Introduction
If you or any of your relatives are going blind, it will probably be one of the biggest life events. It is hard to avoid trauma, but it is important to know that people who go blind can continue doing what they were doing with modifications, and it will also create new opportunities. Going blind itself is such a huge topic that it would deserve an entire book. This post, however, is more intended to be a roadmap for somebody starting on their research on how to get prepared.
Reasons for going blind
There may be many reasons why people go blind either gradually or suddenly. Due to an accident, an eye disease, diabetes, due to ageing, etc. Depending on the reason, the experience may be different. For sure, the experience will be different from those people who are born blind and learn life that way.
Don’t give up
The first thing I would like you to know is that the quality of life doesn’t have to suffer, even if it feels that way at the moment. These days services and technology provide so many opportunities that while it will be a major change in life, most activities can be maintained. Many blind people were able to do more things than an average person. Some blind people climbed Mount Everest, travelled the world, held executive positions at companies, and participated in extreme sports.
But you may ask ok, this is the exception, what does life look like for an average person in average circumstances, this is even more important than the extremes. Millions of blind people have decent jobs, raise kids, take care of elderly parents, can travel to work independently, take their family on vacations, read books, play sports, do shopping, and live just like anybody else.
Depending on what you were doing before going blind, there is also a possibility that you cannot continue doing what you did, for example, visual art, driving, etc. In this case, it will be more challenging to come up with something meaningful to do, but many people have done it successfully.
Of course, it is easier to say not to give up, and when you are in such a life-changing situation, there may be a time when you lose hope and feel like you would want to give up. While this is normal, besides following my advice below, I would highly recommend finding the right professional who can help you through your emotional difficulties. I am not saying it is easy, but I am saying that it is doable, because I met hundreds of people who emerged on the other side and continued living a happy and fulfilling life.
Understand what blindness means
Probably the first thing to do is to find living proof of how it works. I would recommend getting in touch with organizations for blind people, such as associations, sports teams, local clubs, etc., and talking with people. Get first-hand feedback on what it is like. Further, I would suggest that you talk with several people, possibly with those whose situation is similar to yours. Same illness, same age, etc. Just like in everything else, opinions and experiences will be different. I would take a good average of what I hear.
Get Prepared
You can’t start preparing early enough, especially if you are losing your vision gradually. You will be able to learn ways to do things without vision, but as you are learning it you can still rely on your remaining vision and use it as a fallback.
Learn to take care of your home and yourself
There are programs in most countries, states and cities where you can learn to do your basic daily tasks without vision. Probably this will be the biggest task to handle, as these are the majority of the things you will handle. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of clothes, shopping, using the computer, etc. There are all kinds of tricks you can learn, such as: how to know when the rice is cooked, how to make sure your entire table is clean, how to make sure your room is completely vacuumed, how to organize your cans or medicines so that you always find what you are looking for, how to use email, how to browse the web, how to shop online, how to recognize paper money. While it sounds like a lot, you will find that these are all doable and you will start gaining confidence.
Learn to read
Being able to access information is one of the key things, as this is how you will learn new things, keep up with developments in technology, be able to apply for a job, pay your taxes, etc. These days blind people often use a screen reader on their computer or phone which allows them to hear the information on the screen and interact with applications. This is relatively easy to learn in theory, but in practice, it will take some getting used to.
Another thing I would highly recommend is to learn to read Braille. For some people, it may be difficult or impossible, especially if your sight loss is related to other things like diabetes where the sense of touch diminishes.
Also, at a later age, it may be harder to learn, but not impossible. The Hadley School for the Blind offers long-distance, 100 per cent remote braille education all around the world. There may be a time when your electronic devices are not available and you need to write down something. Also, some signs, such as elevator button labels or door numbers are often available in braille.
Learn to get around
When you are comfortable with the very basics, as much as possible, learn how to get around in your living area, so you can go to the store, go to work, but probably most importantly be able to meet people. In such difficult times, social interaction is necessary. Once you learn the basics of getting around on the streets and using transportation, you will soon find that you will be able to venture to many places without many difficulties. In most countries, there are orientation and mobility teachers who can professionally teach you how to do it.
Whom to contact?
Of course, as I mentioned above, you are not alone with this, there are great organizations to help anywhere in the world, and in most cases, these services are completely free. Depending on where you live, you can contact associations of blind people or schools for the blind to get started. Most countries have both of these organizations, which can tell you who exactly in your area can provide you with the professional help you need.
Conclusion
This is just the tip of the iceberg and there is much more. I hope it gave you some ideas on how to get started.
If there is any way I can help you with more information or find the right contacts, feel free to contact me.
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