Changing The Way You See
If you read my recent post, Dialing Down Stimulation Can Increase Contentment, you know that I’ve begun a serious purging process in almost all areas of my life. Kerry, a friend and fellow blogger of Postcards From Kerry, made a comment that has become my mantra—”Something goes in, something goes out.” I thought I had a pretty good handle on things until Tuesday.
I was in the zone sitting at my computer when all of the sudden I nearly jumped out of my chair at the unexpected sound of a very loud knock. Mollie starts barking wildly while my mind immediately gravitates to “it must be a serial killer” I mean who else would knock like this?
Fear makes me look at the live video feed to see who, or what is at the door. To my immense relief it’s a small package. Still a bit wary, because I haven’t ordered anything, I peek out the door then quickly grab the delivery.
Safely back inside, I open the FedEx package and pull out a gift from BlindNewWorld, a blind awareness social change campaign, sponsored by Perkins School for the Blind. Changing the way we look at blindness is the central message behind the campaign.
As delighted as I was to receive my new workout tank, I now had a dilemma. Getting my camis/tanks and tees down to one drawer was huge but my mantra dictates I must get rid of something. It really wasn’t very painful at all because I spied a tank that should have been included in my original throw away pile-YAY!
My new white tank top has the words “new” in braille, “change the way you see,” and “#BlindNewWorld” enclosed in a circle on the front. The tank is soft, lightweight, and comfortable enough to layer over another tank which I’ve done in the photos.
When I connected with BlindNewWorld on Twitter, I was thrilled to learn of their campaign because it seeks to break down societal barriers which exclude people who are blind. Through the sharing of real life stories, compelling videos, and engaging content, BlindNewWorld challenges outdated thinking and stereotypes on blindness while promoting inclusion.
Any significant loss in life can be painful and force us to go through a necessary transformation as we learn to adapt to our new circumstances but it can be done. When I began losing my eyesight the one feeling that stood out the most, aside from fear, was shame.
Shame was the reason I decided to describe myself as “blind” versus “visually impaired” because it was important for me to accept the word. Once I did this I was able to get a grip on my fear and move forward. “As part of its mission to demystify blindness, BlindNewWorld seeks to de-stigmatize and reclaim the word “blind,” so that a person who is blind can describe themselves as such freely and proudly.”
Thank you again BlindNewWorld for the work you do!
Have a nice weekend everyone!