[Home-on-the-range] blind in Europe

Susan Tabor souljourner at sbcglobal.net
Thu Dec 1 22:40:08 UTC 2011


Hi, Dianne:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this! I have always been interested in
the status of blind people in Europe and this is quite informative. A recent
post on the NFB Travel and Tourism list indicated that access in Ireland was
absolutely wonderful and far exceeded the expectations of the blind couple
who reported this. How odd that Louis Braille's hands would be separated
from the rest of his body! See you Saturday!
Cheers!
Susan

-----Original Message-----
From: home-on-the-range-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:home-on-the-range-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dianne Hemphill
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2011 8:07 AM
To: NFB of Kansas Internet Mailing List
Subject: [Home-on-the-range] blind in Europe

As some of you know, Jack and I just returned from a 3 week tour of eastern
Europe, traveling down the Elba River, concluding with a week in Paris. I
share this with you to give some of the highlights I experienced regarding
blind people we saw and talked to. during the trip.  The trip was amazing in
so many ways, in that we traveled in what was behind the Berlin wall and
other formerly  communist countries just 20 years ago. This was a 17 day
guided tour initially going from Hamburg, Germany, Berlin, the Czech
Republic, and ending in Warsaw, Poland...this included a very moving and
heart breaking  tour of the Alswitz death camp ...though Jack and I did not
see or encounter any blind people, obvious anyway by their use of white
canes until day 15 when we reached Warsaw. This absence of blind people, of
course, has implications that perhaps they are simply not getting out and
around - I wonder what services are available for them... There was,
unexpectedly many braille placards, tactile maps and mimaturized
replications of city squares, for example, so many of these historical sites
do recognize the need to have braille for the blind. Unfortunately, all the
braille I encountered was either in Hebrew, Polish or French - would have
liked to have Emily with me to help here - and she did generously volunteer
to go with us ! In Warsaw is where Jack and I encountered at least a half
dozen Blind people traveling around the city independently using their white
canes. There was a nun standing in front of a church and others moving
around the city centers. These were not easily navigated areas as the
streets were bumpy cobble stones and the areas were huge and very open. When
I mentioned this to Donna, she thought the NFB has gone to Warsaw in some
capacity- it seemed very likely to me as the use of white canes and
independent travel very much reflected what many of our federationists
around the U.S. model. 

Our last week was in Paris, on our own, we left our tour group once we flew
out of Warsaw. Can I mention how much I loved Paris  -  I guess their are
those that don't care for Paris but Jack and I are ready to go back anytime.
Here we noted a number of independent white cane travelers around the city
at different times. Getting off the metro (what they call their subway
system) one evening, Jack described a blind man getting on and then off the
metro with the huge crowd getting off work. I would guess he was going home
after work as he held a brief case in one hand and his white cane in the
other - Jack said his cane was in pretty bad shape and missing the tip - I
would guess a well used and relied upon cane. He quickly maneuvered through
the masses of people and quickly went up the many, many stairs up and out of
the metro - did I mention that this part of the world believes that  stairs
are the rule - be in shape when traveling Europe. Another blind guy we
actually met in the Louvre. Jack and I started our amazing walk through this
historic museum , formerly a palace, in a room filled with statue miniatures
that allowed hands on viewing. Each also had braille descriptions - Emily
where were you when I needed you?! Jack introduced himself to Patrick, a
blind gentleman using a white cane  also going through the displays, and we
all began an interesting though somewhat challenging conversation - I must
say his grasp of English was much better than my high school French- thank
goodness. I asked him about his training and overall services for blind in
France. There is a focus in the schools, as there is here for children
growing up blind. He went blind about 20 years ago and appears to have
received some pretty good skills training though I could not tell where he
received them. He loves to travel and has been to the U.S. a couple of times
though never to a NFB convention. However, he is interested in knowing more
about the upcoming convention in Dallas and we exchanged e-mails to provide
needed info. Woul!
 dn't that be exciting...

One of the last, but certainly not least places that we visited in Paris was
the Pantheon. This is a huge mosoliem where historically famous French can
be entombed. This is the resting place of Louis Braille and of course, we
made our way there first - not that easy as it is huge, multi leveled and a
maze of vaulted  halls. Wifely had to ask directions and we were immediately
led to a wonderful tribute to braille. There a bust available for hands on
exam; a headphone available which had an audio of his story and several
tributes to him and his contributions. One was the speech written by Hellen
Keller following the 100th anniversary of his death. Again, braille in
French - why didn't I keep in French those many years ago?! The Pantheon has
an audio tour available and several statues for hands on exam...they are
very ready and welcoming to their blind visitors. Susie went to Braille's
home town about 20 years ago on a special tour with Dick Edlund and Linda
and Harold Snyder. Perhaps she will share her memories on a future e-mail to
us. We did not have the time to travel  to Braille's home town of Coppery
which is several hours outside of Paris, however. An interesting, though
somewhat creepy fact is that a number of years ago Braille's body,  was
moved-  minus hands and reburied at the Pantheon. His hands remained in his
home town. There was some controversy regarding Braille's reburial in the
Pantheon because he was not necessarily considered that famous by much of
the French determining who might have the option of being buried there. The
two most important criteria for determining this privileged few is that they
must be French and famous - though some are French only by marrying someone
French, including Madame Currie - born in Poland. After much controversy
about the level of fame of Braille, the rest of world persuaded those in
charge that this humble man had indeed changed the world for the blind . 

I hope you find this of interest and gives you some of my impressions of the
blind in Eastern Europe and Paris. It would be interesting to hear from
others that have had exciting and interesting opportunities to travel and
see how the rest of the world for the blind is doing. It has been just under
2 weeks since our return and I still am amazed and encouraged at how
received, for the most part, the blind are around the world. Emily said to
me before I left that in France, the blind are included as a matter of being
the rule rather than the exception to the rule. What great memories. Dianne
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