I often think about how different my life would be if I wasn’t vision impaired, if I could see the world in clear view, something I’ve never been able to do.
Would I be able to see the finer detail of this world we live in? Notice things that others do in my surroundings and therefore possibly appreciating it in a different way to how I do now?
How different would my life be? Well in today’s post I’m hoping to give some answers to this question. Of course, I have no idea how life without a vision impairment would be for me so the points I’m about to write might not be the reality but they’re simply observations, a few things I think about every now and again, so I thought I’d write about them today and share them with you.
If I could see clearly
I’d be driving
Let’s talk about the obvious first, shall we?
If I could see clearly then I’m pretty sure I would have learned to drive by now.
I’d have that freedom.
I know I can use things such as public transport in order to be independent, something I do, but knowing that I’ll never have that opportunity to learn to drive like others my age do can be a little disheartening sometimes. I guess that the reality of being vision impaired can just take its toll at times especially when I hear other people talking about the things I can’t do because of my disability.
My school life would have been completely different
This is something I think a lot about too, would I have been more confident at school if I wasn’t VI? Would I still have been bullied? Would I have made more friends, had the confidence to go out places and interact more with people?
I know being vision impaired shouldn’t have stopped me from doing these things but I often let it overrule the simple things. Everyone seemed to see me in a different way to other people at school and that seemed to impact my confidence and self-esteem.
I think I let the fact that I couldn’t see prevent me from going up to people and having the confidence to start a conversation with them because I couldn’t see who they were, I couldn’t see how many people were in a room and who was there that I could wander up to and chat to.
I can’t help but think that if I could see clearly I would have been a completely different person, I know it’s nothing to do with my personality and that they are both completely separate entities but I do believe that it did have an affect on my confidence which really affected my school life.
I wouldn’t have…
I can’t deny that being vision impaired has given me the opportunity to learn great skills that those without a vision impairment might not have the opportunity to learn.
If I could see clearly I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have learned braille, I’ve now learned it in three languages – Welsh, English and French which I have to say I’m quite proud of.
Other things I wouldn’t have done include learning to use the white cane, learning about the accessibility features on technology devices and learning to touch type. I also wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work for the RNIB as part of their Trainee grade scheme. I worked as a Trainee community development assistant for a year with my contract ending in the August just gone. Having this experience allowed me to gain an insight into the world of work and allowed me to learn and develop new skills, meeting new people and help some fellow blind/VI people along the way.
I’d have different people in my life
Living with sight loss definitely comes with its perks. Being vision impaired has allowed me to meet amazing people, those of which I probably would have never come across in my life if I wasn’t living with sight loss. One of my best friends is also VI and I can’t help but think i would have never of met her if we weren’t living with a vision impairment so I’m really grateful that it’s allowed me to meet someone who is now such a big part of my life.
I wouldn’t be a blogger
Well I don’t know this for a fact, who knows, I might have started a blog for different reasons but I definitely wouldn’t be writing about the things I do now.
I started my blog in the hope of raising awareness of vision impairment, to create a platform to help, support and motivate others and share my experiences of living with sight loss, something I would never have done if I could see clearly (that’s a given). Writing about the things I do now is something I really enjoy and the response I receive is a bonus. It feels so incredibly special when people say that they’ve learned something or have been able to take something away from my posts.
Being blind/VI isn’t easy but I have to say that being able to write about it and share my experiences with the world is definitely one of the best things about living with sight loss.
I know this post was a bit of a different take on what I normally write in terms of my disability and some people might think that there is no point in thinking about what could have been or how things would be different but I wanted to write this post as these are often things I think about and maybe some of you do too.
Living with sight loss comes with its ups and downs and although my life would probably have been completely different without a vision impairment, I’m happy that it has allowed me to learn skills, meet great people and give me the motivation to live my life in a positive way.
Do you live with a vision impairment or disability? Do you ever think about how different your life would be without it? Let me know in the comments as I would love to hear from you as always.
Elin x
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The Comments
Najida | Life As Najida
I never realised how much being VI can change someone’s outlook in life. Thanks for sharing x
myblurredworld@gmail.com
Najida | Life As NajidaI think it’s something that not many people realise to be honest. Thank you so much for reading as always xx
Aya
Hello,
Yes me too, I often think, how my life would be if I wasn’t visually impaired.
How I could see someone wave at me in the street. Taking better picture, drive, travel more often.
Sometimes, I would be sad and tired but not because my eyes.
I know, in some way I am lucky but I can’t stop thinking at a life without sight loss.
Sorry for my English, I’m a French reader girl ^^
Can I ask you what are the prescriptions of your glasses ? The frame looks cute with them. And I want to try this shape too, but I don’t know if it will be good.
Have a nice day 🙂
myblurredworld@gmail.com
AyaI’m so glad that you can relate to the post and I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks like this. No need to apologise for your english, it’sgreat! I love hearing from my readers from other countries. I can’t remember what the prescriptions are exactly, i know they’re really high and I paid extra to get the lenses thinner. I’ll find out and let you know though. Thank you for reading 🙂
Aya
myblurredworld@gmail.comThank you <3
Mine are really high too, and really high in price too ahah xD Hope you can find it!
Good night
tris
I always wonder how life would be for the visually impaired. How the world is so different for them, for you. And every time I think about it, It’s always impossible to believe that some people cannot see the things that I can see.
But actually, these things come only to those who have the strength to bear life’s toughest problems. As it is said, “God does not burden a soul beyond it can bear”.
Great article, as always.
Thank you Elin Strong!
xx
myblurredworld@gmail.com
trisThank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed reading x
Izabella
As a parent of a 6-year-old girl who is VI, your blog is an inspiration. Our biggest fear as parents is how Clara will feel and relate when she gets older. We are trying very hard to allow her to be as independent as possible, even if that means she may stumble sometimes. Like you, she is able to see, but we know it’s not as clear. She is a super happy child, who loves to play and run around. Some people have a hard time understanding her limitations. Like, when we watch a movie as a family, and she needs to sit very close to the television in order to watch with us. She has just now started to feel and understand that she is different, and my struggle every day is to help her have more self-confidence. Luckily, she is in a school that has included her into a normal classroom, but her best friend, who is blind is in her same classroom. They get along so well…<3
Any tips or suggestions? Anything you wish your parents did differently?
Thank you for the amazing insight!
For us, the most important thing we want Clara to understand is for her to focus on the things she CAN see, rather than think about what she can't. We are so grateful and happy that she is able to experience the world visually, even if it's not exactly what we see.
myblurredworld@gmail.com
IzabellaThank you so much! I think that giving Clara that independence is definitely beneficial for her. She might find it difficult to deal with at times as she grows up but with the right support around her I’m sure she’ll be fine and will be able to cope with it well and it sounds like you’re doing a great job with supporting her already so I’d say she’s very lucky to have supportive parents like you. It’s great that she has a friend that she gets along with well, it’s important that she can talk to people who are in a similar situation to her and who can understand how she’s feeling, someone she can talk to about her eye condition. I’ve definitely found that doing this has helped me so much. I always had amazing support from my parents and they always made sure I had the right support during my time in school and they always motivated me to stay positive, I think this is the best thing you can do. But I’d say it’s also important to let her have her own space from time to time if that’s what she needs. It’s easy to feel over protective when your child has a vision impairment but as I said before, it’s great that you’re letting Clara have her own independence. If you ever need anyone to talk to about being VI or any help/support then don’t hesitate to get in touch as I’d be happy to help. It sounds like you’re doing great though and I’m sure Clara has all the support she needs from you. Thank you so much for reading 🙂
Holly
Amazing post as always! I can really relate to this post and completely agree with everything you said xxx
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HollyThank you so much! I’m so glad you can relate xxx
Babz
nice post. From someone who lost their sight in their teens, I would say the increase in time taken to complete a task or just to learn something new [ie. technology] is very significant. You realise this when you can not wonder around freely and process all the information that you pass and make sense of it without assistance.
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BabzThank you. I completely agree.