My name is Samantha. I am a typical 35 year old woman. My life is hectic and chaotic most of the time. My days are spent juggling work, graduate school, being a mom of two school aged children, and a wife. This all seems pretty typical. I know so many other moms in the same situation with the same balancing act upon their shoulders. But I am praised for this. I am called amazing, an inspiration. Why is that you may ask? I have a disability. I am blind. Because of my blindness the mundane tasks that I do just like millions of other moms is elevated to the highest level. I shock people that I can go to work, finish school, and walk my children to the bus stop. It is unthinkable. A blind person can do all of these things? I must be an anomaly! Wrong! I am just like thousands of other blind moms just living their lives.

Why do so many think I am such an inspiration? It is because societal expectations have always been very low for blind individuals. There is an underlying assumption that blind people can’t work. They can’t perform simple tasks. They can’t drive and therefore are homebound. Indeed, their lack of vision is something to be pitied. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will not minimize that being blind has its challenges but yet setting such low expectations for blind individuals is detrimental to the blind community and what we can achieve as a whole.

In our culture persons with disabilities have been viewed using a medical model of disability. The medical model cast the person with a disability into a “sick role” where their disability is a tragedy and a medical professional needs to find a cure for the person to be whole again. But what if we were to shift our thinking? What if we realized it is structural barriers in our society and societal attitudes that are the issue? It can be very difficult for people who are blind or who have some kind of disability to complete mundane tasks in our world. It is not because they are not capable. It is because our world was not set up for anyone who isn’t able bodied.

When you think blind people can’t work, can’t complete higher education, can’t take care of children, then their opportunities will by definition be limited. There would be no need to push for accessibility in the work place or equal access to education. There would be no need to make sure they could participate in social activities. This kind of thinking can make a person with a disability or who is blind believe that they are not capable. They may internalize this ableist thinking and believe they are helpless. It is critical that we break down these prejudices.

Do not applaud the blind person who successfully walks down the street and jumps on a city bus independently. Consider why you think this task was so spectacular. Don’t call the blind mom walking her children to their bus stop your inspiration. Don’t be amazed that blind individuals work and go to school. Instead, expect all blind individuals to contribute to society in a meaningful way. Believe that blind individuals are capable of anything that they set their mind too. set high expectations for the blind and help break down barriers for the blind community.

You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future.

To contact the Missoula chapter of the NFB, email us at missoulachapter@nfbofmt.org .