In the early 1970s I was employed as a braille transcriptionist at the CNIB Maritime Division headquarters in Halifax. A sighted person was my reader.
We were transcribing a Handicrafts Manual one day and were dealing with the subject of chair caning. At one point in the manuscript reference to “reseating a chair” was made. I don’t know what I was thinking of at the time (I think it happened to be payday), but I spelled “reseating” as follows: receipting.
I was spelling it that way as I wrote it down when my reader broke out into a big guffaw. As a result of that goof, I had to redo the page and I was more than halfway finished at the time. Needless to say, I didn’t live that one down for a while.
Want to share your story like Robert did? Email us at insight@cnib.ca.
Read more articles from the April, 2019 issue of Insight:
New partnership brings community expertise and lived experience into the development of wearable technology, with practical support to help people explore its possibilities.
FirstTap uses fun games and activities to children who are blind or have low vision the commands and gestures (like swiping, pinching, and tapping) to use Apple’s operating system (iOS) its built-in vision accessibility features. Created by CNIB for young children (ages 2 +), activities are tailored to different skill levels, so kids can choose exercises that match their age, skill level and interests.
Held every September, Guide Dog Access Awareness Month is a time to raise awareness and understanding of guide dogs, the rights of guide dog handlers, and to champion equal access for guide dog teams.
While guide dog refusals happen in many settings, transportation remains one of the most common areas where handlers encounter barriers and discrimination. That’s why, in support of our commitment to safe and accessible journeys, our advocacy campaign this year is focused on guide dog access in transportation.
It’s not uncommon for vision loss to occur as we age, but for some, its onset can be sudden and unexpected. That was the experience for one woman from Victoria, Madison Sutcliffe, who suddenly lost about 90% of her vision during pregnancy. Looking for support and community, she reached out to CNIB and joined the Come to Work program
To strengthen our voices and support the professional development of our Ontario advocates, ambassadors and CNIB staff, we’ve launched Educate to Advocate – an advocacy program designed to drive achievement and equality through education.