I feel like I need some advice as lately I feel less than human in regular social environments. My blindness prevents me from being included in all the better things in life and I think this hinders my relationship(s) and all. I mean I feel like I cannot relate as a human being like driving, video games, getting gainful employement, visual arts, fashion, games, etc. Any advice about this matter?
My general advice when it comes to social interaction is this. 1. Find your common ground. 2. Talk about - or better yet, ask questions about - your common ground. And I don't see any reason why that shouldn't apply to you as well. I don't play (many) video games, either, or watch much TV. That just means I have to find other areas of commonality. I'm quite a music geek, for instance, so I often try to find out what other people listen are listening to. And sometimes, I come in as an outsider. Everybody else might work in the same building, perhaps. And as such, I might not know precisely the situation that they're talking about, but by asking questions, and referring to my own (other) frames of reference, I can get a fairly good picture of the situation, and talk about it from there. So I might not know who the actual people are that they're discussing, but I do know that people generally act in similar ways wherever you go. So it doesn't take too many questions before I understand who hates whom, who thinks who is a bitch, who has the hots for whom, and so forth. It's true that you may have less common ground than most. But I just think that means you need to work what common ground you DO have harder. Lex
Hi there! Welcome to EC! Let me turn your first sentence around. "My blindness does not prevent me from being included in all the better things in life." Honestly, you still can enjoy the things in life that will give you a sense of fulfillment. Yes, you will experience them differently than most of us, but your experiences should still give you a sense that you are not less than human. For example, you might not be able to drive, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Remember that a lot of people who have the ability to or can drive choose not to drive. Why not try to relate to them? I can only imagine how it must feel at times, and even though there are things in life that you might not be able to do like playing video games, you can still pick up other hobbies or do other things that you enjoy and will give you a sense of being able to relate. Do you like to listen to music? As for getting meaningful employment, employers will at times accommodate persons with disabilities and who have vision impairment. Any workplace can be retrofitted to include the necessary technology for you to be able to do your job, and display your skills and knowledge. It might take you a bit longer to get the employment you want and desire, but if you have a goal, don't give up on it. (*hug*)
Thanks totheoth of youotally! Hugs to the th o oforthe hlp. My prblem is that li people n the deep south are very prejudice even in my college ton. Peopl seemingly avoid me perhaps like f fear.Serusly thou likeeole ink ttblindness lik ohr tn likehomoexualit is contageous r sometng yu know? I mean humans are like insecue as hell towards themselves. Maybetheare afraithey will urn gay or somthing? Wel, I need good frinds h are positiv. Can you uys be my frieds? I dont hae mayfrinds in real life just hard cause humanhomo sapien sapies lack patience! seriously ike the oungr ons especialy! I'm fiding out wh I hought I new abut gays was toally wron! I meanlike peopl try to stereotype gys s being someh lik hateful or maliceful like catli priest I've met in ton wen to Poland rih? Well, he was supposedly ecounted my frenhc gays whowereagressivly anti-prist or anti-catholicism. Anywas, good to seelike ohereligios things that ijut an oinon. thanks and a tar t the both of u! I'll need to work being psitively rinbow today!
Hi there! (*hug*) At times people can be a bit 'apprehensive' in making contact because they are unsure as to what to say and/or feel internally uncomfortable talking with someone who has a disability or vision impairment. But this is not a reflection of you, but rather of them. As you open up to others and show that you are no different than your peers, and that you have the similar if not the same interests as someone sitting next to you, the chances of others becoming more comfortable and being able to see past your vision impairment will expand exponentially. As for being gay, and coming out and finding acceptance and support, you can start building that base for it by trying to get to know people who you feel could be supportive or accepting. In your introduction thread you mentioned that you have a fiance and are seeing a counselor to talk about gender identity (and I'm sorry to read about your past (*hug*)). Do you feel that your fiance could or would (or continue to) be supportive once your counseling sessions end?
I'm typing using a screen reader called Window-Eyes found at th GWMicro company online. I won' give the url cause the site would think its advertizement. My fiance won't support me after the counseling if I came out in any case. In fact, I'm on here secretively without hher knowing it. She thinksshe wants a manly construction type but I'm just not that kind of guy you know? Anyways, I'll see how it goes. I'm sort of afraid of things right now.
Hi there! Although you are finding yourself in a tough situation at the moment, you will be able to get through it all. Everything has its time and place, and eventually everything will fall into place. EC is a really good place to turn to when you are afraid of things. Knowing that you have this support can help. I think one of the questions you should perhaps ask yourself is as to whether your current relationship with her is all that it seems to be. It seems that she has different expectations in terms of what you should be or what you should be like. Though yet, her expectations and ideas don't meet the reality. Try to deal with one thing at a time though. Try to figure things out for yourself first. Become comfortable with yourself. (*hug*)
