Hello Everyone,

Today’s Blog post is another Tag. This is The Disability Misconceptions Tag, it is created by Nicola Golding, a disabled YouTuber. I was not tagged by anyone to do this tag but, as a very dedicated disability activist as I am, I shall definitely take the time to do this tag. So, without further ado, let’s get on with the questions:

1. What is your disability and how does it impact you?
   
   My disability is my Visual Impairment. I have an eye condition called Degenerative Myopia, which put it simply, I am extremely nearsighted, but unfortunately, it is not curable with glasses or surgery. Because of it, I also have several other eye conditions which are: nystagmus, strabismus, astigmatism and night blindness.  There are a lot of ways my Visual Impairment impact me, to name a few examples: I could not drive, probably for the rest of my life (at least with the eye sight I have now). Also, people with disabilities (of any kind) are marginalized in society and in the workplace, but, people who are blind face more marginalization.
2. What is the most common misconception that you come up against with your disability?
   
   One of the most common misconception that I hear often is disbelieving someone’s disability. what I mean by that is saying to someone with a Visual Impairment or who is blind that they “Don’t look blind” or that they are “too pretty/handsome to be blind” That is such a hurtful and disrespectful way of treating someone who is blind. Also, another misconception is the assumption that all disabled or blind people are seeking for a cure or that they “need to be fixed.” Not all people with disabilities feel that they want a cure. Just because some people do, don’t put the assumption on all of us.
3. Which misconception annoys you the most?In my opinion, misconception of any kind is unacceptable. And, it should not be tolerated. Because of all the misconceptions that are out there, people with disabilities, whether it is blindness related or not are misunderstood and mistreated by society, and therefore, this has to come to an end!
4. Do you do anything to combat these misconceptions?Having lived with a disability nearly all my life, I never stood up to advocate and speak up for myself until about two years ago. Since then, my role as a disability activist is to use any ways possible- written or oral to stand up for myself and more importantly, for those around me who have not yet found their voice to speak up for themselves.
5. What more do you think can be done to tackle the misconceptions surrounding your disability?I strongly believe, education is the key. If people in society as a whole are willing to have an open mind about disability. Perhaps one day,  we could make this world a better and more inclusive place for all of us, and for all abilities. Disability doesn’t mean less ability. Hence, this concludes today’s blog post: The Disability Misconception Tag. I don’t have any one to tag in particular. But, if you are a blogger/YouTuber who has a disability and haven’t done this tag, I encourage you to do it! Thank you for reading to the end. By: The Invisible Vision Project