Reference points

As someone who had a fair amount of vision but now I have lost almost all of it, I use reference points to help me get by. I have references implanted in my mind and I use them all the time to help me to do such things as refer to my surroundings, remember how things would look, plus much more.

I use reference points in my mind to locate objects within my home. I use reference points in my mind to help me locate buildings and other locations, and I use reference points in my mind to help me find things in my closets and cabinets.

Here are some examples:
Close to my kettle would tell me that my spice rack is close by or that my hand soap is not too far away on my counter.
Close to my microwave would tell me that my toaster is also close by.
My spider plant would tell me that not too far away is one of my wing chairs.
My ski jacket would tell me that on the same side of the closet are my winter jackets.
Hanging pants in my closet would tell me that right next door are my business suits.

I also use color associations to help me decipher. So that if someone tells me that the cheese is yellow, I have an immediate caption in my mind that this is the cheese that I am after. Similarly, if I am told that the wall is blue, then I know that in all likelihood it is probably the same color or similar in color to my bathroom’s walls.

These are all my reference points and I use them all the time. Probably no different from how a sighted person navigates through their daily lives.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others. Visit www.afb.org to learn more.