Walking through a sea of white canes and guide dogs at a national convention of the blind community, I started introducing myself as “sighted,” which I had never done before in other contexts. Almost every time I said it, I received a reaction, such as “Oh…I assumed you were blind.” This may have also been due to me asking the blind attendees to help me with directions.
Rummaging through my conference tote-bag, I had to find out the room for my presentation. I asked my co-presenter, who is blind, for the room number.
“Look at the handbook in your bag.” I pull it out of my bag to discover “All my materials are in braille!” My co-presenter had a good laugh, “How does it feel for the tables to be turned?”
This was my first time attending the American Council for the Blind (ACB) Convention in Dallas, Texas to promote the #BlindAbroad campaign aimed at educating people who are blind or low vision on the benefits of international exchange. I presented with two blind women about the benefits of study abroad, and the majority of our session attendees were blind.
As we started, I spoke about the impact my experience abroad had on me personally and professionally. My story had nothing to do with being blind or not. It had to do with meeting people from different countries, immersing myself in new cultures, living outside my comforts, discovering myself as a result, and then realizing that there were not enough students with disabilities taking advantage of these same programs. I concluded “…and I’m sighted.”
And then I heard the audience say, “Oh that was a great story! I want to do it.” The point was no matter if I was sighted or not, this experience of exploring other cultures is for everyone. When we share our stories and invite others to dream too – we have more in common than not: passion for travel, curiosity, and new experiences.
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