by Abigail L. Johnson
(Editor’s Note: The poem below was submitted to the International Society of Poets to be displayed and read at their next annual convention, which Abby was unable to attend. This organization honored her with a Poet of Merit award for other poetry she has written. She noted, “This particular poem is something to which your readers can relate since it is about overcoming barriers between visually impaired people and society. So, I hope it is something you can publish in The Braille Forum.” Here it is, Abby, with our thanks.)
Before I went to school,
I knew nothing about my visual impairment.
I did not know that braille and print existed.
I did not realize
that some people can see better than others.
I did not know about things such as
white canes, guide dogs, or talking clocks, calculators, or computers.
It did not occur to me that visually impaired people could read with the help of magnification devices.
Before I went to school,
everything seemed normal.
When I went to school,
everything was different.
I learned that I am different
because I cannot see as well as others can.
I discovered that others sometimes treat people like me differently
because they don’t see visually impaired people as normal.
I found that others don’t always feel comfortable with visual impairment.
When I went to school, I learned to be ashamed of my lack of vision.
After I went to school,
I realized that there are others like me
who are in the same boat.
I learned to proudly display my white cane
and I found that it’s all right to tell people I am visually impaired
and that I need help.
I fought against those who discriminated against me
because of my visual impairment.
I overcame the barriers and the differences
between me and the sighted world.
After I went to school,
I came to terms with my visual impairment.