[humanser] Going Blind

[Marisol Carmona]

Hi Sarah,

I think you raise a valid point about finding a balance between combatting
myths about blindness and also demonstrating empathy toward those who truly
have a fear concerning loss of sight. In adding to these thoughts, I feel
that it's important to recognize that the experience of vision loss is
different for each individual. In this particular case, it's implied that
this gentleman lived 80 years as a sighted person. After this incredibly
long period of time, it is natural for him to feel scared of losing a
feature that helped him learn and communicate with his environment
throughout the course of his life.  That being said, rather than only
focusing on the negatives of blindness, the media should also include
information about available resources to those who lose vision and how with
proper rehabilitation, a blind individual can lead a fulfilling and "normal"
life.
The sad truth is that many people view vision loss as one of the worse
abilities to lose. I, personally, don't think it's our job to judge this
mentality, as much as it is to constructively present a realistic
perspective on living life as a blind individual.

Best,

Marisol 

Marisol Carmona 
MSW Candidate 
Simmons School of Social Work 
-----Original Message-----
From: HumanSer [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sarah Meyer
via HumanSer
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 5:52 PM
To: humanser at nfbnet.org
Cc: Sarah Meyer <sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [humanser] Going Blind

Hello JD,
Thanks for sharing this article. I agree that it is sad that so many people
fear blindness, and I believe that this extreme societal fear leads to known
and unknown bias, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.
At the same time, I wonder how we can best find balance between standing up
against these harmful messages of blindness while also having empathy and
validation for those who truly do feel fear and grief in losing eyesight.
I think it is especially important for us in the human services field to
wrestle with this question. I can see how our first reaction might be to
denounce these myths of blindness, but I think we must do so with a huge
amount of respect, empathy, and support to those who are wrestling with the
unknown and lack of adequate resources to adjust to blindness.

Thanks for giving me some good things to ponder!

Sarah

--
Sarah K. Meyer
Graduate Student, Clinical Mental Health Counseling/Social Psychology Ball
State University Board Member, National Federation of the Blind Human
Services Division sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
(317)402-6632

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life you
want; blindness is not what holds you back. Together with love, hope, and
determination, we transform dreams into reality.

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