Why I Take Pride In My Blindness

By James Rath

One of the most common questions blind people are presented with from our loved ones, peers, and even total strangers are "Can you get surgery to fix your eyes?" I think people like to believe these invasive questions come from a place of good intent, but I don't buy that narrative. I don't want to sit still and let my life pass by me, while I cling onto any little hope for a potential treatment for my blindness. That's no way to live life. 

James Rath outdoors in a city, holds an iPhone close up to his face.

Four years ago I made a short movie that I published to YouTube about how Apple's technology positively impacted my life. It was entitled 'How Apple Saved My Life' and shared my struggle with bullying, accepting my disability, and eventually coming to find the most influential accessible products I had ever had the pleasure to use. Spoiler alert: it was Apple's product(s).

I had received a comment on my movie that I believed questioned why I identify as “legally blind” and claiming the video does a disservice to those in a similar situation. The following is the comment left along with my response from 2016.

Video page on YouTube.com of James’ film ‘How Apple Saved My Life’ it’s paused on an image of James interacting with an Apple Watch.

Commenter:

“I have had nearly the same experience as you, word for word. Enlarged textbooks/worksheets, school administration not understanding or able to manage the problem, a multitude of obnoxious “assistive” apparatuses causing more issues than they solve, and finally, walking into an Apple store on a whim, being shown the zoom feature, and instantly needing a Mac. The accessibility features in the Apple ecosystem are phenomenal and have (from what I can tell) ALWAYS surpassed what is available on Windows. ZoomText, ZoomIt, QZoom, and native Magnifier are terrible and extremely resource-intensive. Also, the ability to map special keyboard or mouse buttons to various functions were often unreliable.

On iOS, being able to change the minimum font size / enable large text is just essential for me. Applications that do not respect these often go unused or are deleted. (I’m looking at you, Trillian!)

While I do support the overall message of your video (shining a spotlight on something infinitely undervalued) the way it is presented does a disservice to those in a similar situation.

With 20/200 vision myself and having been engaged with state, federal, and private entities that deal with visually impaired people, I can say that the average person’s stigma towards those who are different has a very clear source. Within this community, there seems to be a constant need to draw attention to, discuss, and project the fact that you aren't like everyone else. (I am speaking about an individual with normal emotional and intellectual capacities.)

Instead of someone (who has been a part of this system) introducing themselves like “Hi, I’m Tom!”, it is instead “Hi, I’m Tom! I have a disability. I am unable to //whatever// as well as other people. But I can assure you, I am just as equal and valuable a member of society as everyone else. Please, ask me about how I am different, I will explain at length but in a way that makes me seem just like you. Then let me, the current self-appointed official representative, point out what is wrong with society and how you have contributed to our collective suffering as disabled persons.” 

There is no question concerning if a blind or visually impaired person has things more difficult than a “normal” person. At the same time, when we come into this world, we’re given a set of cards. It’s up to you how you play them and to adapt to when things go sideways. Some have it easy, some have it interesting; such is life.

Continually pointing out that someone is different, even if it is meant in a positive or supportive way does not help them cope with their situation. It does the exact opposite. Often causing them to become the personification of the difference. It becomes their identity. Who they are, their options, way of expressing themselves, and, in some cases, a crutch to use when things get hard. And why shouldn’t they do this? After all, they’re disabled, this is acceptable, and the world is a mean unfair place anyway.“

This is how I responded to the prior comment back in 2016.

James Rath:

“Thank you for your comment. I understand your perspective and where you’re coming from but from my standpoint, as an artist, I identify with what makes me stand out, what makes my art the way it is. I identify as legally blind, because I am, and it is heavily influenced in my art, passions, and activism. I encourage people to identify however they see themselves and feel impacts their daily life.

If Tom wants to simply identify as Tom, I see nothing wrong with that, but if James wants to identify as a legally blind filmmaker, there should be nothing wrong with that either. In a social setting I will usually simply introduce myself as James, and when the time calls for it I’ll mention that I have a visual impairment if it’s appropriate to the situation.

When it comes to a professional event, however, I’ll usually introduce myself, then mention I’m legally blind. That often sparks a question or an interest in the receiving end of the conversation. It allows me an opportunity to educate the individual on what my abilities are, how I manage and overcome my limitations, and what it’s made me passionate about creating, and pursuing. It usually creates a good conversation and a great lasting impression on the receiving end when I present myself with confidence, honesty, and want to clean the room of any ignorance. Again, I believe it’s up to the individual with the disability to choose how they identify. This film is rightfully my identity, my story, my thanks to Apple, and my piece of art, no one else’s. Thanks again for your comment and for watching! “

James Rath holds a cinema camera up to the photographer. His White Cane is held to his chest. Tall buildings in downtown Los Angeles stand behind him midday.

Reflection

Even though this comment and my response was originally posted four years ago, nothing has changed. I'm a filmmaker, I'm legally blind, but I'm also a 'blind filmmaker'. As I shared in 'How Apple Saved My Life' I was heavily bullied as a child for being different, for having a disability. As I matured, I came to realize the realities of my life circumstance. I don't practice medicine, I don't research disorders or diseases rather, I make movies and tell stories. For the last couple of decades, there has been "promising" research and developments into potential cures or treatment for my particular ocular conditions, but in my eyes, it's a waste of resources. Blindness is one thing, but the number of particular disorders, diseases, that can trigger sight loss is countless. 

Disabilities directly impact 1 in 7 people worldwide. That's a billion people that will experience disability in their lifetime. Beyond that, the scope and spectrum of disabilities are so vast, and how they’re acquired is a different story for everyone. Even with this community being the largest minority, it's largely the most excluded from society. As a filmmaker, sharing my story, I've come to connect with so many people, all looking for one common thing, access.

I identify as a blind or legally blind person because there is a sense of pride with that title when I confidently navigate an inaccessible world that continuously sets itself up for failure. Disability can and will impact every person, at any point in life whether directly or indirectly. We can't be bothered with the false promise that we can just cure any slight difference in the human condition because historically we've seen it as inferior. We're supposed to be a civilized society in the 21st century, let's start acting like it. It's been proven that accessibility practices have universal benefits that have led to such innovations such as email and SMS, play-by-play commentary, and ramps. In 2020 I can't believe we're still implementing sets of steps in this already inaccessible world. 

In conclusion, I feel a sense of pride in the fact that I was born with two rare ocular conditions, it's like I chose to start life as a video game on hard mode. Yes, there are going to be obstacles, but I believe there is purpose in my struggles. My aforementioned commenter said, "when we come into this world, we’re given a set of cards. It’s up to you how you play them." This is how I'm playing my cards, using my medium, filmmaking, as a way to bring awareness to the society we've built that has failed a billion and more people. I don’t believe my work is doing a disservice to my community. By sharing my story, by helping to share the stories of others with disabilities, I hope to continue to push forward in my mission, and that is to help you 'see different'.