[blparent] Teaching society about blindness

[Eileen Levin]

" When I run into females, even blind parents, I often break the ice with
what I call a "conversation starter."  For people I meet, I tell them about
my blindness after I introduce myself.  "

Dear Eric,
First, I have no idea why you single out females for this approach. From a
female perspective,  that's a bit weird!

Second, being passionate about something can be very constructive. It also
indicates a certain amount of need to deal with the subject one is
passionate about. I'll be the first to admit that I am still dealing with my
blindness. However, when I meet people I want them to understand that my
life is not consumed by blindness. I'm blind. Blindness has forced me to
adjust and change so that I can provide for my family and parent my
children. However, when I'm talking with other parents I want to talk about
our kids, current events, normal stuff that the average person likes to chat
about. If blindness happens to make it's way into the conversation I'm OK
with explaining how I cope with this or that. People who confide in me say
that I don't seem blind, which is silly since my eyes look damaged and I
very much need a dog or cane to stay safe!  One thing I have noticed over
the years is that the folks most likely to talk to me already have someone
in the family with some kind of issue beyond the scope of "normal". It's not
the first thing they talk about. I usually discover the fact aftger knowing
them for quite some time.  Sometimes they want to know why their loved one
doesn't come across as capable as I do. I do my best to find out the facts.
Generally the loved  one is newly blinded or having medical problems that
consume all of their energy leaving very little space for adapting to
blindness.   I also let them know that I had years of mobility and other
adaptvie techniques training which really helps.


Have fun educating the world about blindness. I would also encourage you to
try a conversation that is blindness free. The results may surprise you.
Have a great day,
Eileen