I write from the governance offices at RNIB Judd Street in London having just finished attending the induction meeting for the Travel, Shopping & Control of Money Programme Board. Actually, the meeting also included the induction for the Reading, TV & Technology Programme Board, but even though I am not standing on this, it was still interesting to learn about the developments taking place in that field and the projects and strands, which form part of the strategy on which RNIB is working.

There were a number of speakers who gave an overview of the current status of the different strands that make up the programme boards. Of most interest was Travel, where a lot of work is going into the RNIB React system (a key fob, which hooks into static beacons, placed around busy areas, which allows the person with sight loss to know where they are and what is around them) and the on-going work to make bus travel more accessible. I was interested in the update on talking ATMs, with word that Barclays plan to roll these out by the end of this year. I hope their machines will be able to accept cards from other banks without charge, as I don’t have a Barclays account as my applications keep being blocked for some reason even though I’m not applying for an overdraft.

We had a nice lunch with the usual RNIB variety of foods; sandwiches, sausages, samosas, fishcakes, some spicy thing that was probably a pakora as well as tea and coffee. Well, the latter is definitely not something in short supply!

Some of the speakers weren’t able to attend in person so they gave their talks remotely by phone. There were times I wished I could also be on the Technology Programme Board but I realise this would probably be taking on too much and would not allow me to give the same level of support and commitment to all the engagements to which I am subscribed. Amanda is thinking of applying though the next time a vacancy arises.

As part of my being on the Programme Board, I will receive a number of reports and updates sent by e-mail. Understandably though I won’t be able to speak about their content as I’m assuming for safety that my being on the board places me under an NDA until such time as I get permission to speak about it openly. Presumably though some of the news will be let out at member forum events and I will be responsible for this as part of my role as member representative.

I enjoyed attending the meeting although there was a lot of information to take on board in just one day. I’m glad a lot of this will be recapped in the reports I will receive in the coming months. I was able to contribute a few ideas and had at least one question for each speaker so hopefully my contributions will have been of some value and will help moving forward.

Another great thing that happened today was that I was able to navigate on foot from London Euston station to RNIB Judd Street without incident and totally independently just using my cane and Satnav. I was worried at first as Ovi Maps wasn’t picking up a signal from the GPS receiver, but a reboot of both the phone and receiver solved the problem. I think this was probably the Bluetooth bug mentioned in the Qstarz BT-Q818XT user guide. I managed the walk in good time and was at the office by 8:30 and was really impressed with myself for managing this. it’s definitely done wonders for my confidence, as I figure if I can manage in the middle of London at peak time, I can surely manage in comparatively quiet areas in Aberdeen or other cities with which I’m unfamiliar.

I’m going to post this and then prepare for walking back to Euston. I’ll arrive there a couple of hours before boarding, but at least it will allow me to get somewhere safe with support present before the light dims too much where I can wait for the sleeper back to Aberdeen. Last night’s journey was excellent as always and I had the same cabin manager as last time. The disabled berth was broken so I had a standard berth to myself, but honestly, I prefer this as the smaller space makes me feel more secure and less like the odd one out. Only downside is that it’s a good walk from the lounge car but the Sheena the manager did offer that I could call for her at any time and she would happily escort me there and back. The fire alarm went off shortly after leaving Aberdeen and just as Sheena had left my compartment. I thought I was responsible for a moment just due to the timing but she explained that it was only a false alarm caused by diesel fumes entering the air conditioning system due to the train turning after departure. Other than that, the journey was uneventful and I enjoyed the usual continental breakfast delivered to me in the morning. My laptop battery died just after reaching Edinburgh but fortunately, I had packed the 2-power external so I was able to finish off some of the blog entries from earlier ready for posting shortly. The only funny thing I noticed was that, as the train carriages are the old 90’s style Mark III models there isn’t enough power being distributed to power the engines, heating system and shaver outlets equally. I noticed this when my iPhone was charging; it would randomly stop charging and then begin again sometime later depending on when power was applied or released from the engines. It didn’t do any damage to the phone, but was just amusing to hear the phone beep each time the charging resumed during the night.

I’m looking forward to the journey back tonight and getting some rest ready for the busy weekend at the Pan-UK summit starting Friday afternoon. I’ll be heading to Edinburgh earlier in the day as David Kelly from fundraising wishes to meet with me to go over the presentation he gave at the last Haggeye operational meeting in January, which I missed due to the chest infection. I’ll try out the Hillside café beforehand so that should keep me going until the full meal come evening.

I'm on my way back from the RNIB European Summit in Glasgow. The summit was a really interesting day out with some fascinating speakers and a chance to learn about the current state of campaigning within Europe with respect to issues affecting people with sight loss, but also a chance to express ideas on how this can be moved forward.

Speakers included Lord Colin Lowe, who was also in attendance at the Hardest Hit rally in Edinburgh last October, who is also the president of the European Blind Union, an umbrella organisation that helps bring together national federations and charities of people with sight loss and which assists in liaising with the European Parliament. He explained a little about how the liaison works and also the mechanisms in place for campaigning on issues and bringing this to the attention of those that matter.

Following lunch, which was generously provided by the Central Hotel staff and which was unusually nice for events such as this (vegetable soup, fish pie and profitta roll for me), David Martin, one of the six elected Scottish MEPs, gave us some pointers on the do's and don’ts of lobbying MEPs locally. This also included the message that we should not be scared of lobbying and campaigning for what we believe in and what we as disabled citizens are entitled to, but also that although the push for change can come from those organisations that champion our cause, the main thrust of the arguments must come from the grass roots themselves. The people who will be affected by legislation set by the European Parliament are also those that have and should exercise the power to make their own views known. I also firmly believe that these are the same people that often have the simplest and most logical solutions to many of the challenges faced in daily life. Examples include accessing information on medicine packs (now resolved after the introduction of legislation requiring this in alternative formats), but also the bus and coach legislation for accessible transport which is currently being pushed through.

Later, the RNIB's European Campaigns Officer (whom herself is French by origin) told what this entails and us about her job. She is responsible for being the bridge between the RNIB (and by extension its members) and officials within the major European legislative institutions, including national governments and the European Commission. She is responsible for ensuring that pressure is applied to governments where needed to ensure issues of import reach the European Parliament for debate and hopefully enactment. I thought her job sounded really interesting and I'd have loved to be in her shoes in a different life. It must be fascinating to meet so many interesting people from different areas and cultures, not to mention the potential for me to use my language skills.

Katrina from Haggeye gave a great talk about Haggeye, how it was founded, its aims and the work done to start involvement in Europe by means of the event she attended in Brussels last year. The talk was short, but engaging and certainly sitting in the audience I was able to tell people were taking an interest. Several people asked me about Haggeye and my involvement later, although I was careful to note that as I've only been involved since last February, I'm not well versed on many of the significant events that took place beforehand

We had a short quiz with 12 multiple choice questions on aspects of the European Parliament and wider European Union. We were in six teams according to our table placements and whereas my team only came third, the quiz was nevertheless enjoyable and a good break from the otherwise constant one-way information stream. We rounded off the day with a short workshop in our teams where we came up with solutions and answers to questions surrounding a real-life scenario; namely, the inaccessibility of the European Parliament's online consultation system used to seek views from EU citizens on proposals, which will be put to the Parliament for debate. We came up with several good ideas including group lobbying our local MPs and asking them to read the information to us within manifestos and other documentation that is inaccessible. I also added that we could ask MPs to take things one step further and fill out the consultation questionnaires on our behalf. This would illustrate the point of how difficult or impossible this is for us to do independently. I did propose cutting off the very information stream the Parliament wants to use however, this was quickly shot down, and probably for the best!

Overall, the day was really enjoyable and I think I would love to be involved in similar days in the future once the campaigning situation and involvement with Europe deepens. As with the acoustic shooting, I feel that this is long overdue and now the ball is rolling one hopes that this will continue, including participation by the younger generation. Here's looking forward to keeping an eye out for developments as they happen.

I’m writing this from the RNIB HQ offices having just recently stepped off the Scotrail Caledonian sleeper service from Edinburgh to London Euston. It's definitely the way to travel in future, not least because it saves a whole day travelling the day before and the cost of an overnight stay. In addition, the customer service I received last night was second to none, as detailed below.

Due to the need to change my travel plans at short notice after the friend I was due to spend Wednesday night with was unable to make it back to the UK in time, I had booked the sleeper from Edinburgh as this was £25 cheaper than leaving from Aberdeen. On arrival at Edinburgh at 22:50, the East Coast assistance person, who once again remembered me from my last stopover here even though it was three months ago (I keep being surprised at that, never thought I was that memorable) guided me over to the sleeper which was just getting ready to board. On presenting my tickets for the standard class shared berth, I was offered a sole cabin in case this was easier. Now I've nothing against sharing with someone else, even if it's someone I don't know and even though the cabin is seriously cramped (just as long as the other person isn't a drunk or otherwise odd), a sole berth is definitely easier to manage plus it would allow me to work overnight without disturbing anyone else. I gladly took up this offer and was promptly advised to tell the manager for the next carriage along that this had been approved. On doing so, I was swiftly guided to my cabin, and in short order shown, by hand, the various lighting and temperature controls (definitely useful after I nearly froze to death on the last trip last May), and was also given a guided tour of the train including facilities and lounge car. I ordered breakfast, and also asked if I would be able to remain on board until 08:00, at which time I had asked the assistance at Euston to meet me. I was advised that usually this would not be possible, as 08:00 is when doors are shut tight to allow for the train to be cleaned in preparation for the return trip in the evening. However, an exception would be made in my case, for which I was definitely grateful. This would not only allow me a longer lie in, but would also mean I could disembark the train once the rush had died down.

I was left on my own at this point, so that Stella, the cabin manager, could attend to other passengers. The train left on time and the journey was generally smooth, although one must be careful of the jerk, which occurs when the trains are joined/decoupled just south of Carstairs. I was able to get some e-mails sent as well as some reading in preparation for the UK Members Forum meeting tomorrow. Another fringe benefit of using the sleeper is that the route generally passes through less 'dead' zones for cell phone signals than on the East Coast.

Come morning, breakfast was delivered at 07:15 as requested and I was once again helped with identifying and unpacking the different items. Breakfast was provided in the basic continental style; orange juice, yoghurt, fruit salad, a croissant and tea/coffee. I really enjoyed it, plus it was light enough for me to cope with as I'm never one for eating much in the mornings. Shortly afterwards, I was helped to pack (always a difficult task as anyone who knows me will confirm) and guided to the Euston assistance who had arrived half an hour early. This was the only downside to the whole trip, but is hardly something I can complain about as the rest of the service provided was stellar (no pun intended). As said, I will definitely be travelling this way again in future, and with advance tickets one-way from Aberdeen with a berth costing from £42 (even ten days beforehand), it's a lot cheaper than the traditional alternative. By the way, for interest's sake, a first class berth costs £104, even on an advance ticket. When you consider the only things extra you get are a sole occupancy berth and the normally £4 breakfast free of charge, it's definitely a luxury I won't be using anytime soon. That having been said, offers similar to that received above are definitely gratefully accepted.

My next trip away is on 28 February when I attend the RNIB Living with Sight Loss Programme Board. Although business of course comes first, I would be lying if I said the novelty of train travel has worn off and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

I was really impressed and touched at the level and quality of service provided. I plan to write a congratulatory letter to Scotrail, thanking Stella for her patience and guidance. I could tell that she was genuinely able to see things from my side of the fence, and was able to anticipate my needs. Also, it was clear she was helping not because it was expected, but because she genuinely wanted to, and that's definitely something I appreciate. Writing letters of thanks is not something I do often, but I definitely think it's deserved in this case. If it weren't for the fact that usually tickets for the sleeper from Edinburgh are £30-£40 more than from Aberdeen, I might even have considered leaving from there always in future. As it is, I can only hope the service provided from Aberdeen is the same when I travel on the 28th.

A quick note to alert friends on Facebook and those following on Twitter, as well as those who keep in touch with this blog. As you’ve probably noticed, posts have been sparse over the last year or so. This was normally due to health issues and my just being too tired to type out posts at the end of the day. Therefore, things just kept being postponed until there was a large backlog. Many of the posts were later written, however never got uploaded to LiveJournal. Also, since Facebook stopped auto-syndicating with LiveJournal, not anything posted to the blog has fed through. I resolved that issue earlier this year. I now also have my dictation set up working more efficiently so I’ll actually want to use it rather than being frustrated with its half-hearted performance as in the past. I’m working on getting a setup sorted so I can also dictate via my laptop on the move, particularly as I find myself travelling a lot more with time to kill, especially on trains.

My plan is to bring things up to date over the next few weeks so expect a flurry of posts. They will be dated accordingly so things shouldn’t get too confusing. Many of the posts are just records of notable events in my life over the past months. Fortunately, anything that was time sensitive was posted so you’ve not missed anything there.

I realise that this level of disorganisation is unusual for me but I ask you to bear with me over the next few weeks until I’m back up to speed. As always, I appreciate your comments and feedback, even the few spammers I get (which can be amusing on occasion).

Thanks as always for your support.

Hussein.

I'm writing from the train after attending the RNIB Living with Sight Loss Programme Board meeting in London earlier today. I travelled overnight on the Scotrail Caledonian Sleeper, which once again went seamlessly with my being offered use of the accessible berth. Fortunately, the doors worked perfectly this time although I did almost break the safety straps climbing down from the top bunk at 2am, so I guess my record of having incident-free travel remains intact!

Arriving at Euston at just before 8am, I swiftly took a taxi to RNIB HQ. Once again, I was surprised at how compact London seems on foot yet it seems to take forever to get anywhere on wheels. Perhaps that's just normal for London, but it still makes me glad I don't live there. Transport is complicated enough as it is in Aberdeen.

I'm grateful to Jane at RNIB for giving me use of their meeting room for the two hours before the actual meeting began. It at least meant that I was able to get some e-mails sent and other work done without having to kill time at Euston or wander the streets. I've been assured this arrangement is fine to continue for future visits.

The meeting started at 10am with about 15-20 people present. I can't remember all the names or titles but the attendees included directors from the different UK countries, a few outside individuals as well as internal departmental managers from within RNIB. A seating plan had been designed beforehand meaning that we were all split into smaller groups of 2-3 people where we could then discuss issues tabled on the agenda. The plan was to then go around the tables afterwards and collate the different points raised in a general summing up. I thought this worked really well and was much less daunting, particularly for me being new to this, then simply sitting around a large table which would be the norm at other meetings.

There was some really interesting issues discussed dealing with RNIB's future strategy in the short and medium term. I won't go into much detail as I'm not sure yet whether any of what was discussed falls under a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Suffice to say I was able to understand nearly all of what was said, including the meeting papers circulated beforehand, which was considerably more than when I was at the last board meeting as an observer in November. The few areas which I had difficulty grasping were quickly made clear to me, however rather than singling me out it was done as part of the general discussion which made me feel better as I was not put on the spot. As a person supported by RNIB, albeit not to a great extent, I felt attending the meeting and contributing to the discussion gave me the opportunity to present the service user's perspective as a contrast to that of managers and service providers. After all, it is all well and good to provide a service, but it requires feedback and ideas from the people deriving support from those services, and where appropriate, implementation of those ideas that really makes the service and the resources dedicated to it worthwhile.

The meeting ended at 12:30 and I was taxied back to Euston thereafter. My return tickets gave me access to the Virgin lounge, which was a chance to unwind with a cold drink before the long journey home. I was quite disappointed though by the poor choice of food on offer. There only seemed to be pretzels and biscuits available, which was a big contrast to the impression of the lounge's services displayed on the Virgin Trains website. I'd still use the lounge again in future if eligible, however I'd recommend anyone using it who wants something more substantial to eat to try elsewhere beforehand.

As I write, the train has just passed Lancaster running about 20 minutes late. Fortunately, I have the option of catching the later train from Waverly, which will get me home shortly after midnight. The first class service on Virgin is quite good and perhaps a little better than East Coast at least where food is concerned, as they have various offerings from the complimentary cart including large baguette-style rolls, fruit, cake and of course the customary pretzels. I'd recommend the cheese and beetroot roll; I wasn’t too sure about the crayfish.

Overall, I'd say it has been a worthwhile trip as I still feel that it is important to keep firm contact with the user base, particularly younger users who are embracing modern technologies. I was pleased to see that aspects such as social media and website content did feature amongst today's discussions, and I hope that my views, where possible, will have helped to improve these services as they develop over time. The next board meeting is on 23 May, although I'll be back at RNIB HQ on 21st March for the Travel, Shopping & Control of Money Programme Board induction.

Firstly, can I say that I do not mean this post to offend anyone, but rather to promote constructive thought and debate on an issue I feel has particular relevance in these hard times.

Last night whilst watching Euronews, I saw an advertisement from a charity asking for donations to help children affected by the drought in East Africa. Later, on ITV, I saw another ad asking for help to save the endangered great White Tiger, followed by one bemoaning the plight of abandoned cats and dogs.

This got me rather annoyed. Let there be no mistake, I am all for helping worthy causes, and indeed, I believe it is in the interest of our collective success to aid others where we can. However, I feel that the whole concept of generosity has been misunderstood, and that this is causing problems, which have been exacerbated by the media hype and emotional string pulling being engaged in by charities, voluntary organisations and broadcasters.

The way I see it, the whole ethos surrounding generosity is to give to others where you can, with the latter concept being the operative one. However, I would ask myself how this is possible in these hard economic times? There seems to be little understanding that we have reached a point where it is often impossible for us to give to others when we are struggling to fend for ourselves. This at a time of rising taxes, commodity prices and overall inflation, compounded by employment insecurity and rising social tension at home.

This is not a topic I would go out of my way to research, but simply doing a little maths and watching some prime-time TV, it is not difficult to conclude that were I to donate the minimum amount asked to every charity that asked for it, I would very quickly reach the point where my contributions to charity alone would far outstrip my disposable income, even if all every day and necessary necessities were kept to the bare minimum. Ironically enough, I, and many other families as well, would quickly reach the point where we ourselves would then require assistance from the very charities we are being asked to help.

With every due respect and with the best will in the world, it would be wonderful to be able to help everyone that needed it. However, I wish more people would understand that the very problem of wealth distribution across the world that has spurned such charitable causes as detailed above is the same problem, which will, if left unchecked, result in a backlash from the very people who are being asked to solve it..

So what is the answer? I honestly do not know, but the above are concepts, which I'm surprised more ordinary people, even without a degree in economics’ have not stumbled upon until now. Each time I see such an advert on TV or hear on the radio, I feel torn between empathy towards those that are genuinely suffering, and annoyance towards those who fail to realise that the help they are asking for does not come from a bottomless well and indeed should be respected, and not taken for granted simply because we live in the so-called ;' developed world'. Perhaps this is naive of me, but nevertheless I do believe that it does no good to solely think of others whilst neglecting oneself.

It is that time of year again and it has certainly been quick incoming. The Scottish acoustic rifle shooting Championships will begin in a few hours at the Denwood Shooting Centre here in Aberdeen. We have seven competitors including our four home shooters although the turnout would have been higher if it weren't for the group from Blackpool having to withdraw due to transport issues.

My coach Jim was at the range yesterday and I am told that four electronic targets have been set up for the competition so hopefully all is nearly ready to go. There are also plans to set up a projector so that others can follow the results as the competition progresses.

As for myself, whereas I am looking forward to the community atmosphere and meeting other people whom I haven't seen since Wolverhampton, I can honestly say I am feeling anything but ready when it comes to competing. Health wise, this week has been terrible, with the fingers flaring up in agony for the last three days, the neuralgia in my feet rearing its head for the first time in months, and both shoulders aching presumably from having twisted awkwardly whilst dismantling my old bed which broke a couple of weeks back. In addition, I have been having problems with my freestanding shooting position, primarily involving the placement of my left hand, which I use to bear the weight of the rifle. I have been unable to find a comfortable hold even though I have been doing this position for nearly 3 years now. Worryingly, I have also noticed that I seem to have a tremor in both hands when holding a rifle on aim, although I am not sure whether this is due to a medical problem or as a result of tension due to my overall shooting position.

If there is one bright side to all of this, it is that I can categorically say that I am not gaining any advantage whatsoever from my seated shooting position. If anything, the last few months have shown that given my restricted freedom of movement from bending at the waist due to sitting, I have considerably fewer options when it comes to forming a stable shooting position, which is probably contributing to stress on the body and hence my less than stellar scores of late. I will be interested to see what Michael Whapples will have to say on the matter following our spat earlier in the year.

Overall, I am less than confident about doing well in this competition, but am trying to take the view that I will just stop worrying about everything and let what happens happen. Winning the competition is hardly a race, and I'm happy with myself to take it slow and build up my shooting one step at a time. With all the stress of life in general of late, it is probably wise not to push myself or my health to try and achieve what won't happen naturally. I know this probably sounds very defeatist, but it is the best I can do the way I'm feeling at the moment.

Due to the fingers, I am dictating this using Dragon, which has itself been causing problems for some time, so I apologise for any errors in this post. The fingers are still extremely sore, but I thought for the good of shooting in general and to spread awareness of this competition, it was important to get this out in time. I will post another report on the competition itself either late on Sunday or Monday, so watch this space.

Once again I write from the train, having yet again travelled to Inverness, staying for just over an hour in order to collect a sleeping bag I forgot at the guest house mum and I stayed at last week. It's one of those strange journeys where I don't feel I've even got off the train at all. I had the same conductor travelling both ways, and no doubt he's even wondering what's going on. I'm sure I heard someone ask if I'd caught the wrong train by mistake hence the quick return, but that's not my concern.

What I did want to write about is another successful use of the Qstarz GPS receiver and Ovi Maps, and this time in a truly authentic environment, i.e. in a completely new place which I did not know at all. The combination worked flawlessly even with the street name changing several times (it's a straight road from the guest house on Glen Urquhart Road to the centre of town). I was able to complete the 1.3km journey in just over 20 minutes.

I'm really thrilled about this as it proves my point that it is possible for a visually impaired person to navigate independently, even in unfamiliar places, but more importantly using technology that is mainstream, and which does not cost a fortune. All too often I see devices manufactured specifically for the visually impaired to do common tasks, but which are overpriced, under-featured and which rarely have a resell value. The system I am using could just as easily be used by a sighted person, and short of the actual phone specification advancing over time (which is not critical to navigation anyway), there is no reason why it shouldn't work just as well in five years’ time as it does now. I firmly believe that is the way forward for technology and accessibility, and I would encourage anyone to try it for themselves. As always, I'm happy to give a demo or offer further information on the kit I use to anyone that wants it.

Forres just coming up shortly so I think I'll stop here and see if the refreshments trolley is anywhere about. In the meantime, all the best for now and take care.

I received a stack of notes on contract law from a friend following a situation I became involved in a few weeks back. Without mentioning any names, I thought I’d share the scenario with you – anyone studying law may recognise this as I’m told it’s a dilemma frequently posed on one of your exam papers. Comments at the end are welcome.

Scenario:
A person sells a camera for £60 as a private transaction to a friend whom he knows and trusts. He is unaware of any problem the buyer may be having with the camera, and the buyer even confirms that everything is working well at least once within the first ten days after the sale date.

Seventeen days after the sale date, a third party operating the camera on the buyer’s behalf admits to dropping it whilst both the buyer and seller are present, although neither witnessed the actual event. The seller is given the camera to look at and can confirm it has sustained damage due to impact trauma. The buyer is advised to see if he can fix it himself, and failing that, the third party offers to have the matter looked at privately or resolved through an insurance claim.

The next day, the buyer’s sister contacts the seller passing on a message from the buyer’s parents asking if he will consider taking the camera back for a full refund. The reason given is that the camera is unusable due to the buyer’s visual impairment, a reason which may well be accurate in itself. The seller politely responds stating that he is unable to accept this as the camera is not in the original condition as it was when sold. He also helpfully describes the incident which led to the item being damaged.

Dilemma:
Should the seller have agreed to a refund, even though the utility which he could have gained from the damage camera would be zero?

Yes, this actually happened to me and since the buyer’s mother accused me of taking advantage of a vulnerable person, I’ve not heard a word from them. I strongly suspect someone is not telling them the entire story, but I’ve washed my hands of the whole situation. As another friend told me; if a good friend could do this to me without any compunction, then they can’t have been such a good friend in the first place, can they? In any case, my conscience is clear in that the camera was working when I sold it, and regardless of what happened, if it were given back to me in its original condition, I’d be happy to offer a full refund in a heartbeat.

Food for thought I think, and maybe there’s a lesson in there somewhere, too.