A Prejudice Against the Blind

I would like to take this time to talk just a little bit about blindness, or more specifically, the attitude that people as a whole in this town have about blindness and even disabilities in general. I have a condition that I was born with that causes me to be legally blind. I can see a good amount, at least enough to function without the aid of a cane or guide dog, and I can read regular or large print. I moved to this town two years ago and I have found a disturbing amount of ignorance and stereotypes about people who are blind or visually impaired. Just to give you an example, here are a few things that people here have actually said to me:

"You are blind? But you are so pretty! How can you be so pretty and be blind?"

"Oh, so you can't drive. Are you going to be able to get to work every day?"

And this is the most appalling and upsetting one to me. I was trying to get a job at a daycare, something I had experience and excellent references for:

"[Since you are visually impaired], I do not think it would be safe for you to work here, nor would the parents be comfortable with that. What if you drop a child, or step on them?"

I hope that whoever reads this can see how absolutely upsetting and just plain ignorant these statements are. I have a college degree, excellent computer skills, and a high level of intelligence, yet I have had an unbelievably hard time finding a job in this town, and I can't help but think that it's partly because of attitudes like the ones expressed above. It is part of the reason that the unemployment rate for legally blind persons is 70 to 80 percent. I hate to think how someone who is totally blind is treated here.

I do not want to bash or put down the people of Wichita Falls; I have met some wonderful people in this town. But I cannot stand by and just accept the way that I have consistently been treated, and how I am sure others with disabilities have been, or are being treated. I want this town to be educated and have their minds opened. I want people to know that those of us with so-called "disabilities" can pretty much do anything that everyone else can, sometimes just in a different way. I take the bus or carpool to work. I clean my house in my own way. I cook dinner for my husband and myself with puff painted dots on the stove dials. When I have children, I will take wonderful care of them, just like anyone else. We (blind people) deserve to be given a chance, and treated with respect.