[nabs-l] Advice

[Alexander Castillo]

Hello, having found myself in a similar situation as many others,
having enough sight to get around, yet not being able to see well
enough to fully function as a sighted individual. Which ever way one
addresses   this concern, there will be two basic ways to handle it.
The first is by relying on others, to recognize your difference, or by
acknowledging that difference yourself.

I would recommend the laddder, as it will serve you  most of the time,
and you will be in control of  the situation.

During these meet and greets, in the past, I relied on my vision for
information on what was around me, and who. I would overhear
conversations, pick up hints here and there, ask around what table
this was or that one, but once I started to use a cane, people
actually sought me out, and when I did approach them, there were no
distractions, just typical meet and greet conversation. .

The cane made people aware of who I was and I did not have to present
myself as someone with a visual impairment, it was already
acknowledge. The rest, chatting up potential employers and  colleagues
was dependent on my personality and when necessary, resume, and not on
a need to identify myself, or make sure that others understood that I
was visually impaired, or partially sighted, or legally blind....

In short, as many others have stated, it is very possible that
identifying yourself with non -verbal means, that mean being a cane,
as it is most accepted and respected, will possibly be of great
bennifitt in these situations.

Alex Castillo