Friday, May 11, 2012
Behind The White Cane
Why do you feel the need to categorize me?
Placing me in a group filled with stereotypes and misconceptions,
slowly, but surely, erases my individuality.
I’m a person, who happens to be blind,
but that does not mean I have the inability to see;
for I see with my heart,
so please, have some empathy.
When you talk about people, who are blind,
you say that they’re unapproachable,
or could it be that your perception may not be plausible?
If you viewed me as my friends do,
you’d realize I’m a separate entity.
Selfless, caring, gifted, determined;
my friends describe me to be.
On the contrary of unapproachable,
with sheer honesty,
one friend described me to be personable.
Take the time to listen;
I’m not asking for sympathy,
but instead, a chance to be accepted for being me.
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Yes, well said. Thank you :).
ReplyDeleteNote to Society:
ReplyDeleteBlindness will never define me. It may of before I accepted my new characteristic; however, I am who I was before blindness tried to determine who I would become and it was blindness that opened my eyes to seeing differently. I can hear the rolling of eyes through a sigh. I can feel the excitement through your energy. I can sense your sadness through your silence and broken words. I don’t miss much; all the sounds and feelings existed before I couldn’t see them. I just tuned in more and found them waiting for me to see them…differently.
I am so receptive to the limited expectations cast upon me as if I wore a modern day scarlet letter defining me to society, condemning me to your own naive perspective of who I am. If you could pull my skin over yourself and walk a day in my life you too would begin to see differently.
And today, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, my heart is beating and most of all, I realize…I am.
You are not alone Beautifully Blind. Thanks for sharing.
Jeff Thompson @BlindAbilities
Thanks for being candid with your thoughts Jeff! Your efforts with BlindAbilities is a sure way to limit the misconceptions about blind individuals that exist within our society.
ReplyDeleteRobin beautifully written post. I am so glad that I have found your blog. If we all stand up together and bust down the stereotypes that chain us we can truely make a difference. Thank you so much for sharing your words and your heart with the world.
ReplyDeleteThis post say exactly what I think, its who I am. Thanks for sharing. Being blind is just a circumstance, this view other people have when aproaching a blind person. They're the ones who don't see.
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ReplyDeleteThere are those that accept you, those who place limits on you, & those that test you. I have seen those all too often with my husband who lost most of his vision in 2009 at the age of 28. When traveling with his cane or with his Leader Dog, Austin, we have found people will test his or Austin's mobility skills; be it out of curiosity or a mean spirit. It takes time to become accustom to the stares, gawks, and the fact that just because you are blind people also assume you are likewise deaf, and proceed to talk about you while practically standing next to you. We quickly found out who our real friend and family were. Or real friends/family know, understand and laugh with us as we learned how to manage and cope with the new challenges of life, while others quickly retreated in their discomfort. We do our best to obstain from rolling our eyes as others marval at our strength and ability to maintain our relationship; while they nievely think their words a compliment and not the slap in the face it really is. We simply choose to laugh and be thankful for the blessings God has given us and we realize those are many. We jeer at the irony that a Sign Language Interpreter (me) would be married to someone who goes blind. People say it's life's major events that define you - little do they realize it's the reality in the moments between that show you who you really are.
ReplyDeleteLynn, you have a wonder voice and it sounds as though... a story to tell. I run a blog called Playing The Blind Card and was wondering if you would be willing to do a guest post for it? You have a great prospective because while it's second hand it's still up close and personal. Please check out my blog and let me know what you think. :)
ReplyDeletelol I meant to say wonderful voice
ReplyDeleteLynn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for being candid, and sharing your story with us! You offer some great insight, to which many people can relate too.