by Allen J. Casey
On the seventh and final day of the ACB convention in Birmingham, it happened.
As I boarded the elevator on my way to breakfast and the Saturday morning business session, I was greeted by a gentleman apparently attending another function in the hotel. We exchanged pleasantries and then he asked: “What group are you with?” My answer — delivered with obvious pride, I hope — was, “The American Council of the Blind.”
“Oh yes,” he replied matter-of-factly, “isn’t it amazing how well they get around.” Without thinking I answered, “We do what other people do every day of the week.”
I left the elevator quietly shaking my head and trying my best to acknowledge the sincerity of his observation. I could only think: What is more amazing — that we “get around so well” or that others hold such narrowly constructed opinions?
In truth, the amazement in his eyes was matched by the incredulity in my mind.