Dear AccessWorld Readers,
As we focus our February issue on seniors and people with low vision, I had a conversation the other day that I thought was worth discussing.
I recently spoke with several Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) who have encountered a situation in which their students have low vision products that could aid them in the classroom but do not wish to use them to avoid drawing attention to their vision loss or appear different from their peers.
This conversation involved low-vision students, but seemed like something that anyone with low vision might find a struggle.
I myself had such severe low vision at such a young age that for the most part, I never really had this choice to make, if I didn't use my blindness tools, I was seriously hampered in what I could do.
Later, I did have to make a similar choice. When I considered applying for a guide dog, one of the most common downsides I saw people mention was the extreme level of attention you would receive and the illusion of approachability you have when using a guide dog. As someone who is fairly introverted, I had to weigh this with the greater mobility I believed I would have when using a dog. I made the decision to match with a guide dog and felt it was the right choice for me. Though people were right, I am approached far more often by people on the street. When I am out with sighted friends, they have mentioned that we draw a good deal of attention from bystanders.
It is unfortunate that to use the tools we need to live, we are forced to make ourselves highly visible and stand out to the strangers around us. I was happy to discover that in my personal situation, the increased attention I receive for using a guide dog hasn't been negative and I've never regretted the choice. Have you had an experience with this sort of situation? Was there a time when you deliberately did not use an assistive technology tool to avoid standing out?
As you might imagine, we always recommend that people use every tool available to maximize their ability to function in all aspects of life; that's easy to say, but everyone has their own situation which might make that choice much more difficult.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this or any other issue you would like to draw attention to and we hope you enjoy this issue.
Aaron Preece
AccessWorld Editor in Chief.
