Everyone needs help and mentors. I was thinking last night do some blind people believe that we have "overcome" disability? I don't think "We shall overcome" that wonderful Civil Rights hymn meant that. Overcoming means overcoming discrimination. We should not mow down other blind people, and prop them up for political gain. I mean, I do believe that things that certain people do is impressive, but we have to level the playing field and realize that there are many unrecognized, unsung heroes as well, and it gets tiring to see one or two people be hoisted up. I believe this speaker was impressive and was a good speaker, and had some good things to say, but some of them disturbed and troubled me. The thing about lessening disability I think this is a misstatement. Truly, what it's about is having confidence and using the disability as an example to help other people, not using your ego to be as powerful as you can be over others, andlord it over others. That is a sad reflection. I know he mentioned that he got to where he is through many others, and none of us can get anywhere by ourselves.
Let's see disabled people as unique, resourceful, giving, sharing, caring, and useful, andnot just think of a couple of people who "make it." Koraling Lynne
1 comment:
Hello Lynne, I've read a few entries and picked this one to respond to since I was at that same event. I took the remark "the bigger my life gets, the smaller my disability gets" as a statement about overcoming - not one's disability, but one's barriers. In the years since his injury, he has worked hard to get the skills and tools to participate in life, family, school, work, play, etc. The more complex and involved his life has become, the smaller part of the whole is his blindness. I took it that way because that is how I feel about my visual impairment. For me, because it has been a continual adjustment to less vision, I have had periods where it seems like a bigger part of my life than I want it to be. Sure, everything we do has a componant of blindness, whether it is shopping, getting around, accessing information, but to me, the difference is, am I thinking about me, SueEllen, as a visually impaired person all the time, or am I thinking of SueEllen the kayaker, the reader, the singer, the cook, the wife, the sister, the friend, etc. I think it is more about balance rather than denial. Maybe my perspective is influenced by having grown up never knowing other people with visual impairments. Regarding blogging, I don't know, I'm not sold yet. I do journal. Writing is very therapeutic for me, but I don't know if I would want the world to see my journal! You have a lot of interesting thoughts here, and you are certainly a deep thinker! Happy blogging!
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