These health guidelines that handicap the visually impaired

“When you can’t see, you can’t distance yourself from people,” asserts, fatalist, Stéphanie Khœung, head of the Valentin Haüy committee in the agglomeration of Chartraine.

For the blind and visually impaired, the difficulties began with confinement and its famous certificate, which was impossible to complete without having the faculty of sight. Until the instructions soften and the disability card is the only pass required for the blind.

Autonomy loss

But the deconfinement did not improve the affairs of the blind. They can go out more easily, like everyone else, but by definition have no way of respecting the required physical distance.

And, another constraint, this distancing prohibits any contact with a guide, therefore difficult to practice even just individual sports activities for which each blind man is guided by his buddy.

“We respect the rules imposed but we lose even more autonomy,” notes Stéphanie Khœung.

The “daily hassle” of the blind in Eure-et-Loir on the web

“Whatever activity we do, we are always obliged to be accompanied and the imposed distance prevents us from doing so. For two and a half months, we have changed our daily life. We do things differently during the day. “

Valentin-Haüy is looking for volunteers

Agnès Terek, president of the Valentin Haüy association in Eure-et-Loir, considers this situation “delicate”. Beyond the apprehension of the blind, it is public transport that poses the most problem “, always because of this imposed distancing.

“Keeping a distance is not easy,” she said. “All of this makes life difficult for us because we don’t see if we have someone nearby. “

These masks, barrier to communication for the hearing impaired

“As usual, as a disabled person,
we have been forgotten “

The association should work again, according to the evolution of government guidelines in early June, including individual computer courses. “Internally it will be easy for us but outside it is even more complicated than before. “

A march for the visually impaired, Saturday 12 October, in Mainvilliers

This lack of visibility on the future weighs on the functioning of the association which brings together some 120 beneficiaries in the department. “Everyone is on the alert as the uncertainty is total. We do not want to break the rules, but social life must absolutely resume. “

Even if the white cane of the blind is a pass, Agnès Terek deplores the lack of adaptation of sanitary measures. “As usual, as disabled people, we have been forgotten. If only with the certificate during confinement and the disregard of our status in all developments due to the health crisis. ”

Laurence Gélineau

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