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Blogathon Workspace, 7:00 PM

Guest Post by Cathy Browne (www.cathybrowne.com) Thank you Cathy!

I’m a Twitter fiend. I know and interact with many people. I’m a vocal participant in many Twitter communities. I blog about my Twitter experiences. I’m known in some circles as a fairly savvy social media PR gal.

No one cares that I am blind. Legally, that is. I see a little. I fake a lot

It’s a funny thing when people don’t know you have a ‘disability’. You’re treated just like everyone else. You’re admired and respected for your intellect, your humor, and your opinions. But once I let it slip that I have no sight in one eye and less than 10 per cent in the other, I get a variety of interesting reactions that boils down to something like this:

“Really? You don’t look/sound/act blind.”

Good. I’m glad. I have to say that I work hard at achieving normalcy. I’m grateful that most people haven’t ever seen me walking into glass doors, tripping up or down stairs and – my favorite – asking department store dummies for directions. (Slink back from the dummy, real slow…that’s it. Now turn around, and walk away. Don’t look back.)

Lack of sight isn’t that much of a burden. It’s definitely an inconvenience when I’d love to be able to hop in a car whenever I feel like it. And I do wish I could read name tags and not re-introduce myself to the same people over and over again. But quite honestly, when people ask me if I’d ever change anything in my life, I give them an answer they really don’t expect:

“Good teeth and a nose job.”

That’s why I love social media platforms like Twitter. People with shared interests and goals converse, inform, debate, entertain and laugh. We’re all engaged, galvanized and inspired. The world is so much smaller.
And nobody gives a damn if your nose is on your computer screen, or if you’re in a wheelchair or if you can hear. A level playing field, at least virtually.
Hey, let’s work on more of that in real life. What a concept