'Positive Changes Were Made by the Blind, for the Blind'

Patricia Munson | Albany, California

I have been blind since birth. At the time of my youth, not much positive about blindness was known. Few people knew that a transformation was taking place for those of us who are blind.

"You are five, so you understand if you fail in public school we will send you to the special school."

Had I not kept up with the work in first grade because of blindness, I would have been sent to a blind school. Schools for the blind are fine; the problem was my family. The quote about school was made by a family member. The very sad part of this story is that my family, though well-meaning, was only mirroring the negative attitudes held by society at the time. Negative comments were made to me from infancy on:

"You cannot get on this bus; there are no empty seats. You cannot stand, for you might fall."

"We would like to hire you to teach in this public school but we have a clause in our contract forbidding our employing you."

I did not get that first teaching job; I was ignorant of my civil rights. I did get another and worked 35 years. I was allowed to teach only because of the many years of tireless work by the members of an organization that came before me.

"We cannot rent this apartment to you; there are dangerous stairs."

I did rent that apartment because by that time I did know my rights.

"You cannot get on this bus; there are no empty seats. You cannot stand, for you might fall."

I got on that bus. And I graduated from that school system. Students like me from that special school came to the public school and helped me to learn and to feel proud about myself. Positive changes in laws and attitudes were made by the blind themselves, for the blind.