by Nancy Paskin, MART, RTC, CLVT,
Whatever your game, whatever your hobby, or whatever you do for fun or relaxation, don't assume it can't be done because of a vision problem. In our last issue, we asked you to share tips for continuing to enjoy favorite activities. Here's what you had to say, along with some additional suggestions and resources for staying active.
Sports
Bicycle Riding: It takes two! Ride a tandem bicycle with a sighted friend who steers while both of you pedal. Ask your partner to tell you about upcoming hills, turns or the need to brake along the way, and to describe the changing scenery. If you prefer, ride a stationary bicycle to get the same aerobic benefits.
Bowling: A guide rail is the key: Slide one hand along its smooth surface while delivering the ball with the other. Or ask a sighted friend to position you. Your friend can also call out the numbered locations of the pins left standing.
Fishing: You can't go wrong with pre-rigged lines . the hook and sinker are already threaded and clip to the end of your fishing line. Or use floss or wire needle threaders to thread line through the lure, hook or sinker. Fluorescent colored fishing line may be easier to see if you're partially sighted. And organizing your tackle box using containers with tactile or large-print labels can help you find what you're looking for quickly. Here's an important safety tip: place hooks in corks to prevent sticking yourself accidentally.
Golf: Get a feel for the course: On the green, walk from the ball to the flag and back to get a sense of the distance, slope and break. Some golfers find it helpful for a partner to stand next to the hole to provide a larger target and/or to make a sound. Inquire about the availability of an audio guide of the golf course. Or ask partners to tell you about bunkers, flags, direction and distance. The rules allow players with vision loss to ground the club in a bunker without a penalty. Fluorescent colored balls may be easier to see, and painting the heads of clubs white will help them contrast well with the grass.
Yoga: Instructors are often accommodating to people with vision loss by wearing contrasting clothing to enhance visibility, providing hands-on assistance to execute a particular move or position, and allowing you to follow their moves with your hands.
Swimming: A pool with roped lanes can help with orientation. And when you're swimming laps, count how many strokes it takes to swim the length of a pool so you can know when to slow down as you near the end.
Snow Sports: "Snow skiing is exhilarating and fun!" exclaims one enthusiast. Take advantage of sighted guides for both downhill and cross-country skiing. A ski guide chooses the line to be taken during the descent, describes slope conditions and terrain changes, and indicates timing and direction of turns. Special commands are used for cross-country skiing to ensure communication about bumps, dips, hills and turns.
Bring a buddy: Go snowshoeing with a friend. One woman describes how: "My husband (or friend) walks in front holding a long stick and I hold the other end. It's great exercise and a fun walk."
Activities Around the House
Gardening: There are as many tips as there are plants! You can grow plants with distinguishable scents (lavender and geraniums, for example) or different textures (African violets and amaryllis). Use large-print tags or place plants into containers of different sizes or shapes to make them easier to identify. Paint or tape the handles of garden tools to make them easier to see. White paint on the tines of a hoe provides excellent contrast with the soil.
If you want to plant a garden, use a cane as a guide for planting a straight row, or lay down two fishing lines and plant seeds between them. Place mulch or landscaping felt between plants and seedlings to reduce the need for weeding. Use contrast to help with orientation: place a brightly colored strip down the center of a pathway, or use something textured like gravel or bark. And a radio playing on your porch makes it easier to find your way back.
Handicrafts: Think twice before you give up knitting, crocheting and sewing. Getting organized is key: Separate thread and yarn by color using large-print or braille labels; separate skeins using plastic Ziplock bags or empty coffee cans with plastic lids. Create a one-inch hole in the center of the lid and thread the yarn through to prevent tangles. Use tape measures or rulers with tactile or large-print markings. And there are talking tape measures and those that fold at one-inch intervals. Invest in needle-threading devices, such as wire loop threaders, chimney-style threaders, spread-eye needles or self-threading needles (also available for sewing machines), or try needles with larger eyes.
Enlarge patterns or instructions on a copier machine or ask someone to record instructions on a cassette. And finally, experiment with flexible lighting, such as gooseneck, swing-arm or adjustable lamps, which can be positioned to focus light on your task. Lamps with built-in magnifiers or magnifier attachments are also helpful.
Knitting and Crocheting: Large knitting needles or crochet hooks make it easier to feel the stitches. If you're partially sighted, contrasting yarn color can further enhance visibility. To avoid having to change yarn frequently, use multi-colored yarn. A small abacus can help you keep count of rows and stitches. Or place a button or coin in a container as each row is completed. As you work, keep your fingers very close to the needle points so you can feel the stitches come off. If you've dropped a stitch and can't find it by touch, lay the piece on a contrasting surface to try to locate it. Mark the stitch with a safety pin. If the stitch is loose or large, try to pick it up with your fingers or a crochet hook and thread it back. If the dropped stitch is not far from where you stopped, it's easier to undo stitches back to that point and then continue working from there.
Sewing: Outline sewing patterns with bold-tip pens, tactile markings, such as Hi-Marks, or colored tape to help you see or feel the cutting line. To make frequently used patterns permanent, transfer them onto heavy cloth or cardboard that is edged with contrasting seam binding or tape. The edge is a different texture from the fabric and protects the pattern from being cut.
Pull thread across beeswax to prevent it from knotting or curling. A good rule of thumb is to use strands about arm's length. Use safety pins instead of straight pins; consider iron-on hemming tape instead of sewing a hem. Mark the settings of your sewing machine with raised dots and place a strip of contrasting or textured tape on the bed of the machine as a guide for sewing your preferred seam width.
For readers who enjoy quilting, use fabrics with varied textures or contrasting colors.
Board Games and Cards: Many games . Scrabble®, Rummikub® and playing cards . are available in large print and/ or braille. Ask your partners to call out the cards as they are being played. If you prefer chess or checkers, some sets are adapted so that one board color is raised or textured, and each set of pieces has a different-shaped top (flat or pointed).
Playing Musical Instruments: Readers continue to play music by ear or memory, or with the help of enlarged musical scores. Others take up new instruments with the help of instructional audiotapes.
Reading: In addition to enjoying large print books, or using a magnifier or CCTV to read, people use talking books and books in braille. They are available free of charge from The National Library Service at (800) 424-8567. Periodicals and newspapers are broadcast over special radio channels operated by Radio Reading Services. To locate one near you, call (800) 829-0500. And NFB-NEWSLINE® provides free telephone access to a wide range of national and local newspapers; call (410) 659-9314 for information.
These are just some of the hobbies and activities people who are blind or partially sighted continue to enjoy. The list goes on and on to include water aerobics, water skiing, working out on exercise machines, talking on ham radio, carpentry, crafts, painting furniture, walking, hiking and so much more. A reader who is an avid - and safe - woodworker holds up his hands and exclaims, "I still have ten!"
However, some people report giving up activities like ping pong, tennis, fine embroidery, photography and painting. And not being able to drive has affected one reader's ability to keep up ballroom dancing.
Give It a Shot! Discuss your favorite pastime with a low vision specialist or other vision rehabilitation professional to see what adaptations are possible for your vision problem, including the use of magnifiers and a CCTV. Learning new ways to continue a life-long interest may take time and patience, but may be well worth the effort. "Always try and give it a shot. You may surprise yourself," advises one of our readers.
And don't forget that you can team up with a "buddy" for help. If you attend a support group, ask around to find others who share your interests.
Information for this article was also obtained from the US Association of Blind Athletes, US Blind Golf Association, SportsVision, The Royal National Institute of the Blind, Vision Australia Foundation, Royal Blind Society, Blind Sport New Zealand, Ski for Light Canada and Lighthouse International's publication, Take Charge of Your Life with Vision Rehabilitation.
This article appeared in Sharing Solutions
Special thanks to Nancy Paskin, MART, RTC, CLVT, Former Lighthouse Director of Rehabilitation Teaching, for her input.
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