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At Your Leisure
When
people lose part or all of their vision, they often think they'll have
to give up their favorite hobbies and sports -- activities they've
always found rewarding and enjoyable. It's a natural reaction, but it
doesn't have to be that way. Many people not only continue their
hobbies, but also take up new ones. One women with vision loss
commented, "When you've done something all your life, you have a
craving to do it. You find a way."
An octogenarian with macular degeneration
didn't let his condition stop him from doing what he's done for years --
paint. Working mostly with watercolors, he picked simple subjects such
as a landscape with few details and used a magnifying headset for
broad-brush strokes and a color closed circuit television for smaller
details. For really fine detail he held the work very close to his
face. Sometimes so close, "I got paint on my nose," he laughed.
You can do almost anything if you put your mind and hands to it. The first step: Make a plan to adapt your favorite activities.
- Choose an activity.
Start with something you enjoy and know well. It will take some effort, but often your first success will give you the confidence to try more complex activities.
Think about the steps.
Break the activity into smaller, specific tasks or steps. Visualize yourself doing each step and picture how you might accomplish the task. Work out problems one step at a time.
- Decide what equipment or tools are needed.
Organize the materials and your workspace so you can identify things. Maybe a friend or family member can help you set up your activity space and materials in a way that will let you proceed on your own.
- Give yourself time to accomplish your goals.
It may take you longer to complete the project. Be patient with yourself.
- Is this an activity you do alone or with others?
Is the person you did the activity with in the past still available? Can you do it on your own or are there steps that seem impossible now? Could a friend or family member help you?
Sensory Clues Can Help
Vision often can be
enhanced through contrast, lighting, size and color, and other senses.
Use your hearing -- consider recording instructions on tape. Don't
forget touch. Raised labels and different textures can help distinguish
materials.
Take a hobby like outdoor gardening.
People may ask, "Why would I garden if I can't see the flowers?"
However, you can smell and touch the flowers. Or, consider an herb
garden with mint, chives, parsley, dill and basil. Nothing completes a
good recipe like the smell and taste of fresh herbs.
There are
many organizations that offer information on specific hobbies and
sports for people with impaired vision. And people who have continued
their favorite hobbies offer these suggestions:
Bicycling: Get a tandem bike and take a friend.
Fishing:
Practice handling your own tackle at home. Use fluorescent-colored
fishing lures. Feel the tension while you throw out the line and reel
the fish in.
Golfing: Ask a friend to describe
the fairway or to help you find the ball. Use fluorescent-colored golf
balls. One golfer paints the heads of his golf clubs white for better
contrast with the fairway.
Cooking: Record your favorite recipes. There are also many large print, audio and braille cookbooks available.
Reading to grandchildren: Many children's books are available on tape. Listen to them with your grandchildren.
Playing cards: Buy large print and braille playing cards or specialty cards for Uno and pinochle.
Board games: Use special tactile or large print versions of Bingo, Chess, Checkers, Scrabble, Backgammon, Monopoly, Othello and Dominos.
Knitting/Crocheting: Use large needles or crochet hooks, four-ply yarn and contrasting colors. Use your fingers to feel the stitches.
Machine sewing:
Mark settings and dials with raised dots; a strip of tape in a
contrasting color or texture on the bed of the machine may be used as a
guide.
Reading music: Enlarge your musical scores on a copier machine or use instructional audiotapes.
Carpentry: Use a notched ruler, talking tape measure or audible bubble level.
If
you've engaged in an activity before, you're the best one to decide how
you can continue to do so. Experiment with different modifications. If
you're trying something new, then think, ask questions, take it one
step at a time, and be patient. It takes everyone time to master a new
task.
Adapted from an article by Linda A. Brunton, MEd, published in Sharing Solutions, Lighthouse International