| Description | Interview with Thomas Williams from Quinton, Birmingham. He talks about sighted people's attitudes towards the mobility of blind people, their ignorance about the extent to which blind people have to rely on their hearing for orientation, and the difficulties he has, caused by the amount of traffic on the streets and in the air. He does not believe he would be able to learn to use a long cane, but realises that mobility deteriorates with age. He does not think that young people dislike using the white stick because it is associated with dependence and old age, but agrees that younger people want to be independent and do not want to use mobility aids. He does not agree that he could use traffic and aeroplane sounds to help his orientation, and explains his reluctance to use the long cane, partly because of the three month training period, but also because he does not think he would want to learn new mobility skills. He goes on to discuss the relative shortage of work in his engineering job, and how that affects his income. Beatrice Williams, his wife, joins the conversation to talk about the couple's social life, the limited opportunities to socialise with sighted people and the opportunities for socialising that blind people have at work. Thomas Williams talks about the difficulties faced by people with visual impairments in retirement (tracks 1-10).
Total: 33.36 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF565D0762480 |