This brings me to a day before Christmas. Lyle and I were in Costco. We were doing a little bit of last minute shopping after an appointment in the city. I wasn’t wearing my low vision ID badge and I wasn’t using my white cane. So, when we stopped in the aisle to sample one of those sample goodies, I was quite surprised when the woman manning the counter asked me if I had macular degeneration. I was taken aback. Did I look blind?
When I told my daughter about this experience, she told me that although usually I appear to be someone with sight, when I reach for something, just as I did in Costco that day, my eyes sometimes seem to wander as I reach out searching to grasp the object. I hadn’t thought about this before, but I know that she was right. I am always careful when I am on the receiving end of something being handed to me.
Jen and I agreed that the question from this stranger was a little intrusive, but then Jen asked if the woman seemed to have a particular reason for her question. She said that often people will ask if they have a story of their own to tell. Indeed this was the case. Once I affirmed that I did have a vision problem, the woman launched into a story about her sister who had recently been diagnosed with macular degeneration. From that point on in the exchange, all I needed to do was to nod.
So, while I usually use my low vision badge and white cane to intentionally alert other people to my visual challenges, it seems that I don’t always need these aids. I just need to be myself - after all, I am legally blind.
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