While driving west, a woman was walking westward on the south sidewalk. She wore a cowboy-like hat pulled back in a jaunty position. I just had to try, so I drove three blocks further, parked, crossed the street and began walking toward her. I spotted a building in shade and wanted that to be the spot where we met. So I stopped until we were equidistant and began walking. When we met, I went through my spiel and she did not hesitate.

Theresa went to nearby Cardinal Mooney High School when Fruitville Road was two lanes – now it's six. She often walks downtown which surprised me, I've never seen her and she is fairly distinctive. I asked if she worked nearby. She said, “No, I can't work, I'm disabled.” I started to reply “Oh, I'm sor..” but she dismissively waved her arm and said not to worry about it. Theresa said that maybe she should try to meet strangers, she used to love to play tennis but now she can't.

I asked her to remove her glasses for the picture. She said that she wouldn't be able to see anything; I assured her that I was the one who had to see. When I showed her the camera's LCD she put her glasses on and got her nose fight to the camera. Part, if not all, of her disability is visual.

Bob