It is often assumed that those who are blind are unable to take care of themselves, but this is most certainly not true. While there are some that do fit this description that is only due to that individual’s choice to do nothing about it. I myself believe that just because someone is born or becomes blind, doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of enjoying their lives in relatively the same manner as those around them. We who live in the blind community have just as much potential to participate in daily activities without being told how to run our lives. We can play games just as well as anybody else, as well as perform effectively in the work place. We only need the proper training.
However, there are many obstacles facing one who is blind, or visually impaired, when trying to gain employment. One of these factors is the lack of proper training. There are centers where the blind can learn to be independent in their everyday lives. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of the blind community know of their existence. This is partly due to most blind services being located in larger cities throughout the states. Other times, families don’t even know that specialized training is even available to their blind family members. I myself didn’t know that I was able to receive such instruction until I was about thirteen years old. The Occupational Training Center, located in Salt Lake City, is where I received what training I was able to obtain within a three months time frame. Normally, I would’ve attended the center for about six to twelve months, but I’d already enrolled for my fall semester at Dixie College. Thus, my instruction was cut short.
Nevertheless, it was in Salt Lake that I discovered what a blind person could truly do. I doubted myself at first, but then I met Denis. Denis used to have sight, but lost it somewhere in the middle of his life. Denis worked in construction before joining the ranks of the blind community, but he didn’t let that deter him from living his life to the fullest. He now runs the shop at the Salt Lake training center. This was where I decided that I could do anything I put my mind to. Denis’s example was what inspired me to complete what I could during my sojourn In the Salt Lake area.
During my training, I was required to wear a blindfold while I participated in my classes. The instructors didn’t allow me to do anything on my own until they were sure that I was able to perform a task without injuring myself. The instruction I received involved a healthy mixture of: cooking, cleaning, independent travel, technology and brail. I only had shop for a week or two. But it wasn’t just attending this specialized training that brought me to the level of awareness I have today. I’ve gained more perspective of what the blind could do by playing sports with others I’d met over the years. One of these individuals is a young man by the name of Kirt Manwaring.
Kirt has been blind since birth, and has been a good friend of mine ever since we first met. We’ve played Goalball together, but he gave me an opportunity two summers ago that helped me to understand what a house with a totally blind person was like. I got to stay with Kirt’s family for Father’s Day weekend. During that time, he challenged me to a game of chess. The pieces were textured so as to help distinguish between opposing teams. Playing against him showed me that the blind can do things that are normally considered impossible. We just need to do them differently than those around us.
This idea of doing things differently than others has also seeped into my personal philosophy about everyday life. In my opinion, going blind has allowed me to come to know those around me by who they really are, and not how they appear. This has provided me with a new level of understanding. The blind are the same as those around them. Sure, they may not be able to see as well as the general populous, but they have trials and tribulations just like any other person. We feel the same emotions, and can feel the same sensations of touch and smell. We can also enjoy movies just as much as the next person, though the professional descriptions given to them are more similar to an audio book than what others would consider a movie.
All in all, being blind isn’t the end of the world. It merely opens a new hallway of opportunities. Whether one enters this new realm of experience is entirely up to them, as is any decision in life. I believe that those who are blind, though they may not be able to do everything that those with sight can do, are capable of things that the normal populous would consider impossible. One person that embodies this line of thinking rather well is “Dare Devil.” Even though his ability to see sound is something that a blind individual isn’t able to do, he still provides an example of how there’s more to the blind than meets the eye. Their potential, like those around them, isn’t determined by looks or how many words they know. It’s what’s within that makes a person great.
If we who are blind, or are becoming blind, aren’t treated like helpless animals, and given the proper instruction, we can accomplish truly wonderful things. I also believe that if we were to do a better job of allowing those around us to understand what we can do, the world will eventually come to realize that like any other person with disabilities, we are just people trying to live with the cards we have been dealt. There even times when our situation is better than some who have no problem seeing the world around them but there is one thing I’d like to know. Is blindness a blessing, or a curse? Others may disagree, but I believe that being blind in the world we live in today, though it may have its disadvantages, is a fascinating way to live.
