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The Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, defines disability as: a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are all very similar definitions, and they are all saying essentially the same thing. That someone who is perceived as not \u201cable-bodied\u201d is limited or inhibited by \u201cnormal\u201d life activities. But is this true? Is someone who is \u201cdisabled\u201d really limited? Or is it perhaps the overall construction of society that is limiting us? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my opinion, societal constructs are the most limiting, inhibiting, factor to living a \u201cnormal\u201d life. This is true for anybody, in any situation. But for my purposes, I am going to focus on the \u201cdisabled,\u201d more specifically, the visually impaired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We live in a visual world, where everything is set up for the sighted. Hand-outs, flyers, paperwork \u2026 you name it , it is all in print. If you go to the public library, you probably won\u2019t find a braille section. You might find an audio book section, but definitely won\u2019t find braille. You\u2019re unlikely to even find braille on the audio books. If your town doesn\u2019t have a good public transit system, then you\u2019re limited on where you can go. You will have to end up relying on friends and family, or maybe a more expensive option such as taxis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even body language and eye contact are a huge part of society. You must make eye contact so people know you are listening. You might nod or shake your head to say yes or no. Even smiling is a visual cue that someone is friendly or happy. And some of these are things that humans have evolved over time for safety and to ensure our species survival. But a lot of what comprises body language varies from culture to culture. No matter the reason, body language is very visual in nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, if we took sight out of the equation, what would society look like? One of my favorite scenes out of all the books I have read, is from A Wrinkle in Time<\/em>by Madeleine L\u2019Engle. It is the scene where they land on a planet of creatures with no sight. The creatures never had sight, and evolved their society using their other senses. Unfortunately, this scene did not make it into the movie, but I think it is one of the most thought provoking things I have ever read. What would our society look like without sight? <\/p>\n\n\n\n What would the world look like if disabilities weren\u2019t a factor? The only reason accessibility is a thing, is because the world is not made for the \u201cdisabled.\u201d If society was inclusive of all groups, then accessibility would not be needed. If the world, and society were accessible to all, then accessibility would not exist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I have a friend who is Autistic, and she is a little different from other people. But what makes that difference? Society; society deems that she is different, because she does not fit the social and societal norm. So she is labeled as \u201cdisabled.\u201d I am different; I am different from others because I am blind. Therefore, I am labeled as \u201cdisabled.\u201d But what really makes us different from others? Our personalities; I am different from my friend, because we are different people with different personalities. We are all different from each other. And I think that if the overall populous could see personalities, rather than just abilities, then the world would become a more inclusive place. Accessibility wouldn\u2019t be needed, because inclusivity would take its place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But because our world is a sighted, able-bodied place, it becomes essential to have those labels: disabled, blind, deaf, autistic, etc. And if we don\u2019t have those labels, then we don\u2019t get what we need in order to have a successful life. I\u2019ve met parents, teachers, friends and acquaintances, who don\u2019t want to label a disability. Maybe a parent doesn\u2019t want to label their child as autistic; or maybe a teacher wants to be inclusive to their whole class, and so doesn\u2019t want to label one of their students as blind; maybe they are in denial, or think it is best not to point out a disability. But whatever the case, in the world we live in, we need to label those disabilities. If we don\u2019t, we won\u2019t get the services we need to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you choose not to label your student as visually impaired, how will they ever know that they need glasses; or need braille; or assistive technology? How will that student ever learn what tools they need to lead a \u201cnormal\u201d and successful life? If you are too afraid to label your child as autistic, how will they get the help they need to be successful? Maybe they need specialized services to help them learn eye contact; or maybe they need to go to a specialized school where they can get the help they need that they might not get from a public school. The point is, if you don\u2019t label that child\u2019s disability, they will never learn; they will never grow as a person; they will never become as independent as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though society dictates what a disability is, we as the \u201cdisabled\u201d need that label to succeed. So, own your disability; fight for it! You are just as deserving; just as \u201cnormal\u201d; just as important as everyone else on this planet! You are a person just like anyone else. Your disability does not define you. You define your disability! So take the reins; fight for what you need; fight for what you deserve; fight for your independence! Fight, because you are a person! And that alone makes you worth fighting for!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is me! Hope you enjoyed the read. I love questions, so if you Thanks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelsi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you for listening! Check out the Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, the Job Insights Support Group<\/a>and the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of disability isa physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. And according to the Oxford English dictionary, a disability is: a physical or mental condition that limits […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[239,495],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-lifeenrichment"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-1jx","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6574,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6574","url_meta":{"origin":5055,"position":0},"title":"Transitioning Through Change and Mental Health with Beth Gustin, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and Nationally Certified Mental Health Counselor","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Blind Abilities welcomes back to the podcast, Beth Gustin, licensed professional counselor, a nationally certified mental health counselor, to speak about the impact that the prolonged pandemic is having on our mental health. Beth was a guest on the Job Insights podcast show back in October 2018 where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5595,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5595","url_meta":{"origin":5055,"position":1},"title":"Beautiful Life Experiences that Enhance Lives: Meet Bryce Weiler – Disability Consultant for the Baltimore Orioles and Co-Founder of the Beautiful Lives Project","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"November 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: Bryce Weiler is the Disability Consultant for the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team and is the co-founder of the Beautiful Lives Project. Bryce Weiler and Jeff Thompson sat down in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about the Beautiful Lives Project, his work with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3608,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=3608","url_meta":{"origin":5055,"position":2},"title":"Introducing Geoff Eden: A Pioneer in Canadian Disability Advocacy","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"June 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Blind Abilities moves north of the US border and chats with Geoff Eden. Geoff has been a long time advocate in the Canadian blindness community, with his work for CNIB as a Manager, his procurement of early assistive technology and other adaptive equipment for CNIB clients. Geoff worked for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9193,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9193","url_meta":{"origin":5055,"position":3},"title":"Social Security, Medicare, and Medical Assistance A Parent\u2019s Roadmap to Understanding Benefits","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"September 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: This parent-focused webinar demystifies benefits so you can plan with confidence. Benefits Navigator Marcy LaCroix explains how SSI and SSDI work, why \u201clogic\u201d often feels missing, and how to use work incentives so your teen can try jobs without losing critical supports. You\u2019ll hear when and how to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7677,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=7677","url_meta":{"origin":5055,"position":4},"title":"\ufffcJob Insights: Job Interview Follow-Up and Disclosing a Disability – If, Why, When and How","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Full Transcript Below In this episode of Job Insights Sarlie Drakos, Dacia Vanalstine and Jeff Thompson talk about following-up after a job interview and dive into the \"white elephant\" in the room, If, When, why and how to, if one decides to, disclose a disability during the job\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Career"","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8622,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=8622","url_meta":{"origin":5055,"position":5},"title":"Defending Disability Rights: The Threat to Section 504 and Why It Matters","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: This podcast episode highlights the alarming legal challenge to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a foundational disability rights law in the United States. Kaleigh Brendle, a student advocate, explains that 17 attorneys general have filed a lawsuit arguing that Section 504 is unconstitutional. 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have any, or just a comment, feel free to email them to<\/strong>
info@blindabilities.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nContact:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/a>
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Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store<\/a>and Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n