"I stopped hiding it"
For years Bill hid his vision loss from others. He was self-conscious about it. Then, he decided to open up.
Hadley
I stopped hiding it
Presented by Douglas Walker
Douglas: Hello, and welcome to the Insights and Sound Bites podcast, where people facing vision loss share insights about what has helped them cope and adjust.
Bill: When I first started losing my sight, you're kind of embarrassed about it. So, you try to hide it from people. And I mean, I did that for years.
My name is Bill Hartman. I live in Tampa Bay, Florida, and I have retinitis pigmentosa.
I guess one of the hardest things when I first started losing my sight. I was, and I hear a lot of people tell me this too, you're kind of embarrassed about it, I guess or self-conscious about it. So, you try to hide it from people. And I mean, I did that for years.
And as soon as I stopped doing that and just wasn't trying to hide it anymore, and just would tell people when I met them, like, look, if I miss a handshake or something because I can't see you, it definitely helps, rather than trying to act like you're not.
But once I realized telling people and people support you regardless if you're sighted or not, it wasn't that big of a deal. And it just definitely felt good to get that off my chest without having to worry about that anymore.
If you give people the opportunity to help you, they will. But you just got to give them the opportunity.
When I got the mindset of losing your sight isn't the end of your life, to me, I would just tell myself, okay, I got to figure out how to do this. I got to figure out how to do that. And as you start stacking those little building blocks up and start realizing all this stuff you still can do, it's actually really cool.
Douglas: Is there an insight you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights & Sound Bites voicemail. By calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to [email protected].
All Episodes
-
Episode 44
Judy has lived with progressive vision loss for many years. She's found a way that helps her cope and adjust.
-
Episode 42
For Cynthia, every story shared helps her on her own journey with vision loss.
-
Episode 41
Living with low vision meant Karen was constantly explaining to others what she can and can't see. Then she found a tool that has made a big difference.
-
Episode 40
Having to give up the car keys was traumatic for Eugenia. She worried about becoming isolated until she found a new way.
-
Episode 39
This week, hear how rediscovering a favorite activity helped Celia find balance as she adjusts to vision loss.
-
Episode 38
Denise can struggle with the slow but continuous loss of vision she's facing. But she's found a way to pick herself up on a bad day.
-
Episode 37
Listen in as Vanessa shares what has helped keep her from feeling hopeless and defeated due to vision loss.
-
Episode 36
Stacy shares with us how being honest about her vision loss with her friends and coworkers has made all the difference in the world.
-
Episode 35
For many, having to give up the car keys due to vision loss is traumatic. Deb felt it too. Then, during a call to arrange transportation for herself, a new door opened.
-
Episode 34
Listen in as Anne describes how a question posed to her shifted her perspective for living with vision loss.
-
Episode 33
This week, William shares how learning to continue with his favorite hobby, even with vision loss, has been therapeutic—and uplifting. Here's the link to his website https://www.blindtruths.org/
-
Episode 32
This week Angela shares how she struggled to get around due to vision loss, how she tried to hide it from others, and what helped her.