Last night after work, I came home, cooked dinner, and watched TV with my son and his girlfriend. One of the benefits of having kids or young adults around is that they keep us young and up to date with the latest music, TV shows, and movies!
My son selected to watch American Idol, so of course I joined them. The show is quite fun to watch, and an extra bonus was that one of the contestants for the show was Scott MacIntyre, a young man who is a singer/songwriter who happens to be visually impaired. All four judges voted “yes” that Scott would move on to the next audition round, which will be held in Hollywood.
His story made top news on the Internet and newspapers—the public still seems to take it as a surprise when someone who is blind can be talented or have some great achievement, like they are some sort of superhero or heroine. Although I’m glad for Scott or any other blind person who makes the news or gains fame; it is a good thing to educate the public that blind people can and do accomplish things.
As a parent of a visually impaired child, that’s another hat that we inherit—public awareness and education about people who are blind or visually impaired becomes part of our everyday life. Whether we’re at the grocery store or going to the movies, oftentimes we need to answer bystanders’ questions about blindness. I would love to hear some stories from you—how have you handled the public?