[Pibe-division] The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"

[Brandy W]

I understand this for sure! I was given very inconsistent training till 
about the 6th grade. One school would give me large print the other Braille. 
Luckily my mom was OK with me learning print, but insisted Braille remain 
available to me. It wasn't till the 6th grade and some amazing teachers did 
I learn to read and enjoy it, to use a cane because it was quicker and 
safer. I'll be forever thankful as because of these skills I can go anywhere 
in the world I want independently politely refuse help when I don't want it 
and more. If one has good skills they may benefit from orientation to an 
area, but they have the mobility skills to do it if they need to. I use 
navagon on my Iphone, and although I'm in a completely new city I can take 
walks to look at houses, check out the stores and library and more. I also 
run my daycare, and several of my moms didn't realize just how blind I am 
till weeks into me caring for their child. This usually happens because they 
hand me something I don't see, or I can't see a picture they want to show 
me. It is OK to be blind as we really can do and go anything and any where 
we want.

I only wish I had the technology training kids get today. Instead I learn as 
I go use the help keys, read blogs and more, but because of my skills I can 
do this with out special training.

Bran



"When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping 
them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's the things 
we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in 
our lives."
- Fred Rogers

Brandy Wojcik
Discovery Toys Educational Consultant and Team Leader
www.playtoachieve.com
(512) 689-5045

Looking for team members nation wide!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marianne Denning" <MDenning at finneytown.org>
To: "Professionals in Blindness Education Division List" 
<pibe-division at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 7:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"


>I totally agree and that is what I work on.  We are a very small group of 
>people so it seems to be a daunting task but we all need to keep working at 
>it.
> Marianne Denning
> Intervention Specialist, Visually Impaired
> Finneytown Secondary Campus
> mdenning at finneytown.org
> 513-931-0712
> ________________________________________
> From: pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org [pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On Behalf Of Dr. Denise M. Robinson [dmehlenbacher at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2011 5:19 PM
> To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List
> Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"
>
> Marianne
> To add to your strand....I hear people say, "Wow, she can play piano" Wow, 
> look at her walking down the street by herself"
> We need to change people from saying that. It is only blind....all the 
> capabilities are there.
>
>       Denise
>
> Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
> Teacher of the Blind & Visually Impaired
> TechVision-Independent Contractor
> Specialist in blind programming/teaching/training
> 509-674-1853     deniserob at gmail.com<mailto:deniserob at gmail.com>
>
> http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Marianne Denning <MDenning at finneytown.org>
> To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List 
> <pibe-division at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2011 2:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"
>
> I have heard Jody's story also.
>
> I have felt like I needed to be the "perfect" blind person.  Anything a 
> sighted person could do I could do better.  I also received a lot of 
> praise for my "exceptional" abilities.  People meant well but the message 
> I received was that if I failed at anything it was because I am blind.  It 
> took many years to accept who I am with flaws, imperfections, likes and 
> dislikes.  I am very happy now and can laugh at many things that happen to 
> me but that took many years.
> Marianne Denning
> Intervention Specialist, Visually Impaired
> Finneytown Secondary Campus
> mdenning at finneytown.org<mailto:mdenning at finneytown.org>
> 513-931-0712
> ________________________________________
> From: 
> pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org> 
> [pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org>] 
> On Behalf Of Dr. Denise M. Robinson 
> [dmehlenbacher at yahoo.com<mailto:dmehlenbacher at yahoo.com>]
> Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:54 PM
> To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List; teacher of 
> tomorrow
> Subject: [Pibe-division] The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"
>
> The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"
> Many of my low vision students could tell the next story, but Jody W. 
> Ianuzzi has shared her personal experience with me that fits so many. She 
> has gone through the experience "passing as sighted, of not using a cane 
> and not learning blind skills" and how it almost killed her and her 4 year 
> old son from not seeing a car. She has come out the other end to 
> confidently travel and do anything she needs with blind skills. She now 
> has a son 36 years old and a 26 year old daughter, who can attest to her 
> "trying to pass as sighed."
>
> Trying to pass as sighted takes a "tremendous emotional toll" on a person, 
> as Jody explains, "They feel they have a horrible secret to hide and if it 
> is found out they feel like they are a failure. They feel they must pick 
> between being an incompetent blind person or a competent sighted person. 
> They don't realize they can be a competent blind person with skills to 
> succeed. So much effort goes in to 'passing skills' they miss out on 
> learning the blindness skills they really need to succeed. Then when they 
> can't succeed as sighted, they hate themselves and they feel like a 
> failure.
>
> I got past all this myself but it took years. I look back and I am angry 
> at my parents and teachers for not teaching me what I needed to learn and 
> for expecting me to be something I was not. On one hand, peope did not 
> label me as blind, and was allowed to do more because I was passing and 
> did not have that blind label follow me! Children labeled blind are often 
> restricted on what they can do because the ignorance of those over them 
> stops them. My self-esteem is intact now, but at what price. I know other 
> blind people who had the same experience growing up in the 60s and they 
> didn't do as well emotionally."
> -- Thank you Jody for this except
>
>      Denise
>
> Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
> Teacher of the Blind & Visually Impaired
> TechVision-Independent Contractor
> Specialist in blind programming/teaching/training
> 509-674-1853 
> deniserob at gmail.com<mailto:deniserob at gmail.com><mailto:deniserob at gmail.com<mailto:deniserob at gmail.com>>
>
> http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/
>
>
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