WE ALL NEED FRIENDS


It has been a hard enough life. I have had a sight problem since birth so I have no clear sight of colors. Colors are dull but I can imagine what they look like bright.

I grew up in a household with mom and my younger sister having the same problem as I. It made it easy to cope with my sight and help my sis cope with hers. School was hard in the beginning because the other kids made fun of me. But I took it in and kept it inside.

I was in public school from K to 9th grade and then I got to go to Perkins School for the Blind in the 10th grade. They were a year behind the public school, so that meant I went back the 9th grade.

After I finished school, I got married and had three kids. Everyone told me I could not handle them, but to their surprise, they grew up to be successful in their lives. I worked in a publishing house that was called National Braille Press. I learned to read braille there; they would not teach me it in school because I had too much sight. I learned to read, write, and put together braille books.

These days I am working at Options Clubhouse where I help others get on the computers and onto the Internet. In addition, I have been working in a public café. I was scared initially because of my sight, but when I started working there everyone was so nice and no one saw me as a blind women.

It stills hurts inside, but I have been lucky that I have people who see me as I am and don't look at me as a person with a sight problem. A person is a person and should be looked at like a person and not someone different. We are all different in some way, so we should treat others the same way you would like to be treated. We all need friends.

Copyright © 2001 C. Clevesy

More Stories For Life