Being legally blind since birth, I knew naturally it would come with some challenges, such as having trouble reading, always having to sit up front in the classroom and always having to ask for larger print items. However, over the years I have noticed significant stereotypes of my disability that seem to surface when I mention my vision loss. Very often (you could even say most often) the stereotypes underlying these types of comments are unconscious, but I hope by reading this, I can dissolve each comment or stereotype from occurring and educate those who believe these comments are true.
1. Unintelligent
In elementary school and middle school, I was always put in the special-needs classes and given worksheets on addition and subtraction, while my peers were finding the solution to X. At the time, I felt discouraged to peruse education and lacked a confidence because I never felt challenged enough and treated as if I even could even be challenged. Once I reached high school, I was allowed to enroll in advanced placement courses and fewer special-needs classes. I was finally able to challenge myself and show everyone that I was intelligent and that I was capable of learning. I received an honors diploma despite the odds, and proved adults wrong. People seem to think that you are incapable of being intelligent, as if being blind affects your capacity to learn. You are treated as someone who has a mental disorder and different from the rest of your peers, rather than just a person who has vision loss. I like to be judged by my abilities and not my disability. I want to be treated as an equal. Vision loss shouldn't plague your desire to learn, nor should I myself be treated as if I have the plague.
2. Helpless
Far from it, actually. I have become a very independent person because of my blindness and have had to learn to do things differently and on my own. I may ask for help sometimes in my studies. Though I can be quite stubborn about it, I am not an infant who needs 24-hour care. I may feel helpless sometimes because no other person knows what I see, which can be frustrating, but being blind does not make you helpless in any aspect. I will tell you if I need help. I am simply helpless in my vision, not my ability.
3. Lesser than you
Probably one of the most aggravating and childish comments, I am not lesser than you, nor am I am better than you. We are equal. Sure, my vision is lesser than yours, but that does not mean your character is better than mine. It's incredibility frustrating that I have to work twice as hard if not more, to prove myself significant or equal to my peers.
4. Ugly
I may hate wearing glasses myself, but I am not ugly. I wear thick glasses; they help me see a bit more clearly. They aren't Coach glasses, but glasses aren't a fashion piece to me; they are used to help me see. But please, continue to call me four eyes, that comment is almost laughable. Almost.
5. Ungrateful
I am aware that my disability has given me wonderful opportunities, and I am grateful I am given these once in a lifetime chances. Although there is not much advancement or technology available yet to fully correct my eyes entirely, I am grateful for the hope that there will be a cure someday. I realize that some people have vision worse than me, so I am grateful for the vision that I do have. I am grateful for my doctors, who have always tried to make things easier for me and help me. They have given me surgeries to correct my cataracts and surgery to control my glaucoma so I am in less pain. I am grateful for the teachers who treat me as a regular student and choose to challenge my mind instead of denote it. I am grateful for the friends who do treat me as an equal. Most importantly, I am grateful for my family, who have always encouraged me to sight my eyes on the biggest of dreams, even if they aren't so clear yet.
6. Upset
Being blind can be very frustrating and aggravating at times. You can't see everything that everyone else seems to see. You feel alone at times because no one else truly knows what you see except yourself. You can't drive, and you are always going to need some sort of help one way or another. However, being blind has shown me the world through a different lens. It's made me appreciate the little things like sight, something that not everyone realizes is a gift. I am not upset that I am blind. It has taught me to look at things a bit differently. It has also made my other four of my senses incredibly strong, which I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing yet. Nonetheless, being blind is a journey filled with many unknowns and worries, but I am very grateful to be on the path that I am. Being blind doesn't have to be an upsetting feature of yourself. You can embrace it and learn from it, and teach others about it too.
