Woman with Stargardt disease makes no excuses
To make matters worse, she has an even harder time navigating herself in the main roads during load-shedding as she can't see oncoming traffic.
We so often chase after the things we want that we forget to appreciate the things we already have. What most of us fail to realise is that those things we take for granted might be what others only dream about.
Born fully sighted, local resident Tania Harris never imagined that she would become dependent on other people and specialised tools for the rest of her life.
“When my sight started deteriorating at the age of 15 was diagnosed with . It’s a rare genetic eye disease that occurs when fatty material builds up on the macula – the small part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision,” she explained.
She has adapted to seeing only a metre or two in front of her. She can’t recognise faces or details and has no depth perception or distance vision.
Harris therefore makes use of special equipment such as a screen reader and reading magnifier among other things.
Although she enjoys living a simple life, she is limited in almost aspect of it, including driving. However, determined to be as independent as possible, Harris has managed to find her way to and from her place of work, the City of Johannesburg Region C head office in Florida Park for more than 12 years.
“Most mornings I catch the bus on Bottlebrush Avenue, which is fairly easy as buses only run once every hour, which means I can’t miss it. In the afternoon it gets challenging as many buses stop on Ontdekkers Road,” she explained.
“Because I can’t see the numbers or wording on the front of a bus, I have to ask each driver before I can get on. It’s also a scary experience having to run across multiple lanes when you can’t see the oncoming traffic.”
Having to commute in such a manner typically leaves Harris extremely anxious and stressed. To make matters worse, she has an even harder time navigating herself in the main roads during load-shedding as she can’t see oncoming cars from a distance, and can’t necessarily determine if a car is going to stop or not.
“I really try to live a normal life. I just love being stimulated by reading, writing and being creative. It’s just the anxiety around travelling that gets me down sometimes and I would therefore be very appreciative of assistance from the community in the form of lifts to and/ or from my workplace. Anytime between 06:30 and 07:30 in the mornings and 16:00 and 16:30 in the afternoons. I’ll even contribute to the travelling costs,” Harris said.
So, if you think you might be able to help Tania Harris, feel free to contact her on 072 554 5280 or send an email to taniavdwharris@gmail.com.
