Consider the Facts, Carefully

My “limit free living” thought for today is, consider information with care.

So what do I mean by today’s thought? Let me give you an example to start this conversation out.

I remember hearing a statistic on NPR that 85% of people who are legally blind or blind are unemployed. I thought, of course, no one wants to hire a blindie, I knew it wasn’t MY fault that I was such a lose, I mean…

Then I thought about it more (from a less self deprecating perspective). I got a little ticked actually. I knew plenty of smart people who have sight impairments, me included. WHY then were we having such a hard time finding employment? Where we having a hard time finding employment? We must be.

It has got to be because of accessibility issues right? Like finding transportation to and from the workplace, that must be it. Or no one wants to sit in the cubical next to some talking computer all day, it must be discrimination. Or maybe it’s that blind people are perceived as not being as bright as their sighted applicants, as Gov. Paterson of NY feared an SNL skit reinforces.

Well crap, I may as well get my cup of pencils and go find some corner to stand on.

OR MAYBE the number is so high, 85%, because most people become sight impaired or blind later in life as older adults, as RETIRED ADULTS, adults who are not working any longer. Maybe?

Most the people who are sight impaired or blind that I know, of working age, are in fact, umm…working. Not just as piano tuners either. Not race car driver (yet) but all kinds of career choices based on interests not on sight.

Consider the information you hear on TV, even public radio carefully. More importantly, consider the information you are feeding yourself with equal or greater scrutiny. Your own information may be askew as well. Pay extra special attention to those “facts” that say things like “I can’t, I won’t, I don’t and I’ll never…” They may actually not be telling the whole story of who you really are.