Today, I learnt that ATMs at banks and post offices can be used with your eyes closed. So I tried it with an ATM at my bank. It felt somewhat moving. It feels so comforting to know that it’s possible to withdraw and pay in by myself even if my eyesight worsens, as long as I know where the keys are.
And today, I took a paid day off to watch a lecture by a 70-year-old(!) lady who’s been teaching tips, inspired by techniques such as chado (the way of tea/tea ceremony) and kado (flower arrangement), on practicing actions in day-today life for the independence of the visually impaired.
Nowadays, on mobile phones, calculators, ten-key appliances have a protrusion on the 5th button. Back when that didn’t exist, apparently she taught to stick a “dot”, like a sesame seed, on with tape. Later, I asked her “how long ago was that?” (since I’ve always remembered there being a protrusion on number 5), and it turns out that was in the 1970s, around the time of the world expo in Osaka.
Also today, on telephone cards and train tickets, there are some notches on the bottom left as if that’s normal. These too, initially did not have these notches and so the lady would cut them out with scissors so that the visually impaired people can work out which way to insert the ticket.
However, nowadays, there are contactless cards, so we can buy things or ride trains without being concerned about direction of the card. Everything is so convenient, that it’s become an era where we can do anything without thinking. We’re losing the sense of “with a little ingenuity, it’s possible without seeing”. Being able to feel this might bring a sense of happiness that we seldom feel when we’re not feeling restricted.
In this convenient day and age, I’m very glad to have met 70-year old Mrs. Fujihara and learnt the joys of ingenuity.