For the newly blinded worker

I often wonder what it is like for the person who becomes the newly blinded worker.  That is, for the one who loses their sight while on the job.  I cannot imagine what it is like except to share some experiences with you in the second hand way; from a friend of mine who lost his vision while on the job.

 

He told me that when it did happen, it was devastating.  His sight did not go gradually, he lost it all in a matter of just a few months and he did not even have time to prepare himself let alone prepare his wife and kids.  His world changed overnight!  He had to learn almost everything from scratch!  He had to learn how to cope in the workplace as well as at home with no vision.

 

At work, he had to be taught and taught himself how to operate without sight; in total darkness.  He had to learn his way around the workplace; in the cafeteria, in the bathroom, and to and from the bus stop because he could no longer drive.  He had to learn how to interact with his coworkers in a new way; without being able to see them face to face so to speak.  He now had to depend on voices, sounds, and smells in a big new way.

 

My friend told me that it was sheer horror at times but with the support of his wife and kids he managed to survive and can look back on these experiences as learning ones.  There are agencies out there that provide services to persons who lost their sight during the course of their lives and here are a few places that you can go to in order to learn more. 

www.afb.org, www.nfb.org, and www.acb.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others that yes!  There is definitely life for someone if they lose their sight while on the job.