Hi-Line Living: Blind on the Hi-Line

Sight. It is a sense that most people take for granted. However, not everyone can fully see their surroundings, and these individuals are forced to adapt to life’s wonders in a variety of different ways — these individuals happen to be blind.

There are many variations of blindness, ranging from legally blind, which means one’s best-seeing eye cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses to any better than 20/200, to total blindness, which means one has complete lack of light and form perception.

From getting dressed in the morning to going grocery shopping, a person who is blind must organize their life differently than the average person in order to live independently.

Judy Neely, Havre resident and president of the Hi-Line chapter of the Montana Association for the Blind, is legally blind.

The Montana Association for the Blind was founded in 1946, says the organization's website at http://mtblind.org.

Neely said the Hi-Line chapter started about four years ago and that this group is designed to help people with failing eyesight to acquire the skills and attitudes that will enable them to remain independent and self-reliant.

Neely added that people who are blind face many day-to-day challenges.

“Can you imagine going to the grocery store and not knowing what things cost and not being sure whether you’re picking up ketchup or barbecue sauce because they’re right next to each other and the bottle looks similar and the contents are a similar color?” she said.

Neely said that her group discusses a variety of different ways they can make their lives easier.

“We (also) connect them with state agencies that will give them magnifiers and tests and connect them with agencies that sell equipment that will be helpful to them,” she added.

Neely said her group acts as a support group as well.

“It is so tough at the beginning,” she said. “You feel like your world is closing in on you. A lot of people can’t work anymore, a lot of people can’t drive themselves anymore, a lot of people can’t get to the grocery or do the things that they used to take for granted — and they’re just terrified. But if they can join a group of people who have conquered some of the beginner skills, then they learn that life doesn’t have to be that desperate.”

Neely said that whenever her group meets, she presents ideas to the members to make their lives more independent and self-reliant.

At the Hi-Line chapter meeting held Tuesday at the Eagles Manor, Neely showed members a device called the iBill, which is a talking banknote identifier geared toward individuals who are blind. This device was created by Orbit Research and tells the user how much a currency bill is worth when they place it under the scanner.

“Each thing that comes along gives us more independence to live our lives without the aid of another person,” she added.

Ryan Stout, 34, of Harlem has been totally blind since birth. He is the secretary of the Montana Association for the Blind Hi-Line chapter and has been involved with the group since 2011.

During the group meetings, Stout takes notes on a device called “Braille Lite,” which is a portable word-processor/note taker with a Braille display and adjustable speech synthesizer.

With Braille Lite, Stout is able to type out notes — he is also able to print copies of the translations as well.

During the meeting, Stout demonstrated how a person who is blind can tell the difference between certain coins.

He said that quarters and dimes have ridges on the edges and that he can tell what a coin is by its size.

“The edges on (nickels and pennies) are pretty smooth,” he added.

Stout also said he enjoys meeting with the group and learning techniques to become more independent.

“I’ve learned about how people do stuff on their own,” he added.

For more information on the Hi-Line chapter of the Montana Association for the Blind, call Neely at 301-4989.