Occasionally, there can be jealousy. I know this one from personal experience that while most days, it doesn't affect me, there are days when I am green with envy at those people who can carry things in two hands, walk by themselves, hold hands with a partner and a child. I could write volumes on the insecurities that play into this, along with the potential damage done if it isn't tempered by acceptance. However, that too, while valid, isn't quite where I'm going.
That mixture of amusement and frustration, generally accompanied by a rolling of the eyes and a shake of the head, is my focus for today. It's the one that is sparked by ignorance and assumptions, and a general cluelessness of which I rant today. So grab yourselves a nice beverage and a snack, and let's compare notes!
In the midst of a conversation at the office recently, I mentioned that the Dynamo, good friend of the Professor, just got an iPhone. Now, for those who are still living under a rock, the iPhone looks something like this:
(Please note: photo used without copyright permission for educational purposes only!)
So, as we can clearly see, the iPhone, in all its glory, has a touch screen. The Dynamo is blind. And as I mentioned how much the Dynamo liked the interface with her other adaptive technological devises, the inevitable exclamation hit the table. "But she's blind. She can't use a touch screen!" Uh. Why don't you tell her that and see how far you get?
Then there is the photographer who, after hearing on a public forum that I have a disability, told me flat out that I have no business even trying to be a photographer. Since I cannot squat, kneel, move quickly at angles, like other photographers, I am taking valuable business away from those "who can do the job for real." He told me that having aspirations was fine in theory, but that I, like most "handicapped" people, needed to "learn [my] limitations."
Well color me flabbergasted. 'Cause see, while I might have been a tad slower than most people in getting down and back up, I had no physical issue getting this shot:
And miraculously, I was able to "move fast enough" to catch this shot, but not get myself or Alejandro wet:
Keeping steady enough to capture the Artist's unbelievable eyes? Hmm. Didn't seem to be a problem:
Now, the surfer dude may not have been steady on his feet, but I think my angle and my speed was pretty comparable:
Yes, I could go on and on, but if anyone has AD/HD like me, it's already kicking in. The bottom line is that the general ignorant public truly has no clue about the adaptive maneuvers and actual abilities that we have.
So when someone tells me that I "shouldn't bother" being a photographer simply because I can't walk like they do, or can't kneel down, I'm left with a conundrum. How exactly am I supposed to respond to that? Part of me feels angry: I'm tired of the stupidity, but it isn't my job to engage in a battle of wits with a clearly unarmed person. Part of me pities the person: to be that ignorant must really suck. Part of me just rolls my eyes and ignores it, but the issue there lies in the fact that the ignorance and the stereotyping is perpetuated. I wind up not really knowing what to say, what to do, how to react.
Instead, I think I'll just leave that guy with this:
