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Wednesday, 11 July 2018

BLUE BADGE AM I REALLY BLIND? BY FIONA CUMMINGS


Those of you who read yesterdays blog will know part one but part two is coming up. Those of you who didn’t read yesterday’s blog,

 why?

 Haha. Just joking. In short, a brief rewrite of my blue badge story. A blue badge is for those who are disabled. It gets you free parking or at least much more convenient places to park your car. So, if the driver is my Son or another they can drop us off or park where we may know the route! A multi-story carpark or huge out door carpark can be daunting or out of town for example.

 

Well I had to renew our bus passes so went to the council they said I need proof I am blind. I said I wouldn’t have been given this bus pass if I could see. The system has changed now we need a yellow card to say we are blind. I said I have a guide dog. No good. They sent me to our local blind society. They said they have told the council many times they don’t deal with this now as they lost the contract a year ago. But put me in contact with a lady who works at the hospital, the same lady who was meant to call me back five years ago for another reason, but failed…

 

They also gave me another number to call an organisation who I personally am not impressed with as twice now I have called them about different things and twice been told they can’t help… and their whole purpose is to help blind people… but they said when I called, the person dealing with yellow cards wasn’t at work yesterday so I had to wait for her call today.

 

Rather than waiting for the lady to call me, I phoned her today. She was very nice. She told me that she couldn’t do the forms that are required to receive a yellow card. I had to see a Specialist at the hospital. To do that requires us seeing our GP. To do that means waiting at least three weeks before we can see one. Then, they will refer us to the hospital, to get a form signed to say we are blind to receive our yellow card. But, I also called the lady from the hospital who told me what she said yesterday, they have a letter from 2014 saying I am blind on file. The letter is the one where I got my blood tested to go on some kind of research for my eye disease. Just to see what kind of RP I had. But they lost those blood tests, and two years later they took more blood. Oddly, there are no letters from this hospital from 2016 to say I had that done, so I pray they haven’t lost that blood too. Remember though I received a letter saying I had an eye disease that shocked me as it was a totally different disease to what I have had all my life and I was told it didn’t matter it was just a typo? Oh, my goodness…

 

So now I am wondering what the heck to do. The lady from the hospital can’t refer me. I just wonder if it will be faster to go and pay for an eye test from the opticians for them to refer us? To prove I am blind.

 

This is a total nightmare and absolutely disgusting. My Husband was born blind he has never had vision. An yet he is going to have to go through a system of eye tests to get a letter with words on to receive a bloody yellow card.

 

I’m angry.

 

But on a few good notes. We have a huge exciting week this week something totally life changing for us as a family. I’m super excited and really nervous. Also, England are playing tonight in the world cup. Gosh, if we win it will be totally amazing. I think it’s been 28 years since we got this far. I have my flag, I just need to work out now where to hang it. Also hope I don’t have it upside down or inside out….

 

Hubs in later tonight as he is interviewing today also tomorrow in a different office. I love interviewing I wish there was a job doing just that. I guess it’s no big deal to Hub as he has done it for years, but it’s been quite new for me. I have interviewed for newspaper articles as a volunteer and of late done it for a job and I absolutely love it.

 

A dear Blogget has asked me a question I can’t answer. If you can please let me know so I can pass it onto him. He wants a recipe his Grandmother used to make. It’s an orange teacake with orange marmalade, buttercream and frosted icing covering it.

Sounds delicious. Please Bloggets, let me know? I would guess it’s an older generation, but young Bloggets may have been handed down the recipe? I’m asking my dear friend Louise, and another friend of mine makes fantastic cakes may know…

Email me visionsforfuture@googlemail.com or message me here, or on Facebook please if you can come to the rescue of Williams taste buds!

 

OK on that note!!! I will be back later. Xx

 

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