Two women who are alumnae of the grade school where I teach were visiting town. They wanted to visit the school, and thought that they would meet with classes of kids and answer questions about what it is like to be blind. They’re in her 60s and have been blind since birth. They are twins.
The two women were simply delightful. They spoke a bit about being blind, but mostly interacted with the kids. They were fantastic at management. My group of fifth graders is a very rowdy bunch…but they were sooooo nice and polite. One of the women asked a question, and she obviously heard the kids raising their hands. She laughed and said, “Oh, kids. If you raise your hands, I’ll never know if you have a question.” She worked out ways for them to let her know they had questions.
My students asked questions that anyone would want to know about a blind person. They were questions that were, probably, nosy and personal…but the students were so polite and respectful. I was very proud of them.
I was also grateful for the opportunity. I thought it very generous of these two women to donate an entire day to answering kids’ questions about what it’s like to be blind. And yet…think what a service they did for these kids. My kids learned the simple lesson that a blind person is just like anyone else…and does almost anything.
One of my students asked a question that was so perceptive. She asked, “When did you realize you were blind?”
I would never have thought of that. I’m sighted! The answer fascinated me. She told a story of how she and her sister were four years old and playing outside. Their mother told them to come in…they were to stop playing. So they decided to play very quietly. Eventually their mother came out and specifically told them to stop what they were doing. One asked, “How did you know what we were doing? We were being quiet.” The mother then took the time to explain to them how she could “see” and what that meant. It got very quiet in the room as the significance of that event sunk in.
Just wanted to share 