By Christy Wolyniak

Excited, amber-and-gold eyes meet guests at the door. This was DaVida, Claire Anderson’s yellow lab. To the ordinary eye, one might just see an exuberant and joyful canine -- but DaVida plays a much larger role in Anderson’s life: she is her guide dog.

“What I love most is that DaVida loves me. There’s nothing like endless, unconditional love. She’s always in a good mood. She always loves me. She’s the best mate I’ve ever had,” said Anderson.

It was through guide dog school that Anderson began writing detailed emails to her friends and family, telling them of her and DaVida’s adventures together.

“Some people said to me, ‘This would make a great book!’ and then I didn’t do anything for five years,” laughed a good-natured Anderson.

Finally, with the encouragement and assistance of her friend June Brasgalla, Anderson traveled to Brasgalla’s Florida residence and began retelling her adventures in guide dog school as Brasgalla typed. Six months later, “Sightless in Seattle” was completed -- it was published in February.

The book tells of Anderson’s life before she went blind, her time in guide dog school and life afterward. It describes the deep tie between a woman and her dog, of learning to live with blindness and of finding new adventures and joy after that.

“When we go down the street, she stops at every curb going up, she takes me around street signs, around people, around danger. If a car comes shooting out of a side street, she’ll stop,” Anderson said.

A rare optical stroke combined with low blood pressure caused an 80 percent loss of vision in both of Anderson’s eyes. Anderson retired from teaching English on August 4, 2005 when she lost vision in her other eye.

In spite of this ‘handicap,’ Anderson continued with her life with a fresh attitude and an active schedule that would be the envy of any list-crosser. The first thing she did without sight was learn how to put on lipstick, and then she learned to touch-type. She teaches a creative writing class at the Ballard Senior Club, speaks at many schools and organizations and fills her week with interesting clubs and meetings.

“You get to an age where things hurt but you really want to be brave. We get this meeting to complain about what hurts and we eat M&Ms, and then the rest of the week we shut up,” said Anderson of one of her weekly meetings.

For most sighted people, the idea of losing the gift of vision sounds immobilizing. But Anderson chose to look beyond her current situation and discovered the world in a very different light.

“Everybody’s got something. Financial problems, social problems, etc. It’s not like anybody’s trouble-free. Life is about how you handle it, not about what you have. This is what I have, and so I handle it,” said Anderson. “I used to be an impatient person. Now I am patient.”

She enjoys speaking about her experience with others --especially with children.

“What I’ve noticed about adult audiences is that when I ask if there are any other questions, I might get one or two people who raise their hand. With students, every hand goes up. We as adults don’t want to be made fools of, we don’t want to ask a stupid question, but kids don’t feel that way. They’re encouraged to ask questions because they’re in school. By the time we’re adults it’s been tortured out of us,” Anderson said.

Toastmaster meetings at the Monroe Prison have also become a favorite for both DaVida and
Anderson, as attendees practice public speaking.

“At first I went because it was interesting, but after I had been there a couple of times, the prisoners said, ‘We count the days between your visits. I think it was not me, but DaVida. The fact that my visit means so much to them changed everything,” Anderson said.

Books are a favorite pastime for Anderson. She listens to more books than most through a Victor Reader Stream that reads full books aloud and allows Anderson to take notes and save chapters she is reading. She also uses a program called ‘Magic’ that allows text-to-speech with the hover of a mouse, reading her emails to her at a fast rate. Anderson can see objects or words if they are in a large font, yet details are blurry. She describes it as someone taking off their glasses and trying to focus on something or seeing without contacts.

Anderson is an encouragement to people of all ages, demonstrating that life can continue to be filled with both fun and worth, as her furry friend guides her with a constant, jovial wag and a smile sure to win the hearts of passersby.

“I like the feeling of wind on my face. I am more tuned-in. When I cross the street, I’m listening for cars but you’re looking for cars because you can. ... I love walking my dog. Even in misty rain, I still like walking my dog. I like being out because I know that we both really enjoy it.”

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