Conveniences like Uber Eats and Kroger’s home delivery options often make our lives much easier. Just fill out the list of groceries or particular meal you want, hit the enter key to submit, and then wait. You don’t have to go outside into the winter weather of December or the parching heat of August.
But what might we lose if home delivery is the only source we use for getting our groceries? We forego showing the bold faced truth that we want people to believe about us-that we are fully capable and active in the public square of life.
Of course, I’m not directing such a statement to those who simply can’t get out of their homes due to a further debilitating illness beyond the loss of sight. I’m talking to and about us who want to break the glass ceiling through our activity. The more places we are, the more people will see our capabilities.
I was reminded of this yesterday when going to the store to pick up my wife and my groceries. We’ve been largely the delivery or pick-up click list shoppers much of the past few years. So when I and my red-tipped mobility cane showed up at the Kroger customer service desk near our new apartment, the staff didn’t quite know what they could do to assist me with finding the groceries I needed. I had to teach sighted guide technique on the fly to one of the baggers who stepped in to help me shop. Furthermore, the customer service front manager wasn’t sure if anyone was available to give the assistance I needed.
So even though the ADA and other public laws are on the books, those who rarely see someone who is blind or otherwise disabled will grow unaccustomed to the best practices training they may have received when first coming onto their job. If the red-tip on a mobility cane is to be recognized at an intersection or a service animal respected more than just a pet, people need to see us traveling independently using our canes or letting our guide dogs lead out.
In other words, we are each living billboards for the blindness community. What people see in us, perhaps the first blind or low-vision person they might have met, they will no doubt think of when meeting someone else who is like us. That requires a bit more forethought than our sighted friends might give when out on the go: scheduling our arrival times and pick-up windows with paratransit so that we can have enough space within which to find that interview or class without looking harried or frustrated. Like it or not, if we look agitated or out of sorts, onlookers will perceive that has to do with our being blind rather than the fact we’re simply in a hurry.
Another way of planning ahead is taking advantage of the online menus that most restraunts feature online. If you are going out with a group somewhere, narrow your initial choices of what you’ll eat ahead of time; then you will need less reading assistance from your waiter or waitress later. Of course, if you’re going out with friends, someone might read the menu to you. Even then, having a familiarity of what the restaurant offers makes you more prepared and engaged in the conversations about what’s for dinner.
So whether shopping, being waited on at a restaurant or traveling via paratransit, being boldly blind means putting your best foot forward not just for yourself but for all of us who navigate life’s contours. Yes, we all have our preferences in whether to follow the voice of someone who’s sighted or take their elbow sighted guide. Some may command their guide dog to follow while others drop the harness handle, and, while using sighted guide may give their dog a break. For the sighted public none of these choices are wrong. Our in-house debates about best practices can take a backseat to welcoming the opportunity to receive someone’s kind assistance when and where it might be needed.
What then of th ebalance between the conveniences of staying away from the public eye while ordering out or getting groceries delivered? Of course, we want to use those opportunities like anyone else. Yet, we do have the joy of raising people’s awareness of our capabilities and dignity when and wherever we can. So, ride that bus; eat out even if you’re on your own; take a walk in public with your guide dog; revel in being blind and the incredible opportunities you have to share that with others.
Boldly Blind 