"A whole new perspective"
Listen in as we hear from Sarah. For her, hearing a blind architect's story changed her perspective on what was possible.
Hadley
A Whole New Perspective
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.
Voice 1: You cannot do this alone. You need people who are experiencing the same thing.
Voice 2: Probably the hardest part was just navigating through the emotions of it.
Douglas: My name is Douglas Walker. When you’re slowly losing vision, it’s easy to feel stuck and deny what’s happening. Today we’ll hear from Sarah. Sarah will share with us how a video a friend shared led her down an insightful path.
Sarah: Hi, my name is Sarah Fulmer. I’m from Columbus, Ohio. One thing that really, I think for me, the catalyst was anger. So first I felt it, I've been losing my vision for about 13 years. Well, over the course of about 13 years, and so I'd say for the past about two years is when it just really dropped off. I don't have anything. There's nothing left. I have a little bit of light perception. And that entire time, it just kept feeling like a band-aid was getting ripped off one hair at a time.
And then one day I was sitting in my apartment and I was just listening to the radio or whatever, and in the background I just casually heard someone use the phrase, it's like the blind leading the blind, and I was filled with just like rage, because that statement, when we say that, what we mean is, it's like one stupid person leading another stupid person, and all they can do is get to stupid town. There can't be any other conclusion in that statement. When we say blind, we mean somebody who doesn't know, and so it's got this pejorative, this unkind way that we couch that phrase.
And what really irritated me about it is not only is it an unkind thing to say, it just stuck in my head and I kept thinking about it and I was like, the problem is this whole time and this whole journey for me, what I want is someone who is blind to lead me, so that I know that it's possible. And what I want, what I need is to see people who have succeeded, who have made it past the point where I'm at. I want desperately to be led by the blind. I want to know that that's possible, that it's positive, that it doesn't mean it's the end of your creative life.
Early on, a friend of mine sent me a thing that she saw, I don’t even know what show, about an architect who was blind. Well, he went blind after establishing his career. Now, it's pretty difficult to imagine that an architect could continue without sight, and he said, "Absolutely. Not only could I continue, but I incorporated that into my designs. I started to think about how sound works in a building, what you can do with the floor so that the person who is using a cane can get tactile feedback to find out where they're at, to pay attention to how does sound bounce around in this space because if you have no vision and you're relying on audio cues and you're in this big cavernous space where sound bounces all over the place and you can hear, how would that affect you?"
Instead of stopping what he was doing and giving up, he just found ways to incorporate that. And that extended my understanding of what was possible in a way that I don't really know how to explain.
Somebody had sent me this video and I'd ignored it and ignored it, because I was afraid to look into what is it like to be blind, because I didn't want to admit that that was going to happen to me. And then I watched this video and just started crying because I just realized, oh, my life is not over. So, for every single thing that there is that I have to learn, and there are many, many things that I have to learn, there's a whole different perspective. There's somebody else who's gone ahead of me and figured this out.
Douglas: Was there something that someone said to you or something that happened along the way that made all the difference in the world in helping you adjust to living with vision loss?
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].
Again, my name is Douglas Walker. Take care and I’ll see you next time.
All Episodes
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Episode 51
Marilyn went through bouts of anxiety and depression with her vision loss and still grieves the loss several years into her journey. She also decided to do something for herself which has helped tremendously.
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Episode 50
Learning to live with vision loss wasn't always easy for Pam. But with time, her bad days are fewer.
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Episode 49
Jennifer didn't know what to do or who to go to for help as her vision was fading. Then, by chance, she found some help. She found some direction.
The book referenced in this episode is "Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight"
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Episode 48
When Carmel heard a Hadley podcast, it helped her understand what had been happening to her along with her vision loss—something she had nicknamed her "phantom vision."
Carmel mentions an episode of our sister podcast, Hadley Presents. Here's a link to that episode on Vision Loss and Charles Bonnet Syndrome.
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Episode 47
It was tough for Linda to give up driving and she was heartbroken when reading became difficult. She felt her world was shrinking. But then she asked for help.
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Episode 46
Ashia felt all alone in her vision loss. No one around her knew what she was going through. Then she found something that gave her hope.
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Episode 45
Dennis found that many aspects of life with vision loss can be a struggle. Then he found something that turned that around.
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Episode 44
Judy has lived with progressive vision loss for many years. She's found a way that helps her cope and adjust.
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Episode 43
For years Bill hid his vision loss from others. He was self-conscious about it. Then, he decided to open up.
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Episode 42
For Cynthia, every story shared helps her on her own journey with vision loss.
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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.
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Episode 40
Having to give up the car keys was traumatic for Eugenia. She worried about becoming isolated until she found a new way.
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Episode 39
This week, hear how rediscovering a favorite activity helped Celia find balance as she adjusts to vision loss.
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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.
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Episode 37
Listen in as Vanessa shares what has helped keep her from feeling hopeless and defeated due to vision loss.
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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.
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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.
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Episode 34
Listen in as Anne describes how a question posed to her shifted her perspective for living with vision loss.
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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/
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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.
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Episode 31
This week we hear from Appreciate. She found that a Facebook group, The International Blind Cafe, gave her a source of comfort and encouragement.
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Episode 30
Marian's inner voice had her living in fear. Listen in as she shares how she redirected that voice to be more helpful for her.
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Episode 29
This week Dorrie shares how technology has made all the difference for her in living with vision loss.
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Episode 28
Today we hear from Ed who shares how the source of hope for him has changed with time.
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Episode 27
Listen in as Cindy shares how advice from her son helped her adjust to her new normal.
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Episode 26
Listen in as Tim recalls a conversation with a store clerk and how it helped him adjust to life with vision loss.
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Episode 25
Listen in as Alice shares a boyfriend's advice from many years ago. Words that give her hope, even today.
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Episode 24
Listen in as Bill shares how a chance encounter changed his perspective on vision loss.
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Episode 23
Listen in as Ruth shares how her frustration and impatience turned around with just one phone call.
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Episode 22
Listen in as Sam shares how he struggled trying to hide his vision loss-and how he finally turned the corner.
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Episode 21
Listen in as Eugenia describes how her own determination and the support of friends helped her keep moving forward.
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Episode 20
Listen in as Zenobia shares how she found the support and strength she needed.
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Episode 19
Listen in and be inspired as Saras explains how changing her perspective to, "Why NOT me?" helped her tap into her strengths.
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Episode 18
Sheri shares with us how the love for her horses helped her find purpose and peace.
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Episode 17
Kendra shares with us how a visit to a low vision center gave her more than she ever expected.
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Episode 16
Listen to Carol's story as she shares how owning her changing vision gave her the drive to discover useful resources and realize that it's important—and okay—to ask for help when she needs it.
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Episode 15
Listen in as Chuck shares how he found hope in a chance encounter.
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Episode 14
Listen in as Kara shares how she found new ways to express herself in her love of visual art, and redefining a meaningful life.
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Episode 13
Listen in as Leah shares how it finally clicked for her—the realization that she's not alone.
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Episode 12
Hear how Axel set one goal at a time and slowly took the steps to rebuild his skills, reengage in his art, and reestablish his emotional well being.
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Episode 11
Gregory shares how finding a mentor made all the difference in the world to him, and his entire family.
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Episode 9
Listen in as Tom shares how leaning on his faith helps him adjust to vision loss.
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Episode 8
Pat shares with us the choices she made when faced with a visual impairment.
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Episode 7
Darryl shares with us how a referral to a low vision specialist was where his life with vision loss began to turn around.
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Episode 6
Annie shares with us the steps she took to work through her depression by seeking help from a mental health professional.
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Episode 5
Sharon shares with us how she worked through the isolation and found people just like her to get the support she needed.
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Episode 4
Hannah shares with us how she had to give herself permission to grieve her vision loss in order to reach acceptance.
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Episode 3
Randy's search for help led him into a whole new way of thinking.
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Episode 2
Ruth shares how her mother's advice, "Knock the T Off Can't," helped her.
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Episode 1
Larry shares how he found strength in his core beliefs to get him through the shock of his initial diagnosis.