Blind UK couple in Malta to 'see' the sights

If you think going on a holiday is a big deal, just imagine what it is like for a person who is blind.

Now imagine what it would be like if those going on a holiday are a married couple - both of whom are blind.

This is the case with Ron and Chris Baker who have just been on a two-week holiday to Malta.

They have been to Spain, Portugal, Paris and Amsterdam.

Mr Baker works as a telephone operator at a prison and is a piano tuner while his wife works as a telephone operator with the telephone company NTL.

They have a daughter, Helen, 28, who is a benefits adviser at the housing department in Cardiff and is the mother of six-month-old Daniel.

Mr and Mrs Baker met when they were students at what is now the Royal National College for the Blind and live and go to work on their own. They have also done computer training at the Cardiff Institute for the Blind.

At home in Cardiff in the UK, the Bakers, both 56, have guide dogs but on holiday they make use of collapsible white canes. They came to Malta after hearing of the hospitality of the Maltese and the magnificent churches and historic sites which the Bakers say they wanted to "see".

"In an unfamiliar area we try to get to grips as best we can, getting around by ourselves.

"The environment can be straightforward. To us, this means a nice wide pavement with few obstacles, not too busy, not too many steps or pavements to worry about and you hope there is not a great deal of traffic, particularly on the streets you want to cross.

"The long cane is a mobility aid to help you get about in reasonable safety. The rollers at the bottom of the stick help you keep contact with the ground at all times. They tell you the type of surface and type of texture and if there is a dip or hole in the ground. Blind people are taught how to board buses and trains using a white cane.

"The wisest thing is to ask for help but if help is not ready at hand, you have to be extremely cautious and keep using the cane."

Mr Baker said that getting around, especially in unfamiliar places, has all to do with orientation, although sounds and smells can also help. His orientation is not very good and relies entirely on sound and the feel of texture underfoot.

Mr Baker was born blind, his wife is not totally so but had a better vision in the past.

"I think it is a big deal to go on holiday alone, to be honest, but I am not complaining. It is how it is. Even the UK is not perfect by a long stretch for a blind person to go about - traffic is the main problem and scaffolding is a nightmare.

"We always wanted to come to Malta. We went to Gozo. That was peaceful but we did not use the cane because a young taxi driver took us there."

The long cane was devised in the mid-1960s and blind people are trained by qualified instructors to use the cane.

"After instructions every day for a month, the instructor says to you 'I am going to drop you at a landmark', and asks you, for example to meet him near the post office.

"It is a travesty that there are no instructors to teach blind persons in Malta how to use a white cane. People without a cane are losing out by not being able to go out on their own.

"To get the whole thing up and running is going to take its time and to find people to train for greater mobility and daily living skills. Being independent gives you self-esteem," Mr Baker said.

Irene Schembri, from the Malta Society for the Blind, said having no instructors in Malta spells discrimination against blind people.

The Malta Society for the Blind is appealing to the government to train instructors in the use of the white cane.

"By using the long cane, blind people would develop their ability to lead an independent life, go shopping and enjoy themselves."

International White Cane Day will be celebrated on October 15.