Have you ever given a thought to how a blind person knows which can is filled with peaches and which with dog food? Or wondered how you would look after a toddler if you couldn’t see him? Hertford SI found the answers to these questions and heard how blindness affects aspects of life which the sighted world takes for granted when they welcomed Sue Gilkes and her guide dog Pebbles to a meeting. Sue told the members how she lost her sight gradually over a number of years and how this changed aspects of her life, while refusing to abandon the ideas of a family and career. She introduces us to Pebbles, who is Sue’s third guide dog. She explained how the dog and owner have to get used to each other’s way of working and learn together. Members also heard how guide dogs are trained and other aspects of the work of “Guide Dogs for the Blind”.
It was a most informative evening and everyone found out something they had not known before.
If you were wondering about the answers to those questions – there is a gadget which allows you to label a can by recording your voice onto a magnetic label, while the best way to look after a toddler if you can’t see him is to have a good fence round the garden and attach a bell to him!
- Pebbles and Sue
