[Journalists] What do you all think?

[Laine steward]

>   The Herald, Scotland (UK)
>Friday, October 19, 2007
>
>So, this blind guy walks into a revolving door...
>
>By IAN HAMILTON
>
>My first challenge when staying at an unfamiliar hotel is, believe it
 or
>not, finding my way into the building. If the hotel has a revolving
 door my
>guide dog, Moss, will see it as a hazard and refuse to move. I'm
 standing
>there on the pavement wondering why he's not responding to my
 commands.
>
>It is only when a passer-by mutters something about a revolving door
 that I
>understand why the dog won't budge. I now start to coax and eventually
 
>bribe
>him to step into the gap while the door is slowly spinning. Not easy
 for a
>dog to co-ordinate such a move. In the past, I've resorted to picking
 the
>dog up and carrying him in. While listening carefully for the moving
 swish
>of the revolving door, I grab hold of the dog, and step cautiously
 into the
>gap. Timing is crucial. So is a small dog. Unfortunately, I've got a
>five-stone labrador. The door picks us up like a hurricane and flicks
 us
>into reception. Paws, luggage, bits of fur and I land in an
 undignified 
>heap
>- what an entrance. Anyway, I'm in the first challenge in this game
 has now
>been completed successfully.
>
>The second challenge awaits; I'm in the reception area, now to locate
 the
>desk. You would think after making an impressive entrance like that, 
>someone
>would notice. But no. Listening carefully, I strain my ears for a
 clue.
>Perhaps someone will say: "Can I help you?" Nope. Maybe a doorman will
 come
>over and point me in the correct direction. No! Eventually a phone
 rings in
>the distance. "Hello, Elvira speaking." Aha! Moss and I make our way 
>towards
>the voice.
>
>Elvira asks me for the registration number of my car. I'm standing
 there
>with my guide dog - I doubt that she has even glanced in my direction.
 A
>porter takes me along endless corridors, two sets of lifts, and a rope
>swing, eventually ending up at my room.
>
>The dog thinks the room is a park. I hope the carpet isn't green
>
>The second challenge has been completed now the third challenge.
 Getting
>into the room and finding my way about.
>
>The porter opens the door with the plastic card, quickly points around
 the
>room and tries to leave. I force him to stay and explain every detail
 and
>layout of the room, which includes how to open the door. I never know
 which
>way the card should go in. I've spent many an hour in hotel corridors 
>trying
>every possible combination. Now I just get the receptionist to punch a
 
>small
>hole in one of the corners.
>
>This way, I know how the card should be inserted.
>
>I find that I have been given the disabled room. I can understand why
 they
>do this. However, the facilities a blind person needs aren't the same
 as
>someone who is a wheelchair-user. The room is huge and it takes me 
>literally
>10 minutes to find the bed and a chair and another 10 to find the
 window. I
>hear the dog quietly snuffling about. He thinks it's a park. I hope it
>doesn't have a green carpet or we could have a spillage.
>
>That reminds me: it's now time for my fourth challenge: where is the
>bathroom? After wandering around the bedroom and whistling loudly I
 come
>across the sort of echo only ever heard in a cathedral or a bathroom.
 It 
>was
>designed as a wet room, which is great, but it is so large it takes me
 a
>further 15 minutes before I collide with the toilet.
>
>Now, unbeknown to me, there was a button at waist height just outside
 the
>bathroom door. It was to allow wheelchair users to open the front door
 from
>a distance.
>
>I strip off in the main room and feel my way back to the bathroom. I
 have a
>great shower, but as I come out again I walk into that button, which
>activates the front door little did I know, that as I dried myself,
 the
>extra-wide front door had very smoothly and silently opened, exposing
 my
>naked self to everyone going past. It was only some days later when a
>colleague was pressing the button, out of curiosity, that I discovered
 what
>had been happening.
>
>My penultimate challenge is to close the curtains, so that I don't
 expose
>myself to the whole city, as well as everyone in the hotel.
>
>The room has electric-powered curtains, which are operated from the
 side of
>the bed. Very luxurious and practical for a wheelchair-user.
>
>However, the only way I can tell if the curtains are open or closed is
 to
>get up, make my way across the room and physically feel for myself. If
 the
>curtains were open, it would take another five minutes to find my bed
 again
>and activate the button and, of course, being completely paranoid now,
 I 
>was
>never convinced that they worked, so I would have to get up and check
 for a
>second time.
>
>At last, my sixth and final challenge: sleep.
>
>I collapse into bed, exhausted, with the day's challenges whizzing
 round my
>head. I have to find a way of calming the mind to get to sleep Oh, no!
 I've
>got to find my way down to breakfast in the morning. I'd better get up
 now
>
>
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.1771512.0.0.p
 
>
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.1771512.0.0.p
 
>hp
 
 
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>nabs-l at nfbnet.org 
>
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-------------- next part --------------
>Friday, October 19, 2007
>
>So, this blind guy walks into a revolving door...
>
>By IAN HAMILTON
>
>My first challenge when staying at an unfamiliar hotel is, believe it
 or
>not, finding my way into the building. If the hotel has a revolving
 door my
>guide dog, Moss, will see it as a hazard and refuse to move. I'm
 standing
>there on the pavement wondering why he's not responding to my
 commands.
>
>It is only when a passer-by mutters something about a revolving door
 that I
>understand why the dog won't budge. I now start to coax and eventually
 
>bribe
>him to step into the gap while the door is slowly spinning. Not easy
 for a
>dog to co-ordinate such a move. In the past, I've resorted to picking
 the
>dog up and carrying him in. While listening carefully for the moving
 swish
>of the revolving door, I grab hold of the dog, and step cautiously
 into the
>gap. Timing is crucial. So is a small dog. Unfortunately, I've got a
>five-stone labrador. The door picks us up like a hurricane and flicks
 us
>into reception. Paws, luggage, bits of fur and I land in an
 undignified
>heap
>- what an entrance. Anyway, I'm in the first challenge in this game
 has now
>been completed successfully.
>
>The second challenge awaits; I'm in the reception area, now to locate
 the
>desk. You would think after making an impressive entrance like that,
>someone
>would notice. But no. Listening carefully, I strain my ears for a
 clue.
>Perhaps someone will say: "Can I help you?" Nope. Maybe a doorman will
 come
>over and point me in the correct direction. No! Eventually a phone
 rings in
>the distance. "Hello, Elvira speaking." Aha! Moss and I make our way
>towards
>the voice.
>
>Elvira asks me for the registration number of my car. I'm standing
 there
>with my guide dog - I doubt that she has even glanced in my direction.
 A
>porter takes me along endless corridors, two sets of lifts, and a rope
>swing, eventually ending up at my room.
>
>The dog thinks the room is a park. I hope the carpet isn't green
>
>The second challenge has been completed now the third challenge.
 Getting
>into the room and finding my way about.
>
>The porter opens the door with the plastic card, quickly points around
 the
>room and tries to leave. I force him to stay and explain every detail
 and
>layout of the room, which includes how to open the door. I never know
 which
>way the card should go in. I've spent many an hour in hotel corridors
>trying
>every possible combination. Now I just get the receptionist to punch a
 
>small
>hole in one of the corners.
>
>This way, I know how the card should be inserted.
>
>I find that I have been given the disabled room. I can understand why
 they
>do this. However, the facilities a blind person needs aren't the same
 as
>someone who is a wheelchair-user. The room is huge and it takes me
>literally
>10 minutes to find the bed and a chair and another 10 to find the
 window. I
>hear the dog quietly snuffling about. He thinks it's a park. I hope it
>doesn't have a green carpet or we could have a spillage.
>
>That reminds me: it's now time for my fourth challenge: where is the
>bathroom? After wandering around the bedroom and whistling loudly I
 come
>across the sort of echo only ever heard in a cathedral or a bathroom.
 It
>was
>designed as a wet room, which is great, but it is so large it takes me
 a
>further 15 minutes before I collide with the toilet.
>
>Now, unbeknown to me, there was a button at waist height just outside
 the
>bathroom door. It was to allow wheelchair users to open the front door
 from
>a distance.
>
>I strip off in the main room and feel my way back to the bathroom. I
 have a
>great shower, but as I come out again I walk into that button, which
>activates the front door little did I know, that as I dried myself,
 the
>extra-wide front door had very smoothly and silently opened, exposing
 my
>naked self to everyone going past. It was only some days later when a
>colleague was pressing the button, out of curiosity, that I discovered
 what
>had been happening.
>
>My penultimate challenge is to close the curtains, so that I don't
 expose
>myself to the whole city, as well as everyone in the hotel.
>
>The room has electric-powered curtains, which are operated from the
 side of
>the bed. Very luxurious and practical for a wheelchair-user.
>
>However, the only way I can tell if the curtains are open or closed is
 to
>get up, make my way across the room and physically feel for myself. If
 the
>curtains were open, it would take another five minutes to find my bed
 again
>and activate the button and, of course, being completely paranoid now,
 I
>was
>never convinced that they worked, so I would have to get up and check
 for a
>second time.
>
>At last, my sixth and final challenge: sleep.
>
>I collapse into bed, exhausted, with the day's challenges whizzing
 round my
>head. I have to find a way of calming the mind to get to sleep Oh, no!
 I've
>got to find my way down to breakfast in the morning. I'd better get up
 now
>
>
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.1771512.0.0.p http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.1771512.0.0.p
 
>
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.1771512.0.0.p http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.1771512.0.0.p
 
>hp
 
 
>_______________________________________________
>nabs-l mailing list
>nabs-l at nfbnet.org 
>
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