Visionaries: Episode 5, Blind Ambition by Susan Gray
For the two-thirds of my life that I have been blind, people’s perception of what my life must be like never fails to surprise me.
I attribute this to the level of difficulty people have in imagining what it is like to be blind. In doing so, it is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the loss of sight. Our imaginations tend to keep us tied to worst case scenarios, and unable to move us forward to the practical realities of living with the fearful thing blindness is.
Most of the people I know with sensory loss tend not to stay in that place of fear and confusion; rather, they become some of the most ambitious people I know.
You might ask what it is about the human psyche that allows us the determination to override the fear of our new circumstance and adapt to it. Where does that strength come from, and does everyone have it?
While most of my peers do not see themselves as especially schooled in adversity, we all agree that life is hard, even without vision loss. Sighted or not, we all can face illness, loss of a loved one, divorce, unemployment, discrimination, poverty, alienation or isolation, just to name a few of life’s punches. Getting back on your feet from any of these takes inner strength. Perhaps this is made more difficult by also being blind, but I would wager the emotional toll is similar.
No one will tell you it’s easy to be blind, but most of us get to a place where it becomes familiar. We have taken the time to learn to do the things that we both want and need to do, and once mastered, these tasks give us confidence to try other things. Some of my peers jump out of perfectly good planes, some run 5K races, ride horses, ski and snowboard, play golf or beeper softball. We all use technology and love the access that artificial intelligence can give us to our smart phones and computers. Applications like “Seeing AI” read mail and labels and currency. Smart speakers help us shop and find recipes, phone numbers and addresses, music and news. I am writing this article with the aid of a screen reader that tells me what I am typing.
While these advances in technology are very helpful, statistically, seventy percent of people that are blind remain unemployed. I have spent two decades of my life without a job. While I filled that time taking care of my son and volunteering in many capacities, my goal was always to work as an advocate for people with vision loss. So, for me, not giving up on that desire has paid off.
I’ve been doing some research for trainings that Aurora will hold for legally blind individuals, and one of the materials I am using is the motivational speech by Admiral William H. McCraven. It’s commonly referred to as the “make your bed” speech. Admiral McCraven runs through ten premises to follow for success in life. They are all great ideals to live by, but the last one resonates with me the most. He tells us to “Never, never ring the bell.” Translation: Never give up, give in or succumb. We have all been through experiences that have knocked us off our feet. Realistically, we can expect this throughout our lives. It’s the getting back up again that will define our successes.
What does success look like for someone who’s blind? Maybe not what the rest of America would call success, as defined by social media “likes” or “views”, but more in line with the simple premises Admiral McCraven discusses in his speech. Make your bed every morning, face obstacles head on, don’t expect life to be fair, be you’re very best in the darkest hour, and find someone to help along your journey…Remember to define yourself for who you are and not what you do. The people we remember in our lives were people who showed up. And, you can’t show up if you remain knocked down. So, what does it take to step through your life blind?
We define ambition as a strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring hard work. I like the definition of blind ambition better: the determination to overcome obstacles and achieve the impossible.