Cracked Sidewalks

Visually-impaired individuals are consistently faced with challenges of how to navigate a world where most information is received through the sense of sight. Nothing is simple.  For example when attending an event, they must ask themselves 1,000 questions. “How will I get there? How will I navigate the area once I am there? What obstacles can I anticipate will be there? Do the people there need to know about my vision?"

When setting an education goal, they must ask themselves “Is there a technology I can use to complete my work?  Who can I talk with about completing the degree I want?"

Regardless of what the situation, there will always be an obstacle to overcome. We look at those obstacles,  not as barriers to success,  but like the cracked and broken sidewalks we sometimes encounter when walking. These cracked sidewalks are a potential tripping hazard. But instead of turning back from our destination, we take a minute to explore the terrain first with our canes, then plan ahead the cracks and broken places and stay focused on our destination. 

With a little grit and determination, the visually impaired overcome these obstacles each and every day and are better people for it. We are like those flowers that push through the cracked sidewalks, reaching for the sun. In this section, we share stories of how the visually-impaired have overcome their real-life obstacles to move towards their goals and a healthy, fulfilling life. 

Don't Make Me Get On That Bus!

Keith had moved from his home in Middle Tennessee, the place where he had grown up, the place where faces were familiar, to Alpharetta, Ga.  As his vision deteriorated, he was not only struggling emotionally with the loss of vision, but also adjusting to a new environment. He felt lost in unfamiliar surroundings. He had no desire to meet new friends and new people. An yet, he was also a little glad that his old friends in Tennessee could not see him in the state he was in, feeling helpless and useless. 

Shortly after the move, Keith had to return to Tennessee to attend his grandmother's funeral.  No longer able to drive, he rode with family members there.  After the funeral he needed to return to Georgia. but his mother had too much family business in Tennessee to drive him back home.

As his family discussed the situation, Keith sat in another room and overheard their conversation. The fact that getting him back home was a problem made him feel like a burden. But then he overheard his brother say, “Let’s just put Keith on a Megabus home.” 

Anxiety welled up in Keith as he thought, “Are you crazy? I can’t ride a bus alone. My vision is too blurry.” He started to argue and protest but to no avail. As much as his family loved him, there were family obligations to take care of, and the solution that caused the least amount of stress was sending Keith home on a bus, with a loved one to drop him off, and another loved one to pick him up when he arrived back in Atlanta. 

‘I honestly had no choice. My family decided for me that I would travel alone even with my visual impairment.  They listened to my input, but didn’t change their minds.”

The truth is, Keith’s family loved him dearly but knew he was capable of making the trip, although Keith himself thought he couldn’t. 

‘The day of the trip came. My brother stayed with me as I showed the driver my ticket, stowed my bag, and boarded the bus. I used my cane and the low vision I had to find a seat.” 

“I was afraid. I thought, What if someone steals my stuff? What if? What if? I imagined all kinds of possibilities.”

Keith arrived in Atlanta, got off the bus and met his family member. 

“After I made it, I thought of all the fears I had and realized they were unfounded. I was capable of doing it on my own. Since then, I have bought the ticket, gotten to the stop, and ridden the Megabus more than once on my own. And I have enjoyed it.”

‘The truth is I never would have done it without my family deciding for me. It was mostly my brother, but he has always been that way. When I first had my vision loss, I would sit down for breakfast and my mom would put my full plate right in front of me. But when I went to my brother’s house, he would sit down with his bowl of cereal in front of him, while I sat down with nothing in front of me. I would look at him with this hungry look. I had an expectation that he would feed me. Instead, he would say, "What are you looking at? You know where the bowls are. You know where the cereal is. You know where the milk is. Get it yourself."  My brother is just never going to let me feel sorry for myself.”