Odile Hochard, 63 years old, is blind. This great sport, holding several records in France in ffh, sharing an apartment in Thionville, with his companion. Since 11 may, she rechausse the sneakers. Running, walking, tandem… The great outdoors, he tends to re-arm, after two and a half months of confinement.
With the déconfinement, Odile was able to get life back to almost normal, but his markers are upset by the application of gestures barrier in public places. With a few exceptions, it therefore reserved its travel to sports practice, and to medical appointments.
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“I am no more in the shot “
“There is a permanent fear, recognizes it. We, the blind, have the need to touch everything. “However, the contacts are to be avoided in this new environment. “When I go to the bakery with my guide dog, people are afraid. They don’t want to as I approach. The social distancing ? It is impossible to adhere to for the blind. In this situation, we don’t meet anybody. Nobody speaks to us “, she said again.
The barriers are not just limited to the separation physical : the mask makes it less audible to the person wearing it , the plastic film unrolled on the terminals TPE prevents the blind to read on the keys…
“I am no more in the shot. I’m really struggling to get back in the bath. I am not, for example, not ready to return to the restaurant, ” said Odile.
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Awareness campaign for TV and radio
Faced with this situation, the association of the Blind of France launched in the month of April large campaign of information to its members. By email or phone, tips have been provided in order to familiarize them with these new health measures. Video tutorials have been published on Youtube in partnership with the Sector of health rare diseases (FSMR) Sensgene.
“A big work of awareness-raising has been done, primarily by phone, to tell them how to put on their mask, how to meet the distanciations social, how to wash the hands. Radio spots and tv on LCI, validated by the high commissioner to the health, have also been produced by the association. We try to help people as we can, ” says Gabriel Reeb, president of the federation of Alsace/Lorraine Is Great for the Blind of France, himself blind.
To help them regain a normal life, Gabriel Reeb calls for the citizenship of everyone : “It is necessary to tell the public : help people who are blind. Do not be afraid to approach them, to hold up the arm of the guide. “Small gestures that cost nothing, but are worth gold.
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