Welcome to the third edition of “The Things We Miss”, a column where I share audio descriptions of interesting sculpture or structures, or anything noteworthy. Usually, as a blind person, I miss interesting features simply because I don’t see them or someone hasn’t mentioned or described the thing to me. However last year in April 2024 I had every intention of not missing something that I had wanted to see for ages. It was the READ MORE
Category: Essay
Why are there so few audio traffic signals?
It is almost three years to the day, on the 9th of September 2019, that the late Deputy State Attorney, Webster Sekwati, was run over on Pritchard Street, in downtown Johannesburg, right outside the High Court, at a pedestrian crossing. Mr Sekwati, by all accounts, was a humble, hardworking, and very competent lawyer. What is interesting is that the media made less mention of the fact that he was run over by a taxi clearly READ MORE
A Short Story: I am Disabled so I have the Right to use it
“How cool is that?”, said Jim, as he was told about the new computers in the public library in his suburb. In particular, Jim was delighted that one of the six available PCs was equipped to cater for blind and visually impaired users by providing both screen-reading and magnification software. This meant something to Jim as he himself was visually impaired and used special magnification software on PC’s when he had a chance to do READ MORE
Performing Under Pressure
Like countless others, I watched, read and listened in impotent and morbid fascination of the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. But one rather different interview caught my ear this morning, while listening to the BBC. It was the manager of the Ukrainian winter Paralympic team, still competing in Beijing. Speaking in excellent English, with exhausted clarity, with indelible sadness etched into every syllable, he tried to articulate how the team were feeling about their country literally READ MORE
Paws for Thought:
“Ok, left, left, good boy!”“Find the pole, find the pole, good boy!”“Wait, ok, forward.”“Find the kerb, good boy.”“Find the pole, good boy!”“Forward, find the kerb, good boy!” And so begins Jeremy and Guide-Dog Ronnie’s journey to a nearby park.
Thwack!
Thwack! The unmistakable, satisfying, not to mention relieving sound echoed around the outdoor Archery range at the Protea Sports grounds last week on Wednesday 27 August. A familiar sound and sensation; reminisent of the satisfying sound a dart makes when it hits and sticks in the board, as opposed to the sickening racket it makes when it misses, hits the wall and clatters to the ground. It’s the sound of triumph, relief and real pleasure. READ MORE
A Lesson in Applied Diversity
A term I have had knocking around in my mind for some time now. Applied Diversity. I nearly called my workshop by this name, but felt that one should “watch the knitting” and focus on your core business which included the name, so I settled on “Meeting Disability” instead. But the concept of applied theory or theoretical practice has always fascinated me as being logically imperative, and in fact preferable to pure theoretical activity. This READ MORE