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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2022 - 02 - 18 - ID#svs1qc
17
What activities do you like to do without electricity? (self.Blind)
submitted by teameadow719
Hi everyone!

I am almost completely blind and I have realised that the most activities I do involve electricity.

I live on the countryside in Scandinavia and there’s a snowstorm (Nora) coming tonight. As with every other storm, the power will most likely go out — which means no electricity or water for a day or so.

We had a storm (Malik) three weeks ago and the power was gone for a day. I was really bored that day since I realised all the activities I enjoy doing involve electricity in one way or another.

I like to listen to audiobooks and music, watch YouTube and browse social medias on my phone. I need electricity to use the stove, oven and other kitchen-supplies (I haven’t learned to cook on the fireplace yet). I need light (candles are not enough) to do arts and crafts, crochet and play UNO with my family. I like being outdoors, but i don’t think it’s safe to go outside when there’s a storm.

Some things I actually can do without electricity: Sing and play my musical instruments. I can also do arts and crafts, crochet and play UNO during daylight hours, although those are limited during the winter months in Scandinavia. I can also actually talk and interact with my family.

I know I can use my phone without electricity and I have a fully charged power bank to go , but I would prefer not to waste battery-time in case I would need it later. I know braille, though I don’t own e any braille-books or accessible board games (I think the only board game we have at all is that UNO). As I mentioned earlier, it’s dark outside most of the time in the winter when the storm-season comes. It’s better now, but December and January are rough. Daylight hours are okay, but after sundown I only sit in one spot, feel bored and pray to the weather gods to stop storming.

I’m sorry for being whiny, I just don’t like being out of power. I know others have it worse than we do.

What are your favourite things to do during a storm, or without electricity and light in general?
Emmenias 6 points 1y ago
"I can also actually talk and interact with my family."
Yeah. That. Unless your family situation is particularly problematic, try doing that.
Prepare a list of random questions (perhaps write them down on pieces of paper, and have someone read yours when you pick it). Ask them about their childhood. Tell each other about that cool interest of yours you probably never mentioned. Make up ghost stories, or any kind of fun stories. Play word-guessing games or ask trivia questions.

You may not be able to cook yourself without the stove, but you can help others do so. This also sounds like a good excuse to clean a little, both as in scrubbing the floors and washing the windows, and as in going through all the nooks and crannies of the house and collecting the things that should've been thrown out years ago. You could go through your clothes and see which ones no longer fit you or no longer cause joy. Or you could take a thorough look at all the cupboards in the kitchen to see if there is any food in there that you've all completely forgotten about.

Board games and braille books are definitely something worth looking into later on. But for now, if you have a brailler, that uno game can be made accessible pretty easily. And even if you don't, you may be able to mark the cards some other way. Or play War; that just involves everyone drawing a random card from their deck and seeing who wins, so you would not be at any disadvantage.

You could take care of your body a little. Do various stretching exercises, pushups, squats, running in place or up/down the stairs, etc. Or perhaps bring out your favourite lotion, moisturiser, or oil (hell, even your usual cooking olive oil can apparently be good for your skin) and give your much-forgotten skin some love. Do something silly like making a face mask out of honey and coffee, perhaps more for the sake of the mess of it all than any real effect. Brush your hair, slowly and gently.

But also, this is a great chance to do some mental self-care. Try to unlearn the desire to do something all the time. Sit back, let your thoughts wander and enjoy the freedom of the nothingness you'll find yourself in. Turn the phone off so you cannot check the time. Think about whatever brings you joy, and let yourself be enough. Because you are (more than) enough.
Littlebiggran 4 points 1y ago
We had a seriously storm a few years ago. Power was out for several days. We had dinner by candle light each night and went to bed early. We dug a path for our dog to go out.

Rather than cleaning, I might organize and sort. Reaching into a dark cupboard, guessing what each item is, deciding if you really need it.

Do you have any neighbors who are farmers? I've sometimes go to help them milk. I don't need vision to milk a cow!

Finally, my family has a collection of odd miscellaneous musical instruments( harmonica, trumpet, recorder, kalimba, drum, sliding flute, gourd with holes, etc.). We have a crazy orchestra recital. You draw what instrument you have to play that night. It can be wonderfully horrible.
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
Try self introspection? Learn about yourself by going inside and not out, materials you need? Simple. Yourself, your mind and you. That’s it. Later you can get some theoretical psychology books as we call it typology.
mrmaaagicSHUSHU 1 points 1y ago
Acoustic guitar Mad Libs Dungeons & Dragons fantasy football sculpting
BaylisAscaris 1 points 1y ago
I have a portable battery that plugs into the wall to charge and can power devices for a long time. It's powerful enough to jumpstart a car several times. It's great when the power is out because it can run my laptop and router for a long time and can keep a cellphone charged for months probably. They also make small portable batteries that are also handwarmers and flashlights. I think my partner found them on Amazon, but you might have local stores that carry them once the weather gets nicer. If you have some vision you can also get a bright LED flashlight and lantern. They hold a charge for a long time and are safer and brighter than candles. For the rest of the family you can get LED tealights for a tiny bit of light throughout the house without risking a fire from candles.

The power goes out in my neighborhood a lot and I also rely on electronics for most of my entertainment, so these are some things I do with minimal or no vision:

Crochet, knitting, sewing, sculpture, playing with pets, listening to audiobooks, exercise, listening to music, cooking, tactile puzzles like Rubik's Cubes, tactile games with family (Dominos, Rummikub, you could do braille versions of card games but I can't read braille yet except for numbers). There are also some word games. There is a game called "Perfect Perfect" where you imagine a partner who is perfect in every way except for one terrible flaw and have to say if you would date them or not. For example, one person starts with "Perfect perfect but their voice sounds like Gilbert Gottfried and they can only yell when they are talking." Everyone else goes around and says if they would date this person or not.

I would love to hear more word games if anyone knows of any.
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