Can I split this thread once I’m in front of a computer? If it’s fine with all involved, what should I title it?
Oh my goodness. This is amazing. I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag with NSEW directions. Actually, in writing that and thinking hard about it - I could if I was expected to do so more frequently. It’s one of the things that I’m good at is knowing which direction north is. But it’s not something I use regularly. I will keep it in mind!
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I’m fine with it. No idea what to title it though.
I am trying to think of a witty title and failing. But I’m OK with a split. It has gone pretty off-topic from jobs and diabetes, and if people are interested in continuing the discussion, I think it makes sense to split the thread.
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This is the case with so much that surrounds disability. So much that people think is difficult or amazing or impossible at first would be possible for anyone to do with enough practice. Anyone reading this thread who might lose their vision would still be able to read, use a computer, walk down the street, prepare meals, hold down a job, continue with hobbies… Not right away, because it would mean learning new ways of doing things. But with enough practice, all of those things and much more are possible.
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FWIW, my wife is also diagnosed as PRE-diabetic, but she eats pretty normally. We’ve tried to get her to slow down on the carbs, but she won’t listen. So I’m the only one with T2 insulin dependent diabetes.
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And for me, I’ve been legally blind since birth and had T1 since I was 9 years old (I’m in my late 30s now).
This is fascinating. I’d love to hear research about how the brain learns, and if reading print or Braille worked in the same manner (does the brain use the same processing centers for touch based reading or visual based reading) and how does this differ from auditory language based learning.
If I understand correctly, what you’re saying is: it’s just different. Maybe different than a person’s “before” and maybe different than other people’s “current” way of doing something, but it still works - having a job, moving down the street, cooking, etc.
I’m parsing this. And I think it’s important. Thank you.
I suppose the idea relates back to diabetes. When someone’s newly diagnosed, there’s the onslaught of insinuations about what is no longer possible. However, in real life, most everything is still very possible. The limitations are frequently perceived - occasionally by the diabetic person, often by others - and not fact/real/actual limitations.
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Exactly! I mean, there are a few real limitations. If you’re blind, you can’t drive, for example. But what’s the purpose of driving? Mostly, to get from Point A to Point B. And you can still do that, you just have to do it differently from most people. The same is true of almost everything. And, unlike diabetes, there is the additional task of learning to use senses that you may have spent most of your life largely ignoring, so that can take quite a bit of effort. And a majority of people who lose their vision as adults are seniors, which can present all sorts of other complications due to additional disabilities and the like. Still, most people can learn to do even different and perhaps difficult things if they have a good teacher and put time and effort into the process.
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