Friday, August 5, 2011

Tips for Adjusting to Legal Blindness




This was dictated to me by my dear husband -- his attitude and love of life are a good life lesson for all of us. Enjoy!

I have been legally blind for 20 years. As a former golf professional and professional baseball player, this was an extremely difficult adjustment. However, as the years have passed, I have learned ways to cope and make small adjustments. I can no longer read the paper or drive a car. But, I still play golf 4 or 5 times a week, walk my dog in the early mornings, dance with my wife when we have an opportunity for dancing. I enjoy oldies music, mostly rock and roll from the sixties.
First thing in the morning, I push the button on the coffee pot. My wife presets my coffee mug with a spoon, and the cream and sugar nearby. She prepares the coffee the night before. Then my dog and I go for our walk, usually before daylight. I wear a flashing light on my waist so that folks who are up and about early in the mornings can see me.
I settle at my desk to begin the days' work. I easily operate a push button telephone by touch even though I have never received any formal training. I make telephone calls for a local insurance company. I have done this also in the past for the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, a business forms company, and a telephone company. The most calls I have ever made in a day was 100! That was a busy day!
I watch (listen) to sports on television in the evenings. I find I can easily keep up with news and sports via the television, even though I am unable to see it clearly.




Google







 














Golf Strategies for the Legally Blind

We have discovered a few things that help me continue to enjoy golf. My golf balls are marked with a huge black dot, so that I can easily identify them.

We use white tape on my golf clubs, and mark the club number with a big black magic marker. These have to be redone from time to time, but for now, this is the best solution we can devise.

and as I said earlier, I am blessed with the best friends a guy could have!