Expanding Perspectives

As I continue to volunteer at Anchor Center, my volunteer work has expanded to Colorado Center for the Blind, Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, Visually Impaired programs across Colorado public school counties, the National Federation for the Blind, and more! Anchor Center's mission inspires me daily, and I am so grateful to gain more insight about this community.

One of the key things about my volunteering with Anchor Center is my expanded world view on the idea of inclusion and diversity. In my past, I had experienced many facets of diversity and its implications before, especially regarding things such as racial identity and gender, but ability level was something unconsidered prior to these experiences. It soon came to my attention that like many other minority groups, there is a big under representation of the blind community in our society today, and only one kind of story was told to me as a sighted person. The realizations I have made as I become more involved with the blind community can be beautifully understood my the TED talk "The Danger of a Single Story", where we are urged to debunk the archetypes we limit ourselves too and embrace our unique stories. A few key quotes stood out to me when watching this:

“Show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again and that is what they become”

This really stood out to me because it was mentioned quite frequently during the NFB Convention. By perpetuating stereotypes, we put limitations on ourselves and subconsciously restrict our true potential. As an Indian American, I found this to be true with certain stereotypes and ways I used to change myself to type and fit in to what I perceived were my expectations. However, I learned that this applies with the blind community too when society portrays them as either heroes who defy all odds or incapable second-class citizens. The former creates a culture of fearing failure, and perpetuates the feeling that one will never be good enough as a blind person. The latter reinforces discrimination and can prevent blind people from seeking independence and doing things they convince themselves are not possible.

“The consequence of the single story is that it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult and it emphasizes that we are different rather than how we are similar.”

Similar to the first quote, this quote exposes the problems with only one portrayal of an experience, and emphasizes how it separates communities instead of bringing them together. Due to single stories, there is a scarcity of sighted people invested in the blind community, and I would love to facilitate more integration and collaboration between the sighted and the blind in the future.

“When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise”

This quote precisely explains why such volunteer work is important. By broadening horizons, expanding perspectives, and being open to new experiences, we create a world that is more inclusive and beneficial for everyone. I have learned that most by sharing my unique experiences with others and listening to their complete stories, and I hope to hear more such complete stories as I continue along my volunteering journey.