One of my favorite authors of all times was the late great Dr. Seuss. As a child, he taught me about perspective, life, struggles, celebration, joy and yes even sadness. One of my favorite books penned by this luminary was “The Sneetches.” If you haven’t read it yourself, or to your children, take a minute before reading this article. Published in 1954 by Redbook, this simple book taught me more about the discrimination that exists between cultures, races and those who are simply different by no fault of their own. Regardless of the new controversy being whipped up by people frothing at the mouth with an agenda. It is imperative that you don't get lost in the modern interpretation and rely only on the simple true message. Dr. Seuss was a man before his time and his messages applicable if your mind is open. His concept of a hierarchy based on an arbitrary characteristic is the basis for this piece. Keep in mind the line I love:
"...until neither the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew
whether this one was that one... or that one was this one... or which one was what one... or what one was who."
Imagine standing in a crowd and being invisible. Picture yourself at a large convention, on a new college campus, in a meeting or on the streets of a crowded urban city, all with people you don't know and realizing that nobody sees you. For those who are blind, who can’t see in a world that is increasingly hyper visualized, this isn't an exercise, it is in fact their reality. The blind exist in a world they can’t see and a world that does not see them. So, why is that? Being a social individual in a world that I referred to earlier as a hyper-visual world means that social cues are imperative in the interaction of people with not just others, but their surrounding environment as well. There is a certain amount of comfort and confidence to approach a stranger in the settings I described above, because, from the start they are experiencing the moment as you are.
For the blind, while they are as normal, intelligent, articulate and capable as their sighted counterparts, they are disadvantaged when it comes to the social aspects of life, the very real and simple things the sighted take for granted. That is why a blind individual often finds themselves standing alone in a crowd. In that crowd where the sighted share the sights of their environment, where a rolled eye, a smirk or even something as simple as a waive is lost to the blind. This single barrier is just one example of the two worlds experienced by equal individuals separated by one single attribute, visual information.
There is a stigma that exists on both sides of this equation. For the sighted, given the politically correct environment we find ourselves in, it is safer to simply ignore rather than engage. When I use the word ignore, I don't use it with any animus, it is just the simple fact that we haven’t as a society learned to enter into conversations with those not in our “Tribe,” out of a very real fear of offending. For those with disabilities, that tribe can be ambiguous. The sighted in general simply do not know how to approach someone in a crowd who is vision impaired. On the other hand, those who are blind are already struggling to gain access into the sighted world without standing out. This creates a perfect storm of sorts where two equal segments of our population can exist in the same space yet be so far apart. As someone who is blind, I already live in a world where I am viewed as “Less Than.” This, in spite of the many accomplishments and obstacles that I have had to overcome to prove myself as an equal.
Effective writing serves a purpose, it delivers a message and is constructed with a beginning a middle and an end. The end should offer a solution or a conclusion to what is written. In this case a solution to the topic. Here, the end is twofold; I call on the sighted community to never allow another blind person to stand alone in a crowd. Understand that the simple things that you take for granted are in fact invisible to the blind. Approach them, make them feel as though they are not alone. Include them into your world and you will soon discover that the only difference you have is you have access to visual information, the blind simply does not. Next, I challenge businesses to begin to solve for this very small difference. The world is changing even as I write this and we now live in a service economy. Today, if you don't have a car, there are ride sharing programs and Lyft and Uber are now monoliths in the transportation arena. Air B&B affords anybody with a room for the night or a family vacation. We no longer have to leave to shop for anything. Items can be purchased from the comfort of your own home and delivered directly to you. Media isn't something delivered on three channels through a pair of rabbit ears atop a TV set. A high-quality education no longer requires the physical attendance of a college, all that is required now is the will to learn and an internet connection. We have proven that we can solve both simple and intricate problems as we find ourselves in 2020. Why then have we not solved for something as simple as visual information for the blind? The reality is that issues involving vision impairment is something that is on the rise, not something that is in decline. Solving for this opens the world to the 22 million Vision Impaired in America and the over 300 million worldwide. As I stated, this is a reality that is increasing due to diet, diabetes, and aging population not to mention conflicts around the world to name just a few. Open this door and you solve not only a problem that the blind deal with daily, but you also solve a large socioeconomic problem that has a real monetary consequence for everybody. Beyond the economic consequences exist the fact that working in this arena serves a real social responsibility and ensures that we leave no one behind in a modern world. And to think, it is as simple as the inclusion of the blind with visual information which then allows them into the social fabric of society, the final link in the equality chain.
We have begun to sew some of the seeds through technology. However, these seeds are not viewed or even recognized by many resulting in a slow bend to the curve. I for one believe we are better than “The Sneetches” who rather than accepting difference and diversity in the beginning. Instead pursued ways to maintain the divide. Don't be a Sneetch, reach for something better, something that unites us rather than divides us and look forward to the day nobody is left to stand alone in a crowd.
**Picture accompanying article is many Blue Happy Faces representing a crowd, and, one lonely sad off color face in the middle.