Visual Impairment

I have poor eyesight but I can still see. My prescription glasses are pretty strong and I know this because my friends will try on my glasses and start saying how blurry it is and “Bro you’re blind”. This is interesting because a while back I became friends with a blind person. Someone who has no vision at all and uses a white cane. Everytime I hung out with them, I was reminded of how blindness effects their life. They would put their arm through my arm so I could guide them. I went into their apartment and it was pitch black. I just stood there for a couple of seconds becaue it shocked me so much that they didn’t need the light to see, which makes sense, but not something I’m used to. They wouldn’t know if they spilled sauce outside of the plate they were eating off of. They were constantly bumping into things. They used text-to-speech option on their iPhone so Siri read everything out to them. 

This person was the one who introduced me to National Federation of the Blind (NFB). I learned about the organization last semester and they stated in their website that they are very progressive and forthright in their movement because because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and their dreams. I recommend everyone to set apart some time and read through the incredible stories and journeys the board of directors went through https://nfb.org/index.php/about-us/leadership/board-directors. Each person has a unique story and the crazy thing is, this is just a small number of stories. There are so many hardships and accomplishments that each disabled person has conquered that we don’t know about. As I read through them, I felt as though I stepped into a different world. I wish I interacted more with diverse people because nowadays, I always notice how my surroundings are inaccessible. From the words I read campus to how I walk around from point A to point B. Only through watching Crip Camp was the movement for social justice solidified in my mind. We must strive for more equality for our peers and the impaired people in our community. 

3 thoughts on “Visual Impairment

  1. When it comes to visual impairments, many people think that it is black and white. People are either blind or they can see. This is the general assumption that we start off with. However, this is not always the case. In fact, many people have color blindness or visual impairment. I agree with you, each person has his/her own hardships. Each one of them impairments requires different types of accommodations and support. It is important to remember that everyone is different and that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to accommodations. What works for one may not work for another.

  2. Your post really hit close to home as I also have a very strong visual impairment to the point of just not being able to distinguish anything more then 8 inches away without my glasses. I one hundred percent agree that people should learn about more unique cases, as everyone goes through a vastly different experience when they are visually impaired. After all, there as so many different levels and kinds of visual impairment. Some people who are visually impaired can do most everything without glasses and only need them for reading up close or seeing very far away. While others like myself are unable to do most things without the support of glasses which have grown to be apart of us.

  3. I have to start off by saying your blog post is very inspiring to me, I take my glasses for granted, i say this because I do not even wear them. I think that many people take things like this for granted. we never think about losing the ability especially our sight. if i need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night i turn on my phone flashlight. i would be concerned to walk in pitch black room, but this is a normal everyday thing for your friend. I have to say i learned a lot from this text.

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