Is Culture Blind?

This is indeed a very controversial topic but I'll do my best to explain.  In the normal scheme of things, much of society is often blind when it comes to recognizing that blind persons can and do live normal lives.  In North America and most of Europe including Britain, most of society is somewhat hazily aware of our existence and many mainstream persons do try to learn about who we are and how we function but sadly, the same cannot be honestly said for societies of the continents of Asia and Africa.

 

Over the years, I have seen some changes in the attitudes on the part of those societies of Asia and Africa but there is still very much to be done.  I have had many experiences with wonderful persons from Eastern countries who through no fault of their own have had difficulty understanding why blind persons need to be both seen and heard and as a result they have unwittingly been guilty of erecting artificial barriers. 

 

You see, in their countries, blind persons and disabled persons as a whole are often never seen or heard and why?  Because they are banished to homes and institutions; but this is beginning to change and blind persons in these countries are leading the way.  Here in North America there is much for us to do and this is so because of the multi cultural environment in which we live.

 

This is not going to change so we may as well get used to it and for me I find that the best way to help solve this problem is through education and awareness.  I am always willing to be a part of change and if you would like to contact me then by all means please do so by sending an email to donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and asking that you help me to bridge the cultural gap.

 

I Am Blind, but I Can Walk

Believe it or not, many people seem to think that blind persons are unable to walk. This leaves me speechless! This is especially so when it comes to travel time at the airport. At first these incidents used to make me very frustrated, but now I giggle to myself and every now and then will take the time to explain that, despite not being able to see, I can walk.

So many times whenever I go to the airport the attendants will ask me "Do you need a wheelchair?" When I say no, I can tell they are at a loss as to why I do not need one. I wonder if they think that because I am unable to see, then somehow my legs are also unable to move? What is really going through their minds at this point?

I guess that the only way to beat this is for me to do a wee bit of educating here. We may not be able to see, but the rest of our bodies are just fine. The legs are not connected to the eyes and the inability to see has nothing to do with our ability to walk. Blind persons are fully capable of walking and they use a cane to find their way around. Many can be seen using guide dogs to navigate their paths.

Blind people can walk to the supermarket, to the bank, to the pharmacy, and can even enjoy hikes and walks. Yes, they can certainly walk. So, the next time you meet a blind person, just remember that they may not be able to see where they're walking, but they can walk just fine. If you would like to learn more about how blind persons function in a sighted world and the types of devices that can help them to do so, then please visit http://www.independentlivingaids.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell the rest of the world that, yes!, blind persons can walk and do a lot more for themselves!

How Big Is My World?

In the normal scheme of things, my world should be as big as I want it to be, but in today's society it is very difficult for me to define the size of my world. You see, my world is not really in my hands. For the most part and sadly so, my world remains in the hands of society; there are days that I wish I could change this, but I can't.

One of my favorite quotations is by Robert F. Kennedy: "Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say why not?!" And this is the philosophy that I use every day of my life in order to define my world in my own way.

You may be wondering why I would say that my world is not in my hands but rather in the hands of society.

Society has, inadvertently, continued to erect countless barriers for me and others who are blind and visually impaired. They have erected daunting barriers for millions of persons with disabilities and have even gone the extra mile to do the same for seniors. In the case of persons with disabilities, and in particular persons who are blind and visually impaired, one of the most challenging barriers that I and my cofrères face is a barrier called Attitude.

This barrier is nothing new and has been around for a long time. If we do not take steps to bring it down, then I am afraid that we will find ourselves short changing tomorrow's generation of disabled kids, preventing them from experiencing a better future. In short, if we do not start to be pro-active in stead of re-active, we will be robbing our disabled kids of their rights to a future that ought to include them as contributing members of society.

All my life I have had to battle attitude barriers from society. As early as I can remember, my parents had to battle the system to allow me to obtain my formal education. Then, as a university student I had to endure constant remarks from those professors who made no effort to hide their discontent about having a blind student in their class. In the workplace I and others have had to deal with the narrow-mindedness of managers and co-workers alike who do not believe that blind and visually-impaired persons can be productive.

This is why I am so glad that I can now use the Internet as my workplace. Most of my clients are blissfully unaware that I am blind and, frankly, they would probably not care as long as I was able to perform to their satisfaction.

I am not content to sit back and wait for things to happen and this is why I have managed to expand my world much more than many others like me. I challenged an ice skating school to teach me to ice skate; I have learned to play chess; I have written two books; I have hang glided, sailed, and even driven around in a parking lot. No, I am not showing off! Just trying to motivate others to expand their world. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it, but one has to be realistic.

The attitude barrier needs to be addressed. To be charitable (which I am), I can say that 99.9% of the time, this barrier is erected by those who are limited by such things as: cultural beliefs, fear of the unknown, fear of interacting with those who are different, and an unwillingness to learn new things and meet new people.

Here are two websites that you can visit in order to learn more about the world of blind and visually-impaired persons: National Federation of the Blind (http://www.nfb.org) and American Foundation for the Blind (http://www.afb.org).

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and reminding you to go out there and help us to lower the attitude barrier. You will not only be helping us but you will also be helping to create a better future for others.