The Need For Assistance

Help seeking behavior is a natural part of life, and at one point in a person’s existence, he/she will need a lending hand. However, although a person may need assistance with a task, does not mean that they will ask for it. One possible reasoning behind this could be attributed to the fact that we live in an individualistic society, where asking for help can be hard for both sighted and blind/visually impaired people. As a part of our society, every man or woman for themselves has been ingrained into the mindsets of people. It is these mindsets that cause people to put pride before compassion. Since I have lost my eyesight, I have noticed that there is this underlying dictation on how blind/visually impaired individuals should act; particularly, when it comes to asking for help. Some people believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness and it gives way to society’s stereotypes about the disabled. On the contrary, as mentioned above, I believe asking for help is bound to happen, and there is nothing wrong with it. Whenever I find myself in a situation where I need assistance, I am not afraid to ask for it. I am an independent person, who at times does need help, along with a lot of other people. It would be remiss if I or anyone blind/visually impaired felt that assistance would not be needed at any given time. It would be callous if anyone believes that a blind/visually impaired person should wing it for themselves and not request assistance when needed and/or requested. Just because I am blind does not mean I have to be superwoman. In my opinion, sighted or blind/visually impaired, not asking for help when needed, can leave room for a person to put a lot of pressure on themselves. Look at politicians, doctors, nurses, judges, and policeman; they all need help by someone in one way or another. Just imagine, would you not want these people asking for help? In addition, Stevie Wonder, Scott Macintyre, and the late Ray Charles were not afraid to ask for help when being guided onto the stage. It is like Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”. Let’s change our attitude towards giving and receiving help because what may be viewed as being dependent to one person may be the opposite for another.