Living For Vision Loss
As a visually impaired person (blind with left eye, 20/400 remaining, right eye), resources and skills to maneuver around independently were lacking. I used to just not try and put borders around me that I can’t do the “normal things.” I’m a confident person but when it comes to conversation about my vision and what my limitations are, I would always just try to avoid it or just give simple answers. I was simply embarrassed of being different and not fitting in. A lot of times I would just lie that I can see things, since no one else could understand my vision. It’s hard explaining to someone that I can’t see very well but I’m not completely blind. There’s a lot of different things that plays a role into vision like: lighting, depth, glare, color, contrast and others. It’s not just I can see this and that. I’ve learned that this world only understand either you’re completely blind or you’re not, the ones in between like me is something different. I’ve had help from vision teachers as a kid but as a stubborn little one, I would just ignore everything and was not willing to accept that I couldn’t do what everyone else can do. Now, being much more older and more mature (ha, me mature?), I’ am realizing that help is actually a good thing and it’s not really taking anything away from me as a visual-impaired person. And, I also realized that I really needed help to just be more independent. The Lighthouse for the Blind was something I’ve known, but have always neglected because I just never thought it was something for me; I didn’t really knew how it would help me. With persuasions from family members, I finally joined the department of rehab, and eventually lead me to the Lighthouse for the Blind.
In the Lighthouse, my first lesson was mobility. In mobility, helpful techniques such as crossing the road safer was practiced and the proper cane skills were introduced. With new skills in the streets, I can now honestly say that I feel more comfortable traveling and exploring different areas. That cane sure is magical. Opening a new door lead me to more doors to be opened. My mobility teacher gave me more info of the Lighthouse and he also recommended me to join the Learning for Vision Loss class (LVL).
Not really knowing what I got myself into, I showed up with an open-mind at LVL class and basically became a sponge to something I wasn’t really comfortable in talking about. I was shocked that there were simple everyday skills that can make things easier for me. Labeling, lighting, and other techniques were taught. Different items such as the compact (not the make-up) and talking devices were introduced. I really like the compact the most, I feel like it can help with restaurant menus and reading contents of packaging. I guess I can say I see the world a little bit more clearly now with the new tools and techniques that I’ve learned. I know it’s not fair but sometimes I need to put more effort on planning ahead and solving problems just to get me ready. The resources that were taught can help like transportation scheduling and what my rights are as a disabled person in public. With all these new technology that was shown, practice is a must for all, because it takes time getting used to it in our own individual ways. I also learned a little something about myself. All this time I’ve been creating systems that work for me to get what I needed to do to get it done. As one of the key advice I learned is to create your own system, my knowledge was enhanced to use a system for other scenarios and it has made things easier.
One of my favorite segments of the class was when a guess speaker who has similar conditions as us share their experiences and their stories. It’s inspiring to hear their successful stories and how they fought obstacles during hard times. It was also nice hearing the tools that work for them because it’s something I can use now and in the future. That was so great about the class, a lot of devices were shown but each individual had their favorite tool.
The most memorable about taking this class and something I will always cherish forever is the relationship I built with my classmates and instructors. Being the youngest one in class, I thought it would be hard talking and realting to all of them. I actually enjoyed being the “baby” of the class because everyone gave me some sort of wisdom that I will never forget. The age teasing was also fun for me. I will truly miss the camaraderie that we had and the simple good times that was shared. It was so refreshing relating to similar experiences with everyone. I felt like there were less explaining just because everyone knew how tough it is being visually impaired and living in a sightseeing world.
Going through the LVL class has gradually helped me to be more aware of my conditions. I now understand that everyone needs help in someway and that is not a bad thing at all. I’ve also become more vocal toward my family and friends about my vision and have opened up on asking for help from them when needed. My confidence of using tools/devices out in public is a work in progress but it has steadily improved. The class opened my eye (singular since I only have one eye) to the blind community for support cause before I didn’t want to have any part of it. My creative juice gave birth to my weekly Doodle Tuesday, where I would sketch something and post it online in my blog. Thanks to Richard for inspiring me to sketch something during my time in the Lighthouse, this will continue every Tuesday from now on.
Thank You Teachers and Classmates for the great opportunity that I can always look back and say it’s one of the pages in my life that would be highlighted because it has helped me accept and be more appreciative of what I have. Wow! This seems a little emotional, like a graduation speech or something. I can just hear the grad song. I’m so ready for the certificate for being blind. Kidding!
URBSTERS
P.S. I also have the portraits of my instructors and classmates in my next blog. I’ll probably have it posted by Friday or this weekend.
Here’s Richard with all of my doodle/sketches, the one who inspired me to do Doodle Tuesday. 
