Blind is Bueatiful

Do you know anyone who is Blind or Visually Impaired? I do! ME! Hi, my name is Ashley. I am 15 years old and I am visually impaired. I have a disorder called "Optic Nerve Hypoplasia". I attend a School for the Blind so most of my friends are blind or visually impaired. People think a lot of different things about us Blind people. There are so many misconceptions. I would like to clear a few of these up and hopefully help you to see that blind people are the same the sighted. So, here goes nothing:

One big misconception is that blind people are dumb. This is actually rather funny. We are not dumb. Most of us are pretty smart. If I am dumb, then how am I writing this article? I know some blind people may look dumb but these people are the ones that give us bad names. I personally make honor and am doing very well in school. I plan to be a child psychiatrist. We are just the same as normal people. Our I.Q.s are normal and no different from "Normal" people.

Another big misconception is: blind people can't do anything for themselves. This one sort of makes me mad. I know how to dress, feed, wash, and live by myself. We are not helpless. Yes, sometimes we do need extra help but at some point in everyone's life, so do you. True? We can lively independently very easily. We have means of travel and this means we can get to work as well. Yes, work. We have jobs. Some people like to collect disability but that is not because they are blind. They are lazy.

Last but not least, people think we have a sixth sense. First, we don't see dead people. I have had people ask me this question and I have yet to figure it out. What might the sixth sense be? I know some say we are gifted. Well some are gifted but it's not because they are blind. There are a lot of sighted people who are gifted as well. This one I can't elaborate on too well because I don't know what the sixth sense is but I can assure you, we don't have it.

So I hope you can see that blind and visually impaired people are the same as sighted people. If you ever encounter a person like this, don't be afraid. Treat them the way you would anyone else. We are all alike. We just can't see as well. It's ok, we won't bite you. Chances are, we can't even see you. My motto is "Blind is beautiful, sighted is beautiful, we are all beautiful, so treat us all the same."

Ashley Flanary, 15, attends the Tennessee School for the Blind.