Expert says FlashSonar helps locate obstacles
Birmingham Mail - May, 2009From: Holly SG
Subject: About the workshop in birmingham university todayDate: Wed, 3 Mar 2010
Hi,
This is Holly, from the workshop that was done in birmingham university today. I wanted to say that I found it really useful to learn about using echos to navigate, because I guess i've never really been shown that before.
I think I do like my cane a bit more, and even went as far as to tell my sister this, but not my parents.
I wanted to show my family what I learnt about. I put a link to the video from the world access for the blind website where you talk about using echos and are riding your bike on my facebook, and made my sister watch it. I think she was kind of surprised, her comments were "oh my god, they're riding. This is amazing. It's like they can see."
I kind of wanted to laugh, though that might have been a little bad, because I guess she just doesn't expect to see that happening. I explained about what I learnt, and she was pretty interested which was cool.
My dad says I have to practise, which is fair enough, and very true. I don't really mind though, because I don't feel as bad about not being able to see as I did. I guess I just sometimes find it hard because I want to look "normal" and think that people will be like "oh my god that's the blind girl" if they see me.
I really think that today helped, and has changed me a lot. I've had to reevaluate the way people perceive me, and the way I perceive myself and I think that's been so useful.
Sometimes I think that people let what others think of them get in the way of their lives. I have big ambitions and know I can't let what other people say about me stop me being who I am, because one day i'll regret that and i'll have let myself down too far to change. I know I have to get on with my life and make it be how I want it too. I've learnt that it's ok not to be always right, and that doing one thing wrong doesn't make me a complete faliure.
Thank you for teaching me because I really think it has made a lot of a difference to me, and i won't feel as bad about not being able to see in the future.
Holly.