[stylist] To ponder- exercise and representing blindness

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

This makes me recall an interesting situation.

A few years ago I spoke at the Nebraska Medical Center to a group of
medical staff working with diabetics including doctors. I have been a
type 1 diabetic since I was four, and I have had to manage my diabetes
both as a sighted person and blind person, so I was addressing the topic
from both perspectives.

Now, exercise and physical activity have always been important to me.
Since childhood, I've been a very active person. I don't exactly look
out of shape, and to go along with this, my diabetes is well managed.
After I lost my sight, I didn't lose a beat when it came to exercising.

One doctor asked how I adjusted to not being able to work-out since
being blind. He had participated in a study that, one, demonstrated the
advantages exercise had on diabetics who worked-out and those who did
not, and two, displayed that diabetics with visual impairments were in
the group of non-active people because blindness rendered them unable,
or at least made it difficult, to be active.

It was one of those moments where I was like, "You're a doctor, right?"
in my head. I told him that I never stopped working-out or being active,
and I know several other blind people, diabetic and otherwise, who are
very active.

He then amended his response by stating that he meant visually impaired
people won't be able to navigate a gym or do much out-doors. To which I
replied that first of all, a gym is not necessary to have access too for
exercising purposes, nor do you need to work-out out-of-doors, but
having said all that, that plenty of blind people, myself included, go
to the gym and find activities to enjoy out in nature. My husband and I
use a walking trail near our house almost every day during nice weather,
and we aint taken leisurely strolls down it, grin.

It's just funny how silly people can get about these things. And I like
what you say about not representing a whole group of people. I am just
me, and I just want to live my life not always feeling like I have to
represent an entire group of people. Some will say that as an
independent, capable blind person, it's our job, whether we want it or
not, to be an example, to represent the entire blind population, but
this is a heavy mantle to wear. It's like asking any other person of a
minority to be more than an individual; to become the embodiment of a
whole group. The thing is, no single person is alike. I mean, I get this
will happen regardless, people will assign roles to us no matter what,
and yes, someone needs to voice progressive, positive examples for
various groups, but damn, we have to live our lives and just be human. I
want to be a mommy because I love, love, love my kids, not because I
need to demonstrate that blind people can be parents. I want to pursue
higher education because I love to learn, and I want to further my
knowledge, not because I have to display that blind people are just as
capable. I want to be out in my community enjoying events and activities
like the theatre, concerts, sports, shopping, playgrounds, because I
have a sincere enjoyment of such activities and not because as a blind
person I must force myself to attend community events so society can see
that blind people are normal. It's just exhausting, and I have a life to
live beyond this single element of my being.

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: 13
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:58:47 -0500
From: "Lynda Lambert" <llambert at zoominternet.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] To ponder- to take to another level
Message-ID: <9778408A73F7477DABF1B81E8CB84C96 at Lambert>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

this whole thing is very interesting.
I know for most of the people I am around, I am the only blind person
they 
have ever encountered. I really don't feel like I need to "represent" 
anyone, nor do I want to. I am still the same "self" that I have always 
been, and I think that is hard to grasp because I am sure they all look
at 
this change as being devestating. They seem surprised when I do normal 
things.

When my husband and I did the one mile "walk to break the silence" for 
ovarian cancer last fall, we walked behind my sister and my
daughter-in-law 
who were engaged in cheery conversation together.  When we reached the
end 
of the course, they turned around and saw us behind them - and expressed

amazement that we were "there"   as if I was not capable of walking
along on 
the course. I am very "fit" and workout at the gym nearly every day, as
I 
have done most of my life - so why should that be any different now, to
the 
point where anyone would think it surprising I would be walking as any
other 
normal person walks. Frankly, things like this really scald me, and 
particularly when it is my family members, as they know very well that I

walk several miles a day on my cardio days, and work out at the gym for
over 
an hour on other days. But, there in public with tons of people around
us, 
they show surprise that I can walk at all.  I am laughing as I write
this - 
it is so silly.


Lynda