Be an Overcomer

Hello. Anita here, and this week we’re going to talk about challenges and overcoming them.

Recently, I have become a new foster mom. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience. I have learned that being a mom involves way more than just watching the child. I have already made so many phone calls and accompanied the child to an appointment. Due to confidentiality, I will not share with you any details about the child in this blog. But, I do want to tell you about the key challenges and how I have overcome them as a blind person.

One challenge is dealing with the misconceptions about the capabilities of the blind. And, I will not share a lot about that on this blog for privacy reasons. But I will say that the social worker and my home finder have done an excellent job at holding high expectations for the blind. They have entrusted me to care for a very special child. They are not the ones who have presented this challenge. However, as a caregiver, I need and want to know their concerns. I told the social worker to feel free to ask me any questions. I am an educator, and I do want what is best for the child. One of their concerns was that the child tends to be active and run a lot. When the social worker expressed this to me, I explained that I had locks on my doors that can only be opened with a key. This assured her the child would be safe with me. I also talked with her about other ways I will keep the child safe, including using a bear that she wears like a backpack. It has a leash, which I put on my wrist. At church and other places out of my house, it will keep her from running away from me.

What they did not tell me was that the child takes a great deal of medication, and more importantly, that it requires two people to ensure she takes the medicine—one to administer it and the other to hold her hands so she does not grab the syringe or push away the person trying to give her the medicine. If they had told me this before I accepted her, I would have told them to find another placement for her because I live alone. Fortunately, my pastor, his fiancee, and my cousins are assisting me with this. The social worker is exploring other options, as well.

Even though this challenge is not related to blindness, I wanted to share it with you because it is important that, as blind people, we know our strengths and weaknesses. We need to know when to take on a challenge and when to say no. Really, this is the case, regardless of vision. Knowing who we are and our talents and strengths will enable us to be productive and will also enable us and others to stay safe. If we lack confidence or feel we are incapable, we should consult others in the blindness community for their input on how we can do a task we really want to do. It is probably possible, but blindness training may be necessary before we can accomplish it. Our other option is to teach ourselves, which I love to do. But, be sure safety factors are considered and adhered to before self-discovery occurs.

To give an example, my brother and I taught ourselves many years ago how to walk to a nearby college. One of us would wait at a point while the other walked further and explored. If someone were injured, the other person would be able to call for help. Also, this helped us to always find our way back to the apartment we lived in at the time. Experimenting with techniques and tricks we think of is a great way to conquer new skills. But, accepting our limitations is also important. Considering other factors that require a "no" answer to performing an activity is important, too. Here are some questions to help you determine if you should try an activity and conquer barriers related to your blindness.

1. Why do I want to do this activity? If the answer is to help others, because I would enjoy it,  or because it is necessary, then you should probably figure out a way to do it. If the answer is pride, you may still be able to conquer the challenge, but be careful. Pride alone should not impact your decision.

2. Do I have the skills to accomplish this goal? If not, then conduct some research to learn how and where you can get the necessary training. It might be a blindness training center, like the one at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland or the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Or, it might be a week-long visit to a blindness rehabilitation training center in your state. Or, maybe it is an online tutorial or a friend or family member that can give you some pointers and walk you through the steps of a given task. Most important, be informed and weigh your options so you can select the best one.

3. Finally, is fear keeping you from conquering the challenge? If so, then you will need to build confidence. Confidence is built in small steps. A training center can help with this, but, consistently doing things for yourself will be the most beneficial.

You might also think about how to start an activity. For example, before using the table saw, I asked my instructor to turn it off and unplug it. This way, I knew I could explore it without it turning on. After that, I felt more comfortable in using it because I had a mental picture  of what it looked like. Learning other prevention steps and safety techniques is also important. For example, I lacked confidence in frying foods. For safety, I asked a friend and some family members to be with me in the kitchen and to show me how much grease to pour in when frying potatoes. I received a little experience and built confidence with this in a training center, as well  and then more after practicing at home. I also found online safety tips.

So, what challenges are you facing? What are you going to do to overcome the ones that matter to you? Yes, with determination and the right tools and techniques, you can do it!!! Have fun trying!

Have any examples to share about overcoming challenges? Drop us a comment below. We’d love to hear your story.

Beginning in October, this blog will be changing to a twice a month blog, rather than once a week. With school starting back and with both of us busy with new projects this year, we want to concentrate our efforts on bringing you informative posts that will help and encourage. We feel the best way to do this is to post only twice a month. Until then, though, we’ll be right here, posting every Thursday.

And, speaking of every Thursday, be sure and come back next week for another edition of Interviews to Empower. We have an interview all ready for you. Until then, have a fantabulous weekend, and hop on over to facebook.com/adkinsandwells/ and “like” our page.

Blessings.