There was a change of pace for me today. As I have mentioned before my Dad is blind and, therefore, he has a guide dog. Now his dog is a gorgeous labradoodle. He has now reached the usual age for retirement which is 10 years old.
Due to the pandemic there is a bit of a backlog for the Guide Dogs Association and as a result, because he is still happy to work Dad has not yet been paired with a new dog. This suits Dad fine due to the obvious bond and trust that he has built with this particular dog during their partnership.
Anyway, today the dog had an appointment at the vets for his six monthly check up. Again, there are no problems with the dog, he is perfectly healthy although he has gained a few kilos over the past couple of years due to an obvious and necessary reduction in the amount of exercise and work he has been doing.
Personally I love this dog myself and he has provided me with plenty of funny memories. His service to my Dad has also been invaluable and, in many ways, essential to the reconciliation between my Father and I.
If Dad did not have a dog it would not have been as easy for us to take day trips out together with the children, particularly when they were younger. For example, the memory of us going to a Father’s Day event at Bicton Botanical Gardens, all five of us and the dog walking around the various paths with overhanging trees resulting in Dad getting a face full of leaves because the dog didn’t realise that the branches were hanging low enough to hit Dad.
Another example, which in fairness is due to a lack of awareness on husbands part and in no way a reflection on the dog. He was still new to the whole leading a blind man and his dog. It was the same event, my husband was leading us towards an ornamental pond to watch remote controlled boats. The dog followed the same path my husband had taken, as he has been trained to do however, my husband had cut a corner. I had been distracted but as I looked up I couldn’t help but hold my breath as my Dad stepped less than half a foot away from the edge of this pond. I honestly thought he was going to fall in. He didn’t thankfully but if he had I wouldn’t have been able to hold back my laughter.
I know it is bad to laugh but that is the dynamic of my family. If someone hurts themselves or falls over we laugh. My Dad and I both still burst into hysterical laughter when ever the tiles outside of his home are wet, because we always think about my husband slipping and sliding into the double doors as he was walking through. We cannot help it because it is funny.
Anyway, today when. I took Dad and the dog to the vets Dad wanted to speak to the receptionist after the appointment. What he wanted to talk to them about is something that you and I deal with on a regular basis without a second thought. It turns out the vets are in the process of changing their phone system. As a result when you call now, you are greeted with one of those option menus. You know the one’s, those press 1 for appointments, press 2 for payment blah blah blah. For the purposes of this post I shall call her robot Roxy.
With some of these things if you don’t push anything you get through to a person rather than dealing with robot Roxy however, for some reason, the vets new system doesn’t. If you don’t select an option Roxy cuts you off.
Some of you may be reading this thinking why is that a problem? Well, due to the advancements in technology, the majority of mobile phones are touch screen. This is not much use to a person who cannot see said screen.
As a result, this got me thinking, as I often do, about what other day to day tasks or encounters I have with technology that I take for granted or what can we do to help Dad.
My first thought was a landline phone which has buttons so he can find the buttons. The flaw with this plan is he would need to memorise all phone numbers. A pro for the technology column is that his phone uses voice commands to make phone calls.
My next thought was about paying for shopping. So occasionally I take Dad to pick up essentials that he may need and he pays by card however, I can’t help but wonder how long it will be before chip and pin machines move to touch screen technology. If they become commonplace Dad will not be able to use them because he cannot see the numbers to press.
Even advancements in the technology used for household appliances have a knock on effect for Dad. It is getting harder to find replacement items as and when they break that he is able to use. This is going to seem petty but he needed a new microwave recently. A quick look on the Argos website shows 79 microwaves. Out of this 79 there are possibly 4 which would be suitable and easy for him to use. The majority of the others have touch screens or buttons which it would be difficult to put raised stickers on to enable him to use them.
I remember seeing an article a while ago about some local authorities who had changed their pedestrian crossings to celebrate Pride and inclusivity for all. On the face of it, that should not be an issue. We all want to be inclusive however, the practicality of it means that a section of society is excluded. Now, there is an argument that can be made that dogs are colourblind so it shouldn’t make any difference. That is a reasonable response, but if the lines on the road are going in the opposite direction to a traditional crossing then there is the possibility that a dog could become confused, therefore hindering the person they are assisting.
There are other aspects of life that change which can have a dramatic impact on a person’s confidence. I’m sure everyone has experienced something like that at some point. Prior to the pandemic my Dad would be out and about a lot of the time. He was very active and independent. He knew his routes and how to get to the places that he wanted to go.
Then the pandemic hit and lots of things changed which would have little impact on you or I bar a minor inconvenience. During lockdown many town and city centres changed their lay outs and services. Exeter was no exception. The change which has had the biggest impact on my Dad and his dog is a change to the bus routes and bus stop positions.
The last time my Dad went in to the city it took him over two hours to get home and that was with the assistance of a sighted person! Why? Purely because neither he nor they could find where they needed to be for him to catch the correct bus home as the stop locations, route numbers, even the routes themselves had changed. Previously the bus would take you to the city centre. It had been that way for years. The dog knew the routes and it was easy for them both to get their bearings and find their way around town. Now, Dad no longer has that confidence to pop in to town to meet a friend for a coffee or to pop to a particular shop. Worst case scenario is that he would have to pay for a taxi to take him but why should he have to?
I know it sounds like I am having a moan, I’m truly not, I was just thinking about all the things I take for granted and, honestly there are a lot. How many times have you laughed because you saw something that made you laugh? I am that person who laughs taking the wrapper off a cucumber. I cannot help it.
Dad and I have a similar sense of humour. Whenever I find myself laughing because he has ended up walking in to a wall, a sign, a tree branch or whatever, Dad will often laugh at himself because if he had seen it himself he would have laughed too so he doesn’t hold it against me. I hope he doesn’t anyway.
I often see and hear many things regarding ways to be inclusive. I am also aware of the huge presence and role technology plays in our day to day lives. However, how inclusive can a society be when the advancements that we laud as remarkable achievements mean that sections of society are left behind?
Robot Roxy, Silly Sally Sat Nav and even online banking are all good and dandy if you can use them but only while they are accessible. Granted I would be concerned if a blind person had a need for Silly Sally Sat Nav however, more and more companies wish to correspond electronically. Some will charge extra to correspond using an alternative method. So where does that leave those who are disabled. It leaves them increasingly isolated and dependant on others which, given my own experiences, is not where they want to be.
Following the discussion with the receptionists at the vets they are now on the case to remedy the issue with robot Roxy. It was not an issue that they had considered when they update was made. Why would they? It isn’t something that would cross many peoples minds if it isn’t something they are affected by.
The point of this post is effectively to ask society to think about the wider ramifications of decisions that are made. The more upgrades and “improvements” that are made by businesses to “streamline” and become more “efficient” has a knock on effect. All I ask is to consider whether the decisions your making now could isolate someone even more than they already are.
Dogs are amazing creatures, the training that guide dogs receive and the service they provide is invaluable. The trainers work so hard to train these animals to enable people who have lost their sight. These animals truly are their person’s lifeline. Let’s not make it any harder than it already is by isolating them using technology.
That’s it! That’s all I wanted to say. I wanted to share some memories that hopefully made you laugh and ask for a little more thought about how our actions impact on those who, it seems, have been forgotten in the current discussions regarding inclusivity.
Mumma Bear Roars 