If I lived life according to the misconceptions

Another day, another blog post, a few more misconceptions to be addressed and tackled.

When I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, I had no idea as to how many misconceptions and preconceived ideas lied ahead.

I remember coming across some of the first misconceptions about sight loss when I was in primary school, people thinking I couldn’t speak for myself because I had a disability, others thinking I needed to be talked to as if I was a three year old and others shouting because, to them, it was inevitable that hearing loss came hand-in-hand with vision impairment.

These preconcieved ideas proved to be quite hurtful at times and they made me feel small, different and sometimes even worthless.

But now, although they can still be quite hurtful and frustrating to hear, the stigmas drive me to talk about them in the hope of educating others.

The misconceptions are probably one of the most talked about topics in the disability community, so many of us who live with a disability work extremely hard in order to tackle the notions that coincide with the image and perception of disability and break down barriers in the hope of educating others and make a positive change.

The myths and stigmas surrounding vision impairment is a running theme throughout many of my blog posts and today, I wanted to acknowledge them in a way I’ve never done before.

So, here is what my life would look like if I lived it according to some of the most common misconceptions about sight loss.

I wouldn’t have any fully sighted friends

For some reason, some people seem to think that blind/VI people can’t form friendships with those who are fully sighted. It’s almost as if they believe there’s a huge barrier between us that prevent our worlds from colliding but the reality is, we’re all human and there is absolutely no reason as to why a disabled person can’t be friends with someone who doesn’t have a disability.

I didn’t have any blind/VI friends up until I was 16 and even now, most of my friends are fully sighted.

Some people prefer to have a group of fellow disabled people who they can relate to but it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to have friends who are non-disabled.

I do like to have those people who can relate to my ramblings about failings in passenger assistance and my latest meeting with a pillar that my cane conveniently missed, there’s something very special about having those people who understand your story and experiences. 

But I’m also very lucky to have a good group of fully sighted friends who are so understanding of my vision impairment and who do anything they can to help. They look past my disability and help me to embrace all my quirks, true gems. 

I wouldn’t be a blogger or be able to use technology

My ability to write blog posts and use technology has been questioned in the past and, in all honesty, I’m not quite sure why this is.

Some people seem to think that technology and the internet is a foreign language for us who are blind/VI, surely someone who can’t see can’t use a computer, use a keyboard to write or anything along those lines, right?

Not true.

I’ve been using technology independently since I was in primary school and I’d be completely lost without it.

We live in a century where improvements in accessibility, especially when it comes to technology, are being made daily and this allows blind/VI people to use things such as phones, tablets and computers independently.

But if the misconceptions were true, this wouldn’t be the case. 

Honestly, life without being a blogger isn’t worth thinking about!

I’d have no sense of style

People tell me that I have a good sense of style, that’s just a matter of opinion of course but I do love fashion and there are many ways in which it can be made accessible.

But one of the most common misconceptions deems me and every other blind/VI person out there ‘unfashionable’.

So life according to the misconceptions would mean, no style.

No heels, no nice bags, no Topshop jeans, no expression of style whatsoever, that’s what my life would look like if the stigmas were true.

People often think that blind/VI people can’t be fashionable or look ‘presentable’ because it’s thought that if we can’t see ourselves or the clothes we buy, we must not want to put effort into the way we look.

Of course, shopping and researching the latest trends isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but, for me and many others, fashion is something we like to dabble in and even if we can’t see the completed look, we can still appreciate the sense of how it makes us feel.

I’d attend specialist school/college

Some blind/VI people do attend specialist schools and colleges which is absolutely fine, everyone has their own preferences. If I lived my life according to the misconceptions, I’d be one of those people since many believe that mainstream education isn’t an option for us who are blind/VI.

Some people, like me, prefer to go through mainstream education and it’s definitely possible when the right support is in place.

I’d have amazing hearing

One of the most common misconceptions I’ve come across is that people believe that every other sense of mine is heightened because of the fact that my eyes don’t work.

Whilst I do have really good hearing in quiet situations, it’s nothing to write home about.

I’ve learned to use and appreciate my other senses more because of my vision impairment but there’s nothing amazing about them.

If my life was being lived according to the misconceptions, I think this one would be the only good thing, I could really benefit from hearing what people are saying when we’re on a jam packed train or in a busy, loud pub.

I wouldn’t have any form of independence

 There wouldn’t be any form of adjustments in order to do things independently if my life stayed true to the stigmas surrounding sight loss.

Everyone’s levels of independence varies, even if you’re not visually impaired or disabled and in all honesty, independence is something I’ve really struggled with, especially when it comes to travelling.

But in the last few months, my confidence has grown and I’ve been on the train to Manchester, Milton Keynes and York which goes to show that it is possible to be independent when you’re living with sight loss even if it takes a little while to gain the confidence you need. 

I’d live every day hoping for a cure

According to many, I must wake up everyday wishing and hoping for a cure for my vision impairment. Every passing hour must be filled with thoughts about when a cure will come along, I must be thinking ‘it can’t come soon enough’.

This is the one I really can’t imagine myself doing. I wrote a post this time last year about whether or not I want my eyesight back and my thoughts remain the same.

Some blind/VI people do want to be cured and they might think about it regularly and whilst it would be nice to be able to see clearly, I don’t want to spend my life hoping for a cure when it might not happen.

I can’t change the condition I’ve been given so I try my best to embrace it and look at it in a positive way, something which proves to be challenging at times but not impossible.

[pipdig_banner image=”https://myblurredworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_5516-1440×960.jpg” parallax=’yes’]

If my life reflected the misconceptions, I’d have no independence, I’d ask my mum to do everything for me, I’d have no phone, no other form of technology, no blog, no fully sighted friends, if any friends at all, no fancy pieces in my wardrobe and I’d be wishing every second of every hour for a cure.

But on the plus side, at least I’d have amazing hearing.

Life according to the misconceptions is one I don’t want to live and that’s why I continue to strive to achieve my goals and try to adopt a positive mindset when it comes to my vision impairment.

I just want to highlight the fact that the things I’ve mentioned in this post are drawn from my own experiences. Everyone’s views, thoughts and realities differ when it comes to the misconceptions they come across and the life they live. I just wanted to highlight mine and hopefully put the message across in a slightly different way.

Although life would be much easier if my fellow blind/VI and disabled people and I didn’t have these misconceptions to contend with, at least we have platforms such as blogs to try to educate people on what life is really like.

Our voices and messages are important and I hope people choose to listen to what we have to say.

I understand that misconceptions normally arise due to the lack of understanding surrounding disability but they can be very hurtful and that’s why I want to write posts like this, in the hope of raising awareness and hopefully opening people’s eyes to how unrealistic some views and ideas can be.

How do you think your life would look like if the misconceptions about your disability or any other aspect of your life were true? Are there any other misconceptions you think are important to highlight? Let me know as I’d love to hear from you.

Elin x