By Etsuko Yasunaga

MANY years ago I met a gentleman with a guide dog. The dog right beside him was a black Labrador with a gentle face. It was quiet, well behaved and settled. Initially I was reluctant to even start a conversation with him because I knew I’m not supposed to distract a working dog on the harness. Once I saw them in Wonthaggi near the pet food shop. When I naively offered to drive them back to Inverloch, he thanked me but told me that they were quite capable of catching a bus back. 

It turned out that we lived reasonably close and our walking paths crossed often enough for us to start saying hello. Every now and then that greeting grew into little conversations here and there. When I introduced myself, Harry also introduced himself and his trusty guide dog Bateman, as in the locality of Batemans Bay. “What a unique name,” I thought. 

Harry has beautiful eyes and looks almost directly into your face and heart. He apparently still has some peripheral vision. He mentioned several times that he could see the colour of my jacket, especially if it’s a bright one. When I see him on the path, I usually tell him that I’m coming. Harry remembers my voice and as soon as I speak he greets me with a calm smile. I have no way of knowing how Harry became blind but the disability certainly doesn’t stop him living fully and independently. 

There is an off-leash dog park with a bench near us. Another neighbour, Rob, and his dog Sidney often hung around there playing with balls and sticks. When Harry and Bateman without harness join them, the park becomes a place of sheer joy. Bateman sniffs around interesting smells around the bush while Sidney runs around vigorously. Either seeing or not seeing, the environment we are in is safe and protected for all of us. Not a worry in the world. 

*****

I was at Wonthaggi State Coal Mine Café with my dear friend Eleanor. Our spontaneous catch-up was overdue and we had lots to talk about. I knew Eleanor was a swimming teacher when she was in Melbourne before she moved to Bass Coast. I even had a couple of informal lessons with her in the past and I could tell she was a great teacher. 

She started telling me about her treasured memories of helping students with disabilities, and Minh, a Vietnamese boy, was amongst them. He was a blind person who loved being in the water. Once Minh was in the water, somehow he was free. He really felt the water with his whole body. Eleanor noticed that when he showered. Minh put his face and palms skywards and received every single drop of water so graciously. Eleanor said the way he felt the water was truly a sight to behold. He couldn’t see but he certainly could feel the water in his own unique way. His heightened tactile sensitivity was an absolute joy to witness. In Eleanor’s mind no one could appreciate the drops of water like Minh did. 

On another occasion Eleanor was going through an emotional relationship break-up. She didn’t tell anyone at work. As she was soldiering on as if nothing serious was going on in her life, Minh walked towards Eleanor. Without any word, Minh placed his warm hands on Eleanor’s face. He cupped her both cheeks with both hands for a long time. She was a little taken aback, but this tender gesture from a young blind person unquestionably opened and melted Eleanor’s heart. His simple act conveyed deep affection and comfort.  

How did Minh know Eleanor was in such emotional pain? No words were spoken and no one knew what was going on Eleanor’s life. Minh couldn’t see her face or body language, but he felt something no one could feel. Then he offered a gentle act to show his emotional connection to Eleanor. 

Blind people often have enhanced sensory attention and cognitive strategies. It is common knowledge that the brain reallocates processing resources from the unused visual cortex to heighten auditory, tactile and sometimes olfactory processing. They can pick up on subtle details and cues that sighted people often ignore or can’t pick up. Sighted people often heavily rely on visual information rather than deeper listening. 

Perhaps we can all learn from this. Paying close attention to non-visual cues, sounds and other people’s words can greatly improve our empathy and communication with others, just the way visually impaired individuals navigate their surroundings.