My Friend Yellow

We never used to like each other, yellow and I, because I am too pink skinned and fair. I love how yellow pops to life on people who have darker hair and skin tone. But recently I have found it radiating back into my comfort zone.

I visited the Low Vision Clinic at CTSB*. It is beautifully set up, with walls painted in muted gray, to reduce the glare, whilst reflecting ample natural light.

In typical Stargardtsian** fashion, my eyes struggled to adjust to the change in light from the corridor into the clinic. I often find that entering an unfamiliar space is slightly stressful, tightening up my eye muscles which is also not helpful with my limited sight.

I momentarily stood still in the doorway to get my bearings and immediately spotted a yellow chair contrasted against the darker carpet. It invited me to sit, without using words or even a guiding arm. It was so securing to have a familiar shaped landmark.The specialist saw me moving toward it and asked if I wanted to sit. I said, “No, I just want to ‘see’ it … with my hands. where did you get it from?”.

On closer inspection I found that it was a seat cover. She had cleverly made it out of very stretchy fabric, sewn into a kind of shower-cap for the cushion part of the chair. It was so simple, incredibly effective and hygienic, but most of all, kind for her low vision clients.

Contrasting colour can be a powerful enabler for people with macular trouble , as well as those with cognitive limitations. We also can make some of these adjustments ourselves.

Yesterday, I was gardening, which is quite scary for my husband, as I could pull out a plant instead of a weed or mow the weeds flat because they look so grassy. In the process I lost the weeding tool. It had a green handle. Why are most garden tools green? Why would they need to be camouflaged, even for the fully sighted?

I then remembered a tip from our HK*** Low vision support group meeting and decided, then and there, that, before the tools got back into place, they were going to be ring bound with yellow insulation tape.

I can now see the handles and have a much better chance of not burying them or throwing them out with the weeds…unless they have yellow flowers!

Whilst I have no visual acuity, I am very grateful that I still have some peripheral perception of colour, especially those from the middle of the rainbow.

Thank you yellow, I am glad to be journeying with you.

* Cape Town Society for the Blind ** Stargardt’s Dystrophy ***Helen Keller Low Vision Services

Following clothes

This morning I walked from a bright, sunny quadrangle into a shadowy corridor that leads down a ramp, through a doorway, into a foyer. It takes a long time for my eyes to adjust to the change in light, but today was my lucky day. Two precious people were walking ahead of me and one was wearing a black and white striped skirt, a perfectly elegant landmark unknowingly escorting me through the narrow doorway.  

I did say thank you and, since I know her quite well, joked about the usefulness of  the vertical pedestrian crossing! We laughed together about the odd behavior required by people with confusing vision. It only then dawned on me that I have something to write about: the usefulness of following bright clothing, bags, prams, rolling suitcases and the like. 

Public spaces , and public transport, are often very difficult to navigate… without the public. Insufficient colour contrasts, lack of decor landmarks and complicated signage often make moving about alone quite trying.

Thank God for people.