Some months ago, I was asked by a reader who had just lost a good deal of his vision, “Why don’t you ever write about how blindness really sucks?” I was tempted to answer along the lines of what John Grisham said when he was asked at a book signing why he was always writing about crooked lawyers. He … Continue reading
If you fly with any frequency, I suspect you have at least one, and maybe more, stories about some outrage you have experienced at the hands of some airline. These are a little like the stories people who fish tell about “the one that got away;” that is, we tend to compete to see who can have the most egregious … Continue reading
Not too long ago, I was asked by a student how much difference the Americans with Disabilities Act and all the associated civil rights legislation has had on attending college for blind and visually-impaired students. After some thought, I told the following story. In the spring of my freshman year of college, I enrolled in a class called Physical Science … Continue reading
Before getting down to the details of this post, I need to preface by spelling out a couple of things. First, I promise this is not political. Second, everything you’re going to read is absolutely true. A bit of personal background might be in order. I grew up in a day and time when gun ownership was not a big … Continue reading
For four years when I was a child, my parents made me take guitar lessons. Because the gene for musical talent is recessive on both sides of my family going back several generations, this was a deeply scarring experience. I was absolutely awful. I had not a drop of talent and I knew it. While I’ve been in therapy for … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve written a series of posts on training and working with guide dogs. Why Do You Use a Dog Rather Than a Cane? Faux Service Dogs The Dog Blog: What Should I Know about Getting a Dog? The Dog Blog: Creating the Right Dog The Dog Blog: Match.com for Dogs The Dog Blog: Learning to Work with … Continue reading
The title to the contrary, this is a blog that can be read by the children. It has nothing to do with Monica Lewinsky or Stormy Daniels. It does have everything to do with how to truly impress someone who is blind. A couple of years ago, I was invited to be a part of a small group that was … Continue reading
Recently, my wife and I were invited to dinner with another couple who were anxious to introduce us to a third couple who “are really great people.” As tends to happen at such things, the men were seated at one end of the table and the women at the other. I appreciate meeting someone with a disability can be anxiety … Continue reading
Of all of the many things that I’ve written about blindness and vision loss on this blog, I have never touched on one of the most unusual and little known. Most people who are losing their vision have never heard of it and, therefore, don’t think of it as a possible consequence of their vision loss. If, however, they are … Continue reading
No, this title is not just a sleazy way to get you to read this post; it’s really the topic of this blog. Read on. Several years ago, I wrote a blog, Tell Everyone about Your STDs and IV Drug Use About how blind people really have no privacy when filling out those probing medical questionnaires you’re given when checking … Continue reading