Assumptions about blindness
October is Blindness Awareness Month. I will occasionally have someone, who heard I was blind, see me looking at something or reading something and say, “I thought you were blind. How can you read that?” I explain to them a person can be totally blind or legally blind. People who are legally blind have some vision. I fall into this category.
There are legal and medical definitions about what qualifies as legally blind. These definitions do have significance when it comes to benefits and legal protections.
Another common misconception about people with low vision is that their vision is all the same. There are countless different causes of vision loss, from diseases, conditions and accidents to birth defects, and more. They each can affect a person’s vision differently. Even the same cause can affect different people differently.
Some things cause degenerative loss, while others cause vision loss that is stable. This is the situation I find myself in. Barring some additional cause, my vision should be relatively stable. Others have conditions that cause a gradual, or sometimes not so gradual, loss of vision.
I was born legally blind. I was diagnosed when I was about nine months old. Despite seeing some of the best doctors in the world, there was nothing that could be done to correct it.
It was not expected to get worse and stayed stable into my 30s, at which time I developed additional problems which caused a further deterioration of my vision. They were finally able to get that under control and my vision again stabilized at its new decreased level.
Advances in medicine, science, and technology over the years have had a positive impact on the lives of many blind and visually impaired people. Some conditions can be treated now. There are also many more adaptive technologies available for people.
I have a laptop with a 15.6 inch screen. I can’t read it. However, by hooking up a 32 inch monitor and large keyboard to it I am perfectly able to use it. My friends and family may even someday succeed in convincing me to use the voice to text features on my computer and my phone. I’m stubborn and resist.
I am lucky. I am able to work. I have even been able, in recent years, to start my own business doing what I love. Technology has certainly helped in this endeavor.
The Americans with Disabilities Act has been a game-changer for people with all types of disabilities. Employers cannot legally discriminate against people with disabilities. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen. If there are two equally qualified candidates for a job, I would argue that, more often than not, if one has a disability and the other is able-bodied, the able-bodied person will get the job. Fear of the unknown.
As we observe Blindness Awareness Month, when you encounter someone who is blind or vision impaired, don’t make assumptions about their situation based on someone else you know. Everyone’s situation is different. You will figure it out, either by observation, or because they tell you. Either way, respect their individual situation.