Help the blind

Being blind can be a great impediment to many aspects of life. Things that other people take for granted are really difficult to carry out if you are blind or visually impaired. How do you know what floor to get off in the elevator? When is it safe to cross the street? When do the steps of the staircase finish? Fortunately, inventors and city planners have been busy getting things made for people with these needs.
Many of us have heard the little beeping sound when the light is green for pedestrians. Next time you ride an elevator, see if it has small raised dots next to the floor numbers (or a voice announcing the floor). Are there rough stickers on the edge of each step of the staircase, or a contrasting color? All of these things are to help the blind and visually impaired getting around.
The small raised dots mention before are Braille- a special alphabet invented more than 100 years ago by a little French, blind boy called Louis Braille. It is a combination of six dots, covering the alphabet as well as a lot of abbreviations. There are three different grades of Braille, the most used is probably grade 2, which uses a mixture of letters and abbreviations.
There are a lot of things available with Braille on them. Watches, thermometers, board-games, medicines, the list goes on. This all helps a blind or visually impaired person to be independent, something that is very important to any person. There are special books they can use to read to their seeing children, where the pictures are explained in Braille!
The computer has greatly improved the situation of blind people, also for work. Some computers have synthetic speech, reading what is on the screen. There are special commands used for surfing the Internet, and doing other things which could be difficult without seeing. Others are connected with a refreshable Braille display, which shows up to one line at the time. Still others are made with a Braille keyboard already included. Help the blind is a great invention indeed!
So, all these inventions greatly help the blind and visually impaired going about their daily lives more or less like anybody else. Of course, there are always limits, but they can be made as small as possible. Many go to a school for the seeing, others still are working, many are well-educated. Like any other person. Next time you meet a blind person, ask them if they need help with anything. They can tell you if there is anything you can do, or if they are fine as it is!

Having travelled extensively for the past 25 years, I have encountered numerous people and cultures. My opinion is that we can learn something from each other. When I like something, whether a custom or the food, I incorporate it into my life. Apart from travelling, I have actually lived in four countries. This has sometimes been a challenge, especially with the language, but I feel it has truly enriched my life. Now, I like to share my experiences with others.