Here is another podcast interview I recently did, this time on the Include with Dr Liz podcast.
There were several things I really enjoyed about this conversation. Dr Liz and I discussed my unwillingness to subscribe to labels. I feel that society so often defines us by our labels when we are, in reality, far more than just those parts.
While I fundamentally know and accept that I am blind, disabled, live with a chronic condition, and that all of those impact on the way I am in the world. Often, it feels like they are all that people see. Yet, I see myself as so much more than just those characteristics. And I wish to be seen and acknowledged for the value I bring, rather than the limitations that people ascribe to my labels.
I also loved the way in which Dr Liz challenged me on some of my thinking about the way people respond when a friend or colleague has a disability. She pointed out that I seem to hold two almost contradictory viewpoints, which really got me thinking about something that I inherently believe. Perhaps it’s something I should blog about, once I’ve thought about it a little more.
Basically, she asked me why I felt it was okay for some of my friends to step away when I lost my sight, when I do not feel it is okay for an employer or colleague to do the same. Though we didn’t spend much time on the topic, I hope to explore it in more detail in the future.
We also touched on ways in which tools and technologies that were originally designed for those living with disabilities have gained a far wider global audience, especially among the non-disabled community, the so-called curb cut effect. I’m sure you know the type of thing I’m referring to – voice notes on WhatsApp and other messaging services, audio books, and curb cuts themselves.
Finally, I got to express my frustration that different is so often taken to imply less or inferior. I personally believe that different should be taken as merely different. Where this plays out is that people consider the tools and techniques I use as being less effective or inferior to the way a sighted person does things. To me they are no better or worse, they are merely different.
On that note, if you’d like to listen to our entire conversation, you can find it on the following two links:
Audio Podcast:
YouTube Video:
