One of the most difficult questions I had to navigate is proving that I am blind—whether in school, college, or within society. Most people do not believe that I am blind and think I make it up. Their theory is simple: I look perfect, my eyes are not deformed, and they do not look like they have some disease. On top of that, I make good eye contact.
It is a hard thing to explain and make people understand that what I have is a retina issue and that I became blind due to this degenerative condition.
Yesterday, during dialysis, one of the other patients I had a conversation with came to my bed and said, “I did not realize that you are blind… just came to know.” Most of the attendants of the dialysis patients take time to observe how I work with VoiceOver on my iPhone. The dialysis technician has told me many times that there is a whole group who wants to observe how I work.
I have gotten used to these moments, yet each time, it reminds me how much awareness is still needed about blindness and disability. People expect blindness to look a certain way, but the reality is much more complex.
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