Epilogue: Welcome to my world

Epilogue: Welcome to my world McGill University

| Skip to search Skip to navigation Skip to page content

User Tools (skip):

Sign in | Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Sister Sites: McGill website | myMcGill

McGill News
ALUMNI QUARTERLY - winter 2008
McGill News cover

| Help
Page Options (skip): Larger
Home > McGill News > 2000 > Spring 2000 > Epilogue: Welcome to my world

You wouldn't want me behind the wheel of a car. Especially not your car. I have a visual impairment and can't see clearly for more than a few feet in front of me. That's why you should be thankful that I don't have a driver's licence.

Driving is one of the few things I simply can't do. I still get up in the morning, work as a reporter, buy groceries and line up at the bank. But throughout my day I'm constantly adapting to a world created for people who see better than I do.

Take getting off elevators on the right floor, for example. Most elevators have tiny numbers stretched along the top of the door which light up as the car reaches each floor. I count the floors going by as each number lights up above the door and hope I make it to my destination. But it isn't foolproof. That's where I get a little impromptu exercise running up back stairs.

Nonetheless, most people don't think of me as having a disability because the word conjures up images of someone in a wheelchair — not someone like me who has an invisible impairment. The advantage is that people don't make assumptions about what they think I can or can't do. To them, I'm a person first and my disability is a minor detail.

Problem is, people don't tend to realize just how much energy I expend adapting to a world which wasn't designed for me. While I'm able to adapt to most situations, there are times when I can't. Then the responsibility shifts to those around me.

Most people wouldn't question the wisdom of widening doorways and installing ramps for people with mobility impairments. So why not extend the adaptations to people with other types of disabilities? This means trying to adapt activities to include them when their disability might prevent them from joining in.

ILLUSTRATION: GENEVIÈVE CÔTÉ

Ten years ago in Ireland I set out on a 35-mile cycling trip with six people I had just met at a youth hostel. Although they barely knew me, they were aware that I had a visual impairment. It soon became obvious to all of us that cycling was not only difficult for me, but also dangerous. My eyes were busy looking for bumps and holes in the road, bushes to the side, and the pack of cyclists ahead. When we found ourselves sharing a narrow stretch of road with cars, that's when the limitations of my disability hit me squarely in the face. I could manage if cars passed at long intervals, because it meant I only had to be highly concentrated for a moment. But when a stream of cars passed me, the effort was simply too much and I had to get off my bike and walk.

With no discussion, our group split into two packs. Four people sped ahead while two others stayed back and cycled slowly with me. When we stopped for lunch I told Marie, one of the two who had stayed behind, how badly I felt that I was keeping her from cycling with the others.

Her response was simple and touched me deeply: "My sister has diabetes and is losing her sight. I think it's our responsibility to make sure that she is included in everything we do." For her, adapting to someone else's disability was second nature. The rest of the group evidently agreed with her, though nothing was said. They knew how exhausted I was from the physical exertion of cycling and the mental gymnastics required to keep me upright.

Over lunch they consulted a map, trying to find a shorter route to make the trip easier for me. When Patricia, another member of the group, said she wanted to ride back to the hostel instead of completing the trip, I realized I had another option. Rather than having the decision made for me, I was given a choice. I thought for a moment while six faces looked at me expectantly. I decided to ride back.

To this day, I'm still touched by their kindness and the way they tried to accommodate me without fanfare, as though it was a perfectly common occurrence. Yet, as someone once commented to me, "We do tend to think that if the person in a wheelchair can fit through the door, that's all we need to worry about."

I wish non-disabled people would remember that we're adapting to their world — one that wasn't made with our needs in mind. For me, adapting is an exercise in creativity that often leads to simple solutions and encourages me to be a creative thinker in all aspects of my life.

But I still haven't figured out how to drive. The added freedom and independence that goes with it would be nice. Not being able to drive does have an advantage, though — when I'm out with friends, I'm the designated drinker.

Hélèna Katz is a freelance journalist based in Montreal.

view sidebar content | back to top of page

Search