A
      QUESTION
      OF
     
     
      PERSPECTIVE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*Blind
      folks
      are
      people
      too!’’
      states
      a
      recent
      graduate
     
     
      fromthe
      W.
      Ross
      MacDonald
      school
      for
      the
      blind
      &
     
     
      visually
      impaired
      in
      Ontario.
      “‘I’ve
      known
      jerks
      as
     
     
      wellas
      beautiful
      blind
      people,’’
      she
      continues.
      Walk-
     
     
      ing
      without
      hesitation
      toward
      a
      chair,
      Diane
      is
      totally
     
     
      blind
      herself
      following
      the
      onslaught
      of
      diabetes
      when
     
     
      she
      was
      8
      years
      old,
      but
      she
      speaks
      of
      what
      she
     
     
      knows
      best,
      her
      perspective.
      ‘“Just
      because
      a
      person
     
     
      is
      blind,
      doesn’t
      make
      thema
      saint.
      We
      ‘blinks’
      are
     
     
      human
      too.”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Diane
      is
      currently
      studying
      at
      McMaster
      University
      in
     
     
      Hamilton,
      Ontario,
      a
      fully
      sighted
      institution.
      She
     
     
      aspired
      to
      become
      a
      social
      worker
      to
      assist
      people
     
     
      who
      need
      her
      support.
      Her
      bubbly
      personality
      could
     
     
      bring
      a
      smile
      to
      the
      saddest
      face.
      The
      University
     
     
      tried
      ti
      accommodate
      her
      disability
      by
      offering
      some
     
     
      physical
      compensation
      such
      as
      ride
      programs.
      How-
     
     
      ever,
      she
      finds
      it
      difficult,
      at
      times,
      to
      integrate
      into
     
     
      the
      sighted
      school
      ona
      social
      basis,
      one
      reason
      being
     
     
      the
      perception
      from
      most
      sighted
      students.
      “Most
      of
     
     
      them
      are
      so
      terrified
      of
      me,
      they
      leave
      a
      2
      meeter
      gap
     
     
      between
      us,
      never
      saying
      a
      word
      and
      everybody
      stares
     
     
      like
      I’m
      the
      black
      plague
      revisited.
      I
      can
      feel
      their
     
     
      icy
      looks
      and
      a
      friend
      with
      eyes
      have
      confirmed
      it.
      It
     
     
      seems
      as
      if
      they’re
      afraid
      to
      reach
      out
      and
      touch
      me
     
     
      in
      case
      they’Il
      catch
      something.
      As
      far
      asI
      know,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AVOID
      OVERSHARPENING
      YouR
      SKATES
      q
     
     
      UNLESS
      You
      ENJOY
      EXTENSIVE
      LAWSsuITS.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      you
      don’t
      need
      protection
      to
      be
      neara
      ‘blink’...yet.
      —
     
     
      But
      every
      now
      and
      again
      someone
      comes
      along
      and
     
     
      asks
      me
      questions
      about
      how
      ‘it’
      happened.
      One
      guy
     
     
      was
      areal
      gentleman.
      He
      always
      helped
      me
      with
      my
     
     
      books
      and
      asked
      me
      to
      be
      in
      his
      group
      discussions.
      |
     
     
      felt
      good
      about
      that,’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Diane
      had
      a
      high
      opinion
      of
      people,
      despite
      some
      of
     
     
      her
      experiences,
      and
      remains
      optimistic
      in
      the
      highest
     
     
      sense,
      even
      after
      a
      kidney
      transplant
      due
      to
      the
      diabe-
      -
     
     
      tes,
      low
      hemoglobin,
      and
      2
      heart
      attacks
      she
      had
      last
     
     
      Christmas.
      She
      has
      to
      take
      anti-rejection
      pills
      and
     
     
      insulin
      shots
      for
      the
      rest
      of
      her
      life
      but
      she
      has
      a
      deep
     
     
      conviction
      about
      living
      life
      to
      its
      fullest
      potential,
     
     
      given
      the
      choice.
      ‘‘Weall
      have
      our
      own
      perception
      of
     
     
      problems.
      My
      brother
      thinks
      he’s
      had
      a
      hard
      life
     
     
      because
      his
      sister
      is
      blind
      with
      diabetes
      and
      his
     
     
      cousin
      is
      ina
      wheelchair.
      There’s
      guilty.
      If
      he
      lets
     
     
      that
      thought
      clog
      his
      mind,
      the
      poor
      soul
      is
      going
      to
     
     
      waste
      his
      own
      precious
      time,
      but
      I
      can’t
      tell
      what
      to
     
     
      do,
      I
      can
      only
      say
      how
      I
      ‘see’
      it.
      It’s
      true,
      my
      physi-
     
     
      cal
      health
      hasn’t
      been
      the
      greatest
      but
      it’s
      take
      a
      lot
     
    
   
   
    
     
      more
      than
      just
      that
      to
      keep
      me
      from
      enjoying
      a
      great
     
     
      bite
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Hats
      off
      to
      Diane!’
      She
      is
      an
      ideal
      student
      of
      the
     
     
      ‘90’s,
      in
      my
      view.
      It
      Is,
      after
      all,
      just
      a
      question
      of
     
     
      perspective.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fo
      ;
      ¥
     
     
      Cribbage
      Challenge!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      Saturday,
      Feb
      15,
      second
      floor
      of
      the
     
     
      barn
      the
      U.P.E.I.
      C.S.S.
      presents...
     
     
      Cribbage
      Tournaments!
      For
      the
      paltry
     
     
      sum
      of
      two
      dollars
      per
      person
      (couples
     
     
      only),
      you
      can
      peg
      your
      way
      to
      fame
      and
     
     
      glory.
      The
      Grand
      Prize:
      with
      be
      half
      thy
     
     
      door
      intake.
      With
      also
      a
      50/50
      draw
      anc
     
    

    
     
      great
      prizes
      to
      be
      given
      away.
      So
      get
     
     
      your
      cards
      warmed
      up.
      Prizes
      donated
     
     
      by:
      Coca-Cola
      Itd.,
      Hearts
      and
      Flowers
     
     
      Sweet
      Factory
      and
      Dominoes.
      Registra:
     
     
      tion
      starts
      at
      1
      pm
      sharp.
      With
      play
     
     
      beginning
      as
      soon
      as
      possible.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      |
      j