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Blind, and Living a Full, Useful Life

As told to an “Awake!” correspondent in Puerto Rico

MANY persons unfortunately think of the blind as hopelessly handicapped. But did you realize that there are blind lawyers, judges, doctors and teachers? Blindness is a handicap, but it does not prevent many persons from living full and useful lives.

I am totally blind. Yet I am a housewife, look after my husband, and have reared two children.

I was not blind at birth. But I had pigment in the retina that slowly and progressively spread to blot out my sight. Because I could not see well enough to do my schoolwork, teachers at first thought I was backward. In time, however, my difficulty was recognized, and I was entered in sight-conservation classes. We were then living in Brooklyn, New York, having moved there from Puerto Rico.

In my high-school years I attended the New York Institute for the Blind. I could still see forms and silhouettes, and had good light perception. I participated in many school activities, and would read in Braille for hours. These were happy years. I did not think of my poor vision as a handicap, but rather viewed it as an incidental circumstance of life.

Rearing Children

At the age of twenty I married a signal officer whom I met when I was learning to become a telephone switchboard operator in Puerto Rico. When my two children were infants I still had some form and light perception, and with my specially developed sense of touch it was not hard for me to care for them. I could easily bathe and dress them, and I would prepare them nourishing meals. However, as with most children, they did not like everything. I can remember my husband coming home at night and finding food that, unknown to me, they had thrown out the window.

However, rather than its being a hindrance, I think that my blindness actually benefited the children. They were moved to show more love and consideration for me and for others. Their observation became keener as they used their sight in my behalf. They would tell me the exact color of each part of the sky, little details of how people were dressed, and many other things that most people overlook.

From an early age I taught the children good habits and personal organization. I worked hard at this, because their cooperation was essential for me to care properly for the household. For example, when they took their clothes off, they would always put them in the same place so that I could find them on washday. And after a meal I taught them to leave their utensils on the table in a certain position so that I could easily pick them up and take them to the kitchen.

Teaching my daughter to cook was a particular challenge. It was most distressing at times, because she did not always place things in the same place so that I could find them. However, with time and patience she eventually learned to do things as a blind person would. Thus not only did she learn to cook, but she developed excellent personal organization.

I tried to bring the children up so that they would never be self-conscious because I was blind, and I do not think they were. To have fun with me, young Tommy would sometimes play tricks. By the time he was seven or eight he was very good at imitating voices. He would ring the doorbell, and imitate older persons’ voices. On occasion I would even change from my housedress, put on makeup, brush my hair, and be ready to receive what I thought were guests. Once when a young man came on a real errand I thought it was mischievous Tommy, and it took quite a bit of talking for him to convince me that he was not my son.

Doing My Shopping

People often ask how I am able to get around outside my home so as to care for the many duties necessary in connection with myself and my household. In shopping, I at first needed help to know the way to the stores, but when my guide dog gets used to the area I have no problem. On entering a store or passing its door I usually know what type of business it is because of the odor and the general environment. Each type of business has its own peculiar smell and noises. So I have no trouble in identifying a drugstore, department store and so forth.

I like to dress well, and so I am careful in shopping for clothes. When I get to the department I am looking for, I tell the saleswoman the size, color and pattern of the garment I am interested in. In my mind I can “see” just what I want, and so do my best to explain this. Then, when I try it on, I ask people nearby how I look in it. Of course, I can feel if it fits right, and so can finally make my choice.

I find it harder to shop for food because one has to read the labels. When I go to the supermarket, I ask the employees to help me. I keep in mind exactly what I want, because the employees cannot spend all day chasing around the store for me. Most of the time I take a companion when I go shopping for food.

When I return home with my purchases I have a specific place for each item. If I did not, I would not be able to find them later on. So you can see why I prefer to put everything away myself. To identify items I learn their forms, and in the case of cans I mark them. Thus when I am looking for something, I know immediately where it is and what it feels like.

Cooking and Cleaning

I enjoy cooking, and I like to prepare a variety of dishes. This is not difficult. I know the various ingredients by the shelf they are on and by the different shapes and sizes of boxes and cans they are in. Also, my senses of touch, smell and taste help to avoid any mix-ups. Really, I prefer to cook by myself, because if others help me I do not know where they put things, and later I have trouble in finding them.

A big help is the special kitchen equipment that has been designed for the blind. There are bumps on my roaster’s temperature control and bumps on the Braille timer or alarm timer. Thus I can determine by feel where to set the temperature control and timer. I also have a plastic rolling pin for one-handed use, allowing me to feel the dough with the other hand. And I have a Braille cookbook, Cooking Without Looking.

The extra effort needed to keep my house clean has always seemed worth while to me. At times my neighbors even bring visitors in to show them an example of a well-kept house. By the sense of touch I can tell when the floor or furniture needs cleaning. Once for a short time I had a maid who thought she could take advantage of me; so she swept the dirt under the beds. Later I checked this in my bare feet, and she was embarrassed when my feet were so dirty they needed a scrubbing.

It is really essential that my house be neat, everything being kept in a given place. As it is, I have a mental picture of each room, so I can walk through the whole house without bumping into anything.

Training the Senses

Some persons believe that the other senses of the blind are naturally superior. However, studies show that this is not so. The blind are not born with especially acute hearing, touch, smell or taste, but, rather, by training these senses they are able to increase the efficiency of them. Let me give you an example.

Sit down and listen to some music. Close your eyes so that you can better appreciate the sounds. Now, what are you doing? You are shutting out certain things that might distract you, and by concentration you are training your hearing ability. It is similar with blind persons. We do not have the distractions sighted persons do, and so we can concentrate better on the developing of other senses, such as our hearing.

It is remarkable the amount of information that can be acquired through senses other than sight. I utilize all my senses​—smell, hearing, touch and taste—​so that I can “see,” as it were, where I am or what I am doing. In this way I get quite a complete picture of my surroundings, knowing just what is going on around me.

The sense of hearing is particularly important. There are, of course, sounds that are emitted by objects​—a honking car, a moving fan or a speaking person. The blind become experts at analyzing such sounds. For example, I can tell by the direction of one’s voice whether one is tall or short, and so either look up into one’s face or down, as the case may be.

Also, reflected sounds can be of tremendous help. The environment is emitting all types of sounds​—steps on the sidewalk, voices of people, sounds of traffic, and so forth—​and these sounds are constantly being reflected off walls, furniture, floors and other things. Blind persons develop a consciousness of these reflected sounds, and often can learn much from them. For example, I can walk down the street or through a building and know by the reflected sound if I am near a wall, door or other object.

My sense of touch also tells me many things. I learn, not only from what I touch with my hands, but from the things that touch me. A gentle breeze, however slight, might indicate an open window or door or, if I am in the street, an opening between two buildings. The perception of warmth or coolness is important, as when I am moving around the kitchen with the stove on. Also, I can tell if a vehicle has been parked for a long or short time by the heat emitted. The average person is usually amazed at the completeness of the picture I get of my surroundings by perception through senses other than sight.

Speaking with the Blind

You can be helpful by treating the blind similar to the way you treat persons who can see. Please do not approach us and say, “Guess who I am.” This only emphasizes our condition. When you introduce someone to a blind person, instead of just saying, “Meet Mr. So-and-So,” it is more helpful if you say, “At your right is Mr. So-and-So, whom I would like you to meet.”

Also, it is not really kind to say, “There goes that poor blind person.” I do not feel that I am “poor.” Just because we have a handicap does not mean we cannot live full, useful lives. We appreciate it when you talk to us in the same manner as you do to others. In this way we feel a part of the group, and not like some rare species.

A Full, Useful Life

Really, I can do most things sighted persons do. Not only can I read, but I can also write in Braille, using a little stylus and small piece of metal full of holes. Since these instruments are small, I can carry them with me, and take notes whenever I need to. When I give a talk in the Theocratic Ministry School, in which I am enrolled in the congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses with which I associate, I can feel my notes and so never have to turn my face away from the audience. Also, I never have to look at the time; I know it by just feeling my watch.

However, what makes my life especially full and meaningful is knowing our Creator, Jehovah God, and serving him. I am a full-time teacher, spending at least a hundred hours a month in helping others to learn God’s purposes. I go with my dog calling on persons from house to house. When I find someone who wants me to come back I write down the name and address, being careful to remember where I am and how to get back to the same street, and then with the help of my dog I return. At present I conduct each week about ten Bible studies in the homes of interested persons.

I raised my children to share in this same godly work. In March of 1970 my daughter Marlene graduated from the Gilead missionary school of Jehovah’s witnesses in New York city, and in September of 1971 Tommy graduated from the same school. Tommy is now a missionary in Spain.

Marlene served as a missionary for six months in Ecuador, but then she became seriously ill and so returned to Puerto Rico. I was with her day and night at the hospital. From her bed she studied the Bible with one of the nurses, even though she fainted each time after the study was finished. The nurse is now ready to symbolize by water baptism her dedication to serve Jehovah God. Marlene lived twenty-five fruitful years, but the disease proved fatal. There were over a thousand persons who attended her funeral.

Now when I talk to people about God’s purposes they have added meaning to me. I am so grateful to Jehovah God for his promise of the resurrection, and that the day will come when I will be able to feel my daughter, hear her, and yes, see her, when she lives here on this earth again. I feel that mine is indeed a full and useful life, sharing with as many persons as I possibly can the grand hope that our loving Creator offers to mankind.