see you get 
killed."

I wish more people shared his sentiments.

Reber, a reporter, has been a Telegraph Herald journalist since 1988. His 
e-mail address is creber@xxxxxxxxxxx


http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=178449
BlindNews Mailing List
Subscribe: BlindNews-Request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" as subject

Unsubscribe: BlindNews-Request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe" as subject

Moderator: BlindNews-Moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Archive: http://GeoffAndWen.com/blind

RSS: http://GeoffAndWen.com/BlindNewsRSS.asp

More information about RSS feeds will be published shortly.

Other related posts: