Author: Jenelle

Why We Hide

BAM! Blindness Awareness Month is coming to a close, and we have a hot topic to discuss.  

Joy and I used to think we were the only ones who tried to keep our vision loss a secret growing up and even into adulthood.  Then we started this blog, and we heard from so many people with similar stories of trying to hide the fact that they couldn’t see.  And then we read Not Fade Away and Now I See You, and discovered still more stories of cover-ups, secrecy, and shame over vision loss.  

While it was comforting to learn that we were not alone in choosing to hide our vision loss, it also made us wonder…How many people have tried to hide their low vision at some point in their lives? And why?

Just to be clear, we’re not condoning hiding vision loss, nor are we condemning it.  We’re exploring the reasons behind it.   Continue reading “Why We Hide” →

You Might Have Low Vision IF…(guest post by Lori Linna)

BAM! If there’s one thing Joy and I LOVE to do, it’s LAUGH.  Sometimes we need reminders not to take ourselves too seriously, and that’s why we love this post by Lori Linna! 

Wow, what an honor it is to be invited to post here in Doublevisionblog. My name is Lori Linna, I live in Wisconsin with my husband, two children and a crazy dog. The following is very similar to a post I did elsewhere and was asked to share it in honor of Blindness Awareness Month.  For the record, I have RP as well as a hearing loss.

Stand-up comedian Jeff Foxworthy is known for his redneck jokes. One of my favorites goes something like this, “If your lawn furniture is also your living room furniture, you might be a redneck. “

It occurred to me a similar comedy routine could be used for those of us who have poor eyesight. While being blind is not funny, some of the situations we find ourselves in are easier to tolerate if we can find some humor in them. For the purpose of today’s post, I will use the term ‘low vision’ in place of the word redneck.

Envision yours truly holding a white cane and wearing dark sunglasses while standing up on a small stage with a microphone. I may or may not be facing the audience but that’s fine, just play along, okay? Continue reading “You Might Have Low Vision IF…(guest post by Lori Linna)” →

Word Choice

BAM! Not only is October Blindness Awareness Month, but it is also Disability Awareness Month.  Below is a post written by Susan, author of Adventures in Low Vision, who kindly agreed to let us share this brilliant post on our blog this month.  

I was playing with my cat as a kid still in single digits on the kitchen floor. Twenty minutes passed. He decided he wanted to play elsewhere. The orange tabby was not quite fast enough. I scooped him up, looked at his face and called him a silly bastard.

Mom heard me. She was quick to admonish me by asking, “Do you know what that means?” I bet my ears turned red. My embarrassment grew when, as parents do, she gave the word’s definition. I stopped calling the cat a bastard.

Words have meaning. Handicapped. Crippled. The R word. Blind. Visually impaired. A person with a disability. Where do words and phrases like these come from?  Check out the etymology of handicapped and see if you still want to refer to people with disabilities as handicapped. Continue reading “Word Choice” →

Story

I just finished reading To Kill A Mockingbird.  Of course this was not my first time reading this modern classic, and it likely won’t be the last time I find myself engrossed in Harper Lee’s masterpiece.  The story has not changed in the 18 years since I last read it.  Yet, it somehow feels new to me.  While Scout, Jim, and Dill feel like long-lost friends, they also seem different from how I remember them.  While I recall feeling infuriated by the prejudice and injustices in the story, my understanding and analysis of these events has more depth than it did as a teenager.  My own life experiences over the last two decades influence how I interpret this powerful novel. (Side note – feeling so damn old as I write this) Continue reading “Story” →

Is Jenelle Getting a Guide Dog?

The anticipation was almost more than I could bear. I had been planning the surprise for 4 months, and it seemed August 8th would never arrive. I nearly ruined the surprise on several occasions, and it began to feel like it could burst out of my mouth at any moment without warning. I told very few people about the surprise in hopes of containing it.

Finally, the date arrived, and my younger sister, Jillian, and I set out on our trip to unveil the big surprise. Continue reading “Is Jenelle Getting a Guide Dog?” →

Providing Age-Appropriate Opportunities: Advice for Parenting Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired Tip #6

Tip #6: Give Your Child Age Appropriate Opportunities for Exploration

I’ve always loved magazine quizzes – anything from “take this quiz to find out if he really likes you” as a pre-teen to “learn which decorating style suits your home” in my housekeeping magazines.  When I was trying to think of an interesting way to present this week’s tip, I decided to design my own little quiz.  If quizzes make you nervous, calm down.  This is a self-graded quiz in which there are no “right” answers.  These questions are designed to help you constructively evaluate the boundaries you set for your child.  I tried to incorporate different age scenarios, so that there is something that applies to everyone’s current stage. Continue reading “Providing Age-Appropriate Opportunities: Advice for Parenting Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired Tip #6” →