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<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'><o:p>I
got this from a friend and am passing it along to promote understanding between
the totally and partially blind.</o:p></DIV>
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<H1 style="BACKGROUND: white">5 Things I Wish People Understood About Being
Legally Blind<o:p></o:p></H1>
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</SPAN></A></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
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<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>When you encounter
me going about my daily life, you probably notice two things right a way. I’m
either traveling with the help of a canine or using a long white cane — and I
can see.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>I don’t fit most
people’s image of a blind person. I look at things.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>There are numerous
terms to describe those of us who live between the worlds of the fully sighted
and totally blind: low vision, visually impaired, legally blind and partially
sighted.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>Some who are
partially sighted identify with the blind community. Others do not. Like our
amount of residual sight, most of us are somewhere in between. We live in a gray
area. It’s a confusing, ever-changing place where people can see some things,
but not others. While what each of us can see can vary, we all have some things
we’d like you to know:</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>1. <A
title="View more Blindness stories"
href="https://themighty.com/category/general/blindness/" target=_blank><SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: none; COLOR: #20bd98">Blindness</SPAN></A> doesn’t
always mean total darkness.</SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>Only about <A
href="http://www.visionaware.org/info/your-eye-condition/eye-health/low-vision/low-vision-terms-and-descriptions/1235"
target=_blank>15 percent of people who have a blindness diagnosis have no light
perception</A>, according to VisionAware. Most of us see something even if it’s
just being able to tell the difference between light and dark. There are two
types of impaired vision: acuity (how clear things are) and field of vision (how
much of an environment you see at once without moving your eyes or head).
Individuals can be legally blind based on either or both of these factors.
</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>For most of my years
growing up, I was legally blind due to severely restricted fields. Technically,
my field of vision is less than 2 degrees. That’s roughly the size of a
pinprick. If I could find it, I could see it. That meant I could read street
signs, but I’d probably fall down a curb. </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>Now my acuity has
also fallen into the legally blind territory. Because of my severely restricted
field of vision, it’s difficult to even obtain an acuity reading. When I look at
the big “E” on an eye doctor’s chart, I don’t see the whole letter at the same
time. On a good day, I can put the puzzle together and see that it’s actually an
“E.” On a bad day, I can see there’s something there, but I couldn’t tell you if
it was a letter or lamppost. Most of the time, we settle and say my acuity is
worse than 20/200 and call it a day. </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arimo; COLOR: #444444"><IMG id=Picture_x0020_2 border=0
alt="Natasha in a park outdoors near water"
src="cid:EA23B8A7EE174D248C9FA992D63A6116@nancyPC" width=750
height=500></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arimo; COLOR: #444444">Natasha in a
park outdoors near water <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>2. There is no easy
answer to the question, “So what can you see?”</SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>Some people who are
legally blind have experienced full sight. Then others, like me, have no concept
of what it’s like to have “normal” vision. The answer to the question, “What can
you see?” is a complicated one. Some people see colors or shadows. Others may
see parts of things and spend their life figuratively putting together the
pieces of a puzzle. Some people may be able to see a tiny speck of paper on the
floor but will run into a chair that wasn’t pushed in. </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>For many people with
reduced acuity, their sight may be dependent on both internal and external
factors. The lighting in a room, the weather outside and how tired they are can
all affect how well someone can see. I often joke that whether I can see
something depends on the alignment of the sun, moon and stars and whether
Mercury is in retrograde. Never knowing if I will be able to see something today
that I could see yesterday is confusing for me and those around me. I’d rather
you err on the side of me not seeing something. That way we can both be
pleasantly surprised if I can.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>3. We learn to use
our residual sight.</SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>I happen to be
rather partial to the fact that I can see some things. I like to look at things.
When I was learning to use a long white cane as a mobility aid, one of the
things my instructor taught me was to let the cane do the work and let my sight
compliment what I was feeling with my cane. She taught me to use my cane to
locate objects and my vision to see them. Now that I primarily travel with a
guide dog, I let my dog keep me moving in a straight line while I use my eyes to
find the landmark I need to tell my dog where to go. The same thing applies
indoors. I let my dog take me around people and displays to help me find the
general location of items I purchase frequently. Then I use my residual sight to
find the exact item I need. It’s a win-win.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arimo; COLOR: #444444"><IMG id=Picture_x0020_1 border=0
alt="Natasha's guide dog." src="cid:A7FC3FB8BE78423FAC8DB66F8398EA5B@nancyPC"
width=600 height=600></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: arimo; COLOR: #444444">Natasha’s guide dog.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>4. We benefit from
accurate verbal directions and descriptions.</SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>Yes, I can see
something, but I don’t see more than I can actually see. Phrases like “over
there” mean nothing to me other than it’s “not where I’m standing right now.” I
may need your help even, or perhaps especially, when I’m traveling with the help
of my guide dog. I might even get lost in a familiar area. </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>If I ask for
directions or help locating something, please use words to describe where things
are in relation to where I am and how I am oriented. Phrases like “behind you
and to your right” tell me much more than “back there.” Likewise, telling me the
store I’m looking for is still another block down, across the street and just
past the train tracks provides me with excellent landmarks to help find my way.
Just use clear adjectives and directional phrases, and I’ll be on my
way.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>5. We’re not
faking.</SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>Please don’t accuse
someone who is partially sighted of faking their blindness. We aren’t a social
experiment. The last thing we want is extra special attention. We are men and
women, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons who have a condition where we
live in the gray area of the world. We work hard with what we have. We get
frustrated. We rejoice. We compensate and compromise. A medical professional has
run tests. Maybe glasses or contacts help. Maybe they don’t. Maybe we use a long
white cane just in unfamiliar areas and travel without a mobility aide in areas
we know well. I regularly travel to my mailbox without the aid of dog or cane. I
know the route well.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>So when someone asks
me, “Are you really blind?” I take a deep breath before I reply. I spend my life
figuratively putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle to get some visual
semblance of my world. Have you ever tried to put together a jigsaw puzzle
without having a picture of what you were putting together? That’s what every
day is like for me, except I don’t even know if I have all the
pieces.</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN class=s1><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Helvetica",sans-serif; COLOR: #444444'>The next time you
encounter someone who is partially sighted and curiosity is getting the better
of you, remember that blindness is a spectrum and an individual experience. If
you ask about a person’s visual impairment, and I encourage you to, be open to
an out-of-the-box answer because the person you asked is stepping outside of
their box for your benefit.</SPAN></SPAN></P>
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