Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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From warring Ukraine to Poland. Story by blind guy from Ukraine (self.Blind)
submitted by Jonikster
Hello!
My name is Constantine. I am from Kharkiv, east part of Ukraine.
There is a war in my country. They are killing civilians. They have no mercy on children.
I have a disability. I am blind.
My hometown has become a dangerous place for me. Every second I fear for my life, because as the shells hit other houses, they can hit my house.
I decided to move to Poland and I did it alone and I would like to tell about it!
It was dangerous to move in my city. 11 kilometers to the train station, not easy to find a car.
I got a list of about 30-40 (I do not know exactly, I did not count them) numbers of taxi drivers who work. But I could not get through.
I found a taxi in one of the applications, I just wrote in the comment that some disabled person is asking for help.
In my country, conditions for people with disabilities are not the best. I called the station, warned about me, they said they made a record about me, but no one met me or knew about me there.
I took a train to western Ukraine. It was not easy. A large crowd, Ukrainian soldiers with machine guns, people were practically fighting in the crowd, and it is good that they did not.
When we were near Kyiv, something like that, people said that the previous train was shelled. People were afraid.
But I got to Lviv, where I was met by friends of friends of my relatives, and taken to the border by car.
There was a Polish driver on the Polish border, in his car there were two Ukrainian girls with children. He brought me to Poland, and further, I expected volunteers to help.
We went to Rzeszów, where I took two trains to Gdynia.
Now I am in Gdynia, and I received a lot of help from volunteers and just Polish people. And I thank them all for their kindness to us.
My parents stayed in Ukraine and I am afraid for them, to be honest.
But I would like to keep moving on. North America or Oceania. I am afraid of nuclear war and would like to be in a safe place.
So, it is possible for the blind to move to other countries on their own, and during the war!
Thanks.
My name is Constantine. I am from Kharkiv, east part of Ukraine.
There is a war in my country. They are killing civilians. They have no mercy on children.
I have a disability. I am blind.
My hometown has become a dangerous place for me. Every second I fear for my life, because as the shells hit other houses, they can hit my house.
I decided to move to Poland and I did it alone and I would like to tell about it!
It was dangerous to move in my city. 11 kilometers to the train station, not easy to find a car.
I got a list of about 30-40 (I do not know exactly, I did not count them) numbers of taxi drivers who work. But I could not get through.
I found a taxi in one of the applications, I just wrote in the comment that some disabled person is asking for help.
In my country, conditions for people with disabilities are not the best. I called the station, warned about me, they said they made a record about me, but no one met me or knew about me there.
I took a train to western Ukraine. It was not easy. A large crowd, Ukrainian soldiers with machine guns, people were practically fighting in the crowd, and it is good that they did not.
When we were near Kyiv, something like that, people said that the previous train was shelled. People were afraid.
But I got to Lviv, where I was met by friends of friends of my relatives, and taken to the border by car.
There was a Polish driver on the Polish border, in his car there were two Ukrainian girls with children. He brought me to Poland, and further, I expected volunteers to help.
We went to Rzeszów, where I took two trains to Gdynia.
Now I am in Gdynia, and I received a lot of help from volunteers and just Polish people. And I thank them all for their kindness to us.
My parents stayed in Ukraine and I am afraid for them, to be honest.
But I would like to keep moving on. North America or Oceania. I am afraid of nuclear war and would like to be in a safe place.
So, it is possible for the blind to move to other countries on their own, and during the war!
Thanks.
phistomefel_smeik 9 points 1y ago
Good luck on your journey! War fucking sucks. Switzerland is taking refugees aswell and I think our towns are quite accessible (good public transport, board walks, small cities, ...).
If you decide to come here you can write me a message and I'll try to help you out or answer any questions.
If you decide to come here you can write me a message and I'll try to help you out or answer any questions.
SpikeTheCookie 8 points 1y ago
WOW! I don't know how you did it, but you did! What an epic journey and you did an amazing job of staying clear headed and focused and very, very brave. Congratulations, and I hope you find a beautiful new home in your future.
lotus88888 7 points 1y ago
If moving to Canada interests you, here is our government info instruction page. There is a service channel for Ukraine immigration enquiries available for clients both in Canada and abroad at **613-321-4243**, **with collect calls accepted**. People can add keyword **“Ukraine2022”** to the IRCC crisis web form with their enquiry & it will be prioritized. $1
The CNIB or Canadian National Institute for the Blind helps with guide dogs, services & programs $1
Canada’s health care system is okay, but not like in the USA. If you live in the GTA or Greater
Toronto Area, the services for blind people, are usually best in the bigger cities. Here’s a site for Ukrainian people in the GTA $1 There are also many Ukrainian people in the west of Canada on the Prairies in bigger cities, but I only know about the GTA. Whatever your decision, where ever you decide to go, I wish you much luck. Hopefully, once you’re settled you can bring your parents over too.
The CNIB or Canadian National Institute for the Blind helps with guide dogs, services & programs $1
Canada’s health care system is okay, but not like in the USA. If you live in the GTA or Greater
Toronto Area, the services for blind people, are usually best in the bigger cities. Here’s a site for Ukrainian people in the GTA $1 There are also many Ukrainian people in the west of Canada on the Prairies in bigger cities, but I only know about the GTA. Whatever your decision, where ever you decide to go, I wish you much luck. Hopefully, once you’re settled you can bring your parents over too.
RollForParadise 4 points 1y ago
It’s nice to see another Canadian reading this person’s story. Lots of great information you have here! Hopefully it can help out a few people
MaplePaws 6 points 1y ago
I hate that you were in a situation where you had to do that, but I am glad you were able to get to a safer place. I am not sure in comparison to other countries how accessible Canada is but I will say even within the country it depends on the community. I lived in a larger city and found it not terrible but it is not uncommon for accessibility features to be beaten up and worn down so that they can be tough to navigate. My experiences with smaller communities is that snow removal is practically non-existent so beyond using a taxi to get everywhere you might find you are stuck at home. But again the accessibility varies greatly based on the community you go to.
TripedalCyclops 6 points 1y ago
Oh my gosh. Your story is amazing! I'm glad you're safe. I wish I knew more about asylum status for the US, try checking an American embassy in Poland.
vvitallie 6 points 1y ago
So much respect for what you have done! I traveled a lot as a blind persom alone, but never escaped a war situation, so glad you are out of it. I am aafraid of a nuclear war as well.
DCMartin91 6 points 1y ago
Amazing. I'm glad you made it safely. Good luck to you and your family. I hope this ends soon.
OldManOnFire 6 points 1y ago
Я радий, що ви в безпеці в Польщі. Я сподіваюся, що ваші батьки також залишаються в безпеці.
Its0nlyAPaperMoon 4 points 1y ago
I am so glad you're alive. Amazing that Polish strangers gave you rides when you asked for help. Thanks for sharing your story. Did you choose Gdynia to join extended family etc? Or was the city recommended to you for a special reason?
Jonikster [OP] 6 points 1y ago
One blind guy from Poland offered to help me, he said that I can go to Warsaw, but he can give me more help in Gdynia, so that's why I'm here.
Snoo_85465 2 points 1y ago
Oh my gosh ❤️ I am so so sorry you’ve been through all this and I can only imagine. I’m just learning to accept the cane here and I would never be able to do what you did, your story is a true story of courage, please be safe and be well ❤️
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
Sounds like you have done tremendously. I am quite independent myself and I am sure I could make it out but….. honestly? I don’t know if I want to. You have done a rather good job. Thats very interesting though.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Stay safe and I hope things go really well. And better and better.
Also yeah, I don’t like the idea of neuclear war and I don’t think anyone does. As a Christian though if it comes I guess I know where I am going.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Stay safe and I hope things go really well. And better and better.
Also yeah, I don’t like the idea of neuclear war and I don’t think anyone does. As a Christian though if it comes I guess I know where I am going.
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