It was a bleak Seattle winter morning several years ago, and I shivered as I climbed into the yellow taxi cab. I was dreading my appointment at the WA Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) for many reasons, but I had finally decided to see what kind of services might be helpful to me. They had sent me a voucher for the taxi ride, so that transportation to DSB would be direct and free.
I handed the voucher to the cab driver, and noticed him eyeing me suspiciously in the rear view mirror. I glanced down at the time on my phone to make sure I would be to my appointment on time. When I looked back up, I saw that he was once again glancing at me in the rear view mirror.
I instructed myself to stop being paranoid, and focused on checking Facebook updates on my phone for the remainder of the ride. As the driver pulled into the DSB parking lot, he asked in a thick Indian accent, “So, are you blind?”
I wasn’t expecting his question, so I paused briefly before saying, “Um…yes, I have a rare eye disease that is causing me to lose my sight.”
He did not say anything back to me, but shook his head from side to side, and made a “tisk, tisk tisk” sound, like he was tapping his tongue on the roof of his mouth. I instantly felt my face flush with embarrassment. I wasn’t sure if he was pitying me or shaming me. I was relieved to step out of the taxi and out of the driver’s seemingly judgmental presence. I didn’t give the incident further thought until recently when I read For the Benefit of Those Who See: Dispatches from the World of the Blind. Continue reading “Book Review: For The Benefit of Those Who See”
