The thoughts and feelings of people with sight problems are often ignored because many organisations are run by well-intentioned sighted people. With the best will in the world, these sighted people cannot know what’s best for people with sight impairment, nor can they be as motivated when it comes to campaigning for change. And very often they are frightened of saying the really hard things that might upset the sighted world, the people who give us our funding. Amongst themselves, they disagree about the best approach to take and waste time with infighting and political wrangling.
Meanwhile, the people who have a problem with their sight can’t campaign, precisely because of the lack of progress made.
In many ways I’m lucky because as well as being very confident I’ve also had a good education and a broad range of life experiences. However, I’m not typical, as one very shocking comment I overheard illustrated: one former chief executive of the Guide Dogs charity turn to another and said: ‘He’s very bright for a blind man, isn’t he?’ This is unforgivable! To hear someone so high up utter such a phrase makes my blood boil.
The sad fact is that there are many people in my world who haven’t had my advantages. These people have no voice, no confidence and poor communication skills. Sometimes they are simply unable to put forward their own case in an effective way because their emotions overwhelm their attempts to argue rationally.
For example, I once attended a meeting where the attendees were given the opportunity to lobby the European Transport Minister. One sight impaired gentleman spoke up but it soon emerged that he had neither the subject knowledge nor the eloquence to deal with the situation. When he realised he was losing the argument, he blurted out that he’d never in fact liked the minister and thought he was a ‘fat bastard’. The minister and his entourage simply left the building and I for one don’t blame him.
The deaf community always had such strong campaigners – campaigners like Jack (now Lord) Ashley. The sight impaired community, on the other hand, just had a few nice, middle-class, church-going ladies, with perfect eyesight, who could perhaps not put enough time or energy into campaigning. At least they started the ball rolling by setting up organisations such as the RNIB and Guide Dogs, but they haven’t as yet made much progress.
To improve this situation sight impaired people need to be far more involved in leading an organised campaign, which is well supported by sighted people. We need to be working alongside sighted campaigners. To make this possible, we clearly need to improve education and training opportunities for people with any kind of sight impairment so that they gradually develop the social, intellectual and managerial skills they need. The sight impaired also need to have leadership courses and skills development training so that fundraising can become more focused and professional. (And for that matter, why can’t funds be provided so that professional fundraisers do the fundraising?) People with sight difficulties will then be in a much stronger position to present polite, yet effective campaigns, which will benefit enormously from any support the sighted community is also able to give. In this respect, I applaud the way in which Guide Dogs is being led by sight impaired people themselves... and I would like to challenge sighted people within other charities to promote this model. All campaigns will be more effective if sight impaired people are at the helm.
Who else has a better idea of what needs to be done?
We also desperately need the help of sighted people because too often sight impaired people don’t act because of a lack of money, a lack of confidence and a lack of awareness of their own rights. As a result, I would urge sighted people within the RNIB and Guide Dogs to help bring forward class actions under DDA on behalf of all sight impaired people – they are the ones with the resources and the influence. Failure to do so leaves sight impaired people disenfranchised.
Although I’ve always found politics to be mind-numbingly dull, I have become involved in this process of blindy-led campaigning. In recent years I’ve talked to parliamentary committees, individual Lords and MPs and I’ve even found myself marching outside parliament and speaking at a debate in Westminster Hall. Not bad for a blind lad from Jarrow!
It certainly wasn’t something I’d sought or expected, though. I’m now thinking of investing in my very own soap box. (And while I’m considering getting on it, I’d better mention right now that ‘blindy’ is a term only blindies are allowed to use. Don’t try using it yourself... Believe, me. It’s not a good idea.)
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