There are difficulties involved in learning to cope with any disability, but there are many in learning to cope with going blind. When you can't see, you not only have to learn to deal with lifestyle changes and your own feelings, you have to deal with public attitudes. Here are some ways of coping.
Instructions
Cope With Going Blind
1. You have to know emotionally, not just physically, that you can be independent and self-sufficient even without your sight. My friend and co-worker who lost her sight to diabetes has always taken pride in doing everything for herself and was happy doing things for others. To have to ask others to drive her places was difficult, but an agency for the blind helped her to realize that though there would be changes in the lifestyle she was used to, she could adjust. She can still do the things that interest her; she just has to do them differently.
2. You have to sharpen your other senses. We rely on our sight for more things than we realize. As the song says, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. People who are born blind begin relying on hearing, touch, smell, taste and intuition from birth. Those who have lost the sight they've relied on can learn to pick up on clues other than visual ones.
3. It takes practice, but you can learn to be mobile by using a long white cane or a guide dog. You can learn to dress, eat, stay safe, and function independently. You can learn to tell what coins you're holding by feeling the size of them and the texture of the sides (the sides of nickels and pennies are smooth, the sides of quarters and dimes are ridged). Although you can't do the same with paper money, you can learn to fold different denominations in different ways so you can tell what bills you're handing to someone.
4. If you liked to read and use the computer, there are many resources for you. You can learn to read Braille or use talking books. Talking software is available for computer use, and some is free. With the technology that we have today, many things you enjoyed with sight can be done without it.
5. One of the more difficult things to cope with is public attitude. Potential employers might think you can't do a job. Other people may associate your loss of vision with loss of intelligence. Even if you're the type of person who didn't care what anyone thought, it can be in your best interest to blend in by being neat, reliable, punctual, to dress appropriately, use good table manners, and to make an effort to be acceptable to others. If you're applying for a job, you have to promote yourself by addressing potential employer's concerns about your ability to do the job by answering questions they are unable to ask. It's not fair, but in the world we live in today, many things are not fair, and we just have to do the best we can with what we have.
6. If you need help from relatives, friends, or agencies, don't hesitate to ask. That's what the agencies are there for, and your friends and relatives are aching for the chance to do something for you without offending you. After all, you did plenty for them when you had your sight, and when you've adjusted to living without it, you'll find ways to help them again.
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