05/14/2026
What I would tell my younger self…
I was diagnosed legally blind in both eyes with Progressive Cone Dystrophy in 1992.
Back then, I did everything I could to blend in. For the first 23 years of my vision loss journey I wandered around the sighted world pretending I could see.
I didn’t want to identify as someone with a disability because of all the stigmas, judgments and attitudes, towards disability. I did not use a white cane, as I didn’t want to draw attention to myself or have people staring at me. I didn’t want random strangers asking me personal questions. I also did not want to be accusing of “faking it” because I still had some vision. I thought using a cane would signal me out as, less than.
Life was not getting easier for me. I was crumbling inside while trying my hardest to portray, I got this, when I really didn’t.
All that hiding didn’t make life easier for me, It just made it lonelier, scarier, and more exhausting.
Everything changed in 2015, when I met two women who were both blind and completely confident. It honestly blew my mind. I did not know anyone who was blind, nor did I feel I needed to. Meeting them was the beginning of my acceptance journey.
“From losing my sight to gaining my blindness”
In 2016, I attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind, this is a full-time, nine-month intensive rehabilitation program where I trained under learning shades “blindfold” for 40 hours a week. My instructors were all blind or they also wore the “learning shades” That may sound extreme, but it not only changed how I live my life. It has shaped how I lead!
I didn’t just learn non-visual techniques; I learned how to live fully, independently, and proudly. Training gave me my life back. I cannot do things the way I use to, or like people who have sight, but I can do them only, differently.
Once I started using a cane, everything shifted. I wasn’t staring down at the sidewalk anymore, scanning every crack and curb, using all my energy and focus on not walk ing into anything or anyone. My cane was doing all the work, detecting obstacles, reading the world around me, while I held my head up high.
You know what?
People started moving out of the way so I wasn’t always playing the guessing game as to which way others would move. Traveling became easier and I started going more places. If I needed assistance or a question answered, people are usually happy to help.
Why did I care so much back then if strangers were staring at me? When I couldn’t see them anyway. (Smile)
If I could go back and speak to my younger self, I’d say this:
Don’t worry about what others think. Do what makes your life easier. Try the tools available, they’re what gives us freedom. Get connected with others who share similar experience, because we learn from each other.
Remember that one way does not work for everyone. Figure out what works best for you. It it makes you feel joy, do more of it!
To anyone who’s resisting the tools that could help:
Please don’t wait as long as I did.
It’s not weakness.
It’s wisdom.
“Having a disability does not change who I am, it changes my interactions with the world,” Gina Martin
Diverse Abilities Programs helps educate society about disability and disability related topics. Our programs break through barriers that prevent many of us from, full participation. Out programs teach practical and easy to implement strategies that treat everyone with respect. To learn more about our programs, and read our client reviews, please Visit our website www.DiverseAbilities.ca
Photo description
Gina is smiling, wearing her sunglasses and holding her cane.
