A Step Into the Unknown
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Clearly Seeing Blind, the blog written by the youth patient advocates of the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation. I am Olivia Hoffman and I created this blog as a way for all of us to share our experiences and stories with all of you. Our foundation works towards finding a cure for the CRB1 gene mutation through fundraising and spreading awareness in our communities. We have families from various countries around the world working towards the collective goal of finding a cure. As the youth of the foundation we try to contribute as much as we can to help our parents to find a cure for our disease. What better way is there to do that than by sharing our experiences with the world through a blog written by all of us? We can write down our thoughts and views of the world so that you may be able to clearly see what it is like to be blind.
Did you know that vision is the primary data-gathering system in a human? Take for example an apple on the table. In one glance, you immediately get so much feedback and information sent to the brain. The color of the apple, the shape of the apple, the depth from how far the apple is, the fine detail of the stem of the apple. All instantly. So what happens when you have a visual impairment so young and at an age when the brain is rapidly growing and craving stimulation? We, as babies with visual impairments, have a greater risk for developmental delays than our sighted peers. Me for example, I am approximately 6 months behind on my gross motor skills.
But why? As much as I am brave and fearless, I am very hesitant on exploring my world when I cannot visually see as well as, per say, my brother can. I am more reluctant to take that step into the unknown, when I do not know what lies ahead. I have to build that confidence using the vision that I DO have, along with my other senses guiding me. My physical therapist and my parents are helping me step by step, build my confidence and build my strength on exploring my world with the vision that I do have as well as how to rely on my others sense to explore my surroundings. It can be frustrating at times, but I know I can do it. I can figure out how to navigate my world. I am learning how to clearly see blind.
For about Cora’s story check out her post, In the Shadows
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