blogcutter

Think of all the getting-around challenges you've faced since the pandemic began. Maybe you've been diligent about following those arrows in the grocery store, ensuring you're not going up the down aisle or vice versa, even if it means going down an aisle you didn't really want to go down at all. Maybe you've squinted helplessly at all those tiny little ingredients lists on the tins of soup, doubly stressed because there are people waiting to get to that aisle and only a certain number of people are allowed per aisle. Maybe you've walked in vain along an aisle looking for a bag of flour or a package of toilet paper, only to be confronted with empty shelves and "Sorry, all sold out" signs.

Now imagine having to forage for essentials if you have low or no vision.

I have yet to encounter a store that provides auditory signals for blind or partially sighted people, though I'm grateful to whoever initiated the idea of special shopping hours for seniors and folks with disabilities. And fortunately, guide dogs are not required to observe the same physical distancing restrictions as humans, although I understand there's a big problem with importing and training new guide dogs these days.

Then there are all the logistics of negotiating crosswalks and public transit, all of which are much more problematic during a pandemic.

So for the above reasons and any others I haven't thought about yet, I've decided to direct this week's donation to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, better known as the CNIB:

https://cnib.ca/en/sight-loss-info/virtual-program-offerings-covid-19-resources?region=on_east