Mom and I - We Make a Team

As a blind person, it is vitally important for me to be able to have someone who can be my eyes and mine is my mom.  For as long as I can remember, she has been my eyes; using her natural ability to help me cope.  She has found ways to help me identify things.  She has developed strategies to help me navigate my kitchen, and she naturally knows how to assist me whenever we go shopping.

 

In the general scheme of things, many persons need to be taught or given certain hints and lessons when it comes to helping a blind person; but not my mom.  One can easily say that she should know or that she ought to know but this is not always true.  It should not be assumed that because you have a family member who is blind that you should know what to do.  Not at all.

 

It often seems to me that whenever I am in need of an arm to guide me, she is there.  Whenever I am looking for a lost object, she naturally knows how to help me find it.  Now that I am unable to match my clothes for myself, she continues to help me find ways to organize my closet.  In case you are wondering, mom does not live with me.  She visits and when she does it is always a pleasure for me to have her on my team.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with others.  To learn more about how the sighted world can be better able to assist blind persons, visit www.acb.org.

 

Can Blind Persons Attend Functions?

`Whenever someone asks me this question my immediate response is "and why not?"  This is a frequently asked question and you know what?  I always try to be polite in my responses.  There is still much for the sighted world to learn and discover when it comes to how blind persons live, work, and socialize.  We can definitely attend functions but there are slight differences in the way we interact with others at functions.

 

Because we are unable to see others, we need to use our ears to help us identify others at functions.  We need to depend on sighted assistance to help us navigate our way around at functions.  We need to depend on others to help us meet others.  We need others to help us navigate buffet tables, find our seats, and find our places at tables.  We need others to help us with visual cues.

 

This is the picture for a blind person when attending functions.  It may sound cumbersome to a sighted person but not really.  Once you get the hang of things then it's not too bad  It can be a lot of fun.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help educate the rest of the world as to how blind persons navigate their way when attending functions.  Visit www.acb.org to learn more.