The Doctors' Hang-Ups

Now, I would like to start this blog entry by tempering my statement so that I am not misconstrued. Like everything else, there are good doctors and there are not-so-good doctors. There are friendly doctors and there are not-so-friendly doctors. However, there is one disconcerting thing that I have found, in general, even with the good doctors: They definitely have hang-ups when it comes to their blind and visually-impaired patients.

There are very few doctors that I have met in my life who truly believe that I work for a living, that I look after myself, that I attended university and obtained a master's degree, that I am capable of thinking and speaking for myself, and that I can understand and make decisions for myself.

My opinion is shared by many other blind and visually-impaired persons. So often, whether they are aware of it or not, doctors on the whole seem to give us an impression that they do not really consider us to be level-headed human beings. In fact, we often feel that we are being treated as sub-par individuals.

I have met doctors who were quite surprised when they learned that I work for a living. I have met others who practically fell out of their chairs when they learned that had I attended one of the best universities in the world and graduated with an MBA.

These hang-ups are very real and exist way beyond the doctor fraternity. Maybe it is time for us to impart some awareness to our doctors. If any doctor is reading this, yes, I am blind. But I also can think for myself, hear, do things on my own, and I work for a living. The only thing difference between me and a "mainstream" patient is that I am unable to see.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and enlisting your support to help doctors get rid of their hang-ups towards blind persons. To learn more about blind persons please visit www.nfb.org.