Human’s natural reaction towards the unknown is fear. Fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of loss, fear of social interactions etc. When we were little, we faced the unknown with curiosity and desire to explore. When we grow older, we tend to leave behind our eagerness to learn and we define each new situation or decision not as a life experience but rather as “good” or “bad”. In the face of a new situation, doubt, judgment and rigidness tend to be our dominant response. And it is very interesting how we act in the same way when seeing someone who cannot see us.
Understanding the subjective and collective experience of a person with visual disabilities is crucial not only for our everyday relations but also in the context of our development as a unified society. Nowadays, our gaze is oriented downwards, as we keep our smartphones below the level of the real surroundings and we usually find ourselves unprepared to react when the gaze must look up and face reality. Often, stigma is related to a certain social position, in higher the hierarchy, higher the speed of movement, thoughts and expressions, therefore slower the focus, hearing and relations.
So when we see the white cone, a guide dog or black glasses we manage to rapidly conclude that there is a blind person, whereas understanding the disability proves to be missing. Understanding only begins with acknowledgement of the visible physical individuality and inevitably continues with acknowledgement of the differences in functioning, which is rooted in various social conditions such as access to education, work, services, public transport and general culture. Furthermore, understanding goes not only with what we see, but also with what we say about it. The language we use to describe the observed interlinks with the stigma we produce on a daily basis. “Disabled person”, “blind person”, “a person who cannot see” etc,.. And still… a person.
Certain attitudes or incomprehension is often resulting in ignorance or limitations, such as categorizing a person with visual disabilities as capable of doing only very little and needing assistance for most of the time, formation of an inadequate image and therefore treatment as immature or mentally challenged people, unjustified fears of coping with household or maintaining professional responsibilities, incompetent help as pushing, dragging, lacking communication or communicating vaguely and unclearly. In relation to the person who is visually disabled, these stereotypes picture a weak, fearful, nervous and lonely figure.
Many online resources describe psychological characteristics related to helplessness, dependence, depression and occasionally they emerge to even greater perspectives as: cognitive distortions, aggression, particular sensitivity and ability to cope with past, present and future events. But do we ever doubt these statements? Do we make an additional effort to verify them with reality?
The only way to face stigma is by centralizing not the diagnosis but the needs. To reconsider what it is, what is required, how does it work? And it is usually through a narrative that works for both parties, which can illuminate these dark spots and orient the action plan in light of the human experience. The knowledge of actual possibilities and situations of the person with visual disabilities is what allows to form proper relations individually and across various members in society. Thus, neutralizing the existing social barriers.
Just because someone cannot see us, does not mean that we cannot see him.
