[stylist] To ponder- to take to another level

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Lynda,

I have a similar situation that happened yesterday at a hair salon. I
went to my hair dresser, and the salon was pretty crowded. Before going
to her chair, I went to the back of the salon to se the restroom. As I
traveled back, the entire room went silent, as though I had no clue what
was happening. I turned to one group and gave a little wave, and my
stylist, who I have known for years, said they waved back, but
everyone's expressions were as though they had no clue as what to do or
think.

I lost my sight at 22 after having been totally sighted. For all intense
and purposes, I'm totally blind- just light perception. At the time, I
was a vocal performance major and theatre minor at university. I have
danced since I was able to walk, and I enjoy things like fashion,
decorating and make-up.

When I lost my vision, I didn't lose my interest or my personality. My
closest friends assumed I was no longer interested in many of my
favorite interests and hobbies. They didn't think I would enjoy movies
or the theatre or shopping. Many stopped calling because they thought we
would no longer have anything in common.

Well... I have never stopped being interested in these things, nor have
I stopped pursuing them. As you said, I have had to adapt to doing
things with different tools and methods at times, but I still find ways
in which to enjoy my interests and hobbies.

Like you, having been sighted first, I dream as a sighted person. Even
when I'm suppose to be blind in a dream, I still "see" my dreams and
even "act" sighted despite that I'm suppose to be blind in the dream.

I have always had a vivid imagination and visualize everything and
anything. I still have visual memories even when I didn't actually see
things. I was blind when I married my husband, yet I have a head full of
visual memories of the day as though I could see, and oddly enough, a
lot of my memories are more accurate than not. I'm not implying I have
some sixth sense or spidey senses, but my ability to collect information
nonvisually and visualize it in my mind, is apparently acting on some
level allowing me to more accurately depict something in my mind. This
happens when I watch films or TV even when not described; I'll have a
recollection of a scene even though I don't actually see what I'm
watching, and when I discuss a visual medium with people, they will be
surprised with my depiction of it.

I still go into situations able to visualize what I want and how things
should look. During a theatre project I was involved in my second round
of university, I had to direct a scene. I knew exactly how I wanted the
set, how the actors should move, what the lighting should look like,
etc. When I have special events, I often know what type of out-fit I'm
looking for and how I want my hair and make-up to look. Since having
Declan, I don't wear much make-up, but since losing my sight, I never
stopped using make-up or applying it myself.

During my PR internship, I was very active with the design team when
creating logos and graphics and other visual elements. Yes I may need to
rely on someone else's description, but I can still participate and
provide an opinion, and that's what I did.

There's a lot of other examples I could give, but you get my point. I'm
not saying it's always a breeze, or that sight wouldn't be more
convenient at times, but society so often assumes that disabled people,
particularly blind people, are so different from the rest of the world.
We couldn't simply enjoy things like sighted people do. That it's
amazing we do anything at all. Having grown accustomed to one way of
life, it's been an adjustment for me as a blind person. Not because I
had to learn new ways of doing things, but because I'm the same person
but get treated differently now. The NFB has the saying that the most
difficult part of blindness isn't blindness itself but how other people
view blindness, well, I completely identify with this assessment.

So I say all this to demonstrate what I mean when I say I'm still a
visual person. Visual, to an extent, is a relative term as it turns out.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter, editor, Slate & Style
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can
satisfy, we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for
another world."
C. S. Lewis

Message: 4
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2013 10:02:02 -0500
From: "Lynda Lambert" <llambert at zoominternet.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] To ponder- taken to another level
Message-ID: <77BCAED57F464074A96F5DF86B7F100D at Lambert>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

Yes, Bridgit, I had just responded to this topic before I read your note

here. I spoke of my husband's inability to spell - which he would not 
appreciate me talking about, I am sure. We will be  married 52 years in 
April,; I guess he would not be surprised that I said this about him.

Yes, I also have retained my visual way of doing things but have had to 
adapt to make it work because I have to do most things non-visually
these 
days. I am on the Krafters-Korner NFB list and have received many good
tops 
there to help me re-learn how to do things I used to do. That group has
been 
wonderful in helping each other through challenges we have in doing
things 
non-visually.

I have never been blind in my dreams - and I dream constantly. I am
never 
blind in my own consciousness unless I am faced with an uncomfortable or

frightening situation and then I find that I become very blind at times.

Mostly that happens when I am out and come upon someone who knows me
well, 
and they do not know that I can tell they are there - and they choose to
be 
silent and not even acknowlege I am there. This happened yesterday at
the 
beauty shop.  I was aware that a woman came into the shop as she passed
by 
me. I had a feeling I might know her because my hairdresser called her 
"Peg." That is an unusual name, and I have only known about two Pegs or 
Peggy's in my life. So I was alert, wondering if this was one that I
know. 
Shortly, she was seated in the waiting area and I came in there to get
my 
purse to pay for my services. I was only 3 feet from her, and she was
facing 
me. I see shadows, but no details, so I could tell the person was
looking 
directly at me. Absolute quiet! Not a hint that she knew me.  As I had
been 
listening to her for awhile, I recognized her voice as she spoke with 
others. It was definitely a lady from my knitting group who has known me
for 
a couple of years. I have sat with her in small groups of knitters at 
different homes. I have been in her home on several occasions. Yet, when
she 
ran into me at the hair dressers, she chose to be quiet and wait it out
- 
not in any way indicating we knew each other. My husband arrived, and as
we 
drove home I told him what has just happened to me. This is the kind of 
thing I mean, when I say at times I feel very blind. This is the kind of

encounter only a blind person would have - because she has no idea I can

tell who she is, so she chose to ignore me.

My daughters and grand daughters often tell me how people will stare at
me 
because they see me walking with a long white cane. It amazes them how a

perfect stranger will stand beside me in line at a restaurant and
actually 
turn around and be looking directly at me because they think I cannot
see 
them. But, I can tell they are doing it. It is times like this when I 
"accidently" hit them with my cane as I walk by.


Lynda