Lynda Smiley
On the blind side is an account of the rehabilitation of some of the men and women Lynda has trained when they lost their sight either through accident or illness or on the battlefield. They are all heroes. Theirs are stories of bravery and courage, of hope and fulfillment. Arriving at the Enid Whitaker Rehabilitation for the Blind at a crisis point in their lives, often suicidal, always downcast, they departed on completion of their course full of new ambition to conquer the world. Running in tandem with the stories of the rehabilitees are brief vignettes from Lynda’s own history, glimpses into how she came to take up the work she did. The contents include chapters such as: 'In the beginning'.........Lynda’s own background for doing the work 'Clash of the Titians'... a case history of one of the students 'Pancakes and snow'......an account of optacon teaching 'Too much sugar'......... about Diabetes Mellitus The book should appeal to the general reader, to those facing impending loss of sight, and those who are already blind, as well as to professionals in the field of blindness. It is an essentially human story of hope and courage which Lynda had the privilege to witness many, many times in the course of her career as the first locally trained Mobility Instructress in South Africa. Lynda was employed by the South African National Council for the Blind and later by St Dunstan’s for War Blinded Veterans.Today she freelances in the community.
