Blindness has been a blessing!

I know, some people might read the title of this post, & think "what!"? But, I have been going over & over things, people, places, groups, etc. that we would otherwise not have been aware of, or a part of without Emily being blind. Now, yes, Emily does have her own set of challenges, that are unique to her, most people who are blind, don't have any of the "extra" special need's that Emily has right now(just to clarify, these are unique to Em), but I am so grateful for the examples & high expectations the blind community has & achieves everyday that my baby girl will be a part of. I cannot wait for Emily to follow in their footsteps, & to put all the "assumptions" or "blindness myths" to bed! 


There is a group called the NFB(National Federation of the Blind), & I have been recalling the D.C. Seminar I attended last Jan. when we went to Capitol Hill to advocated & fight for blind rights. I pray I get to go again this coming January! I know that the stress & battles we fight now, build the future for our blind children to have successful lives in a sighted & hopefully educated world. The NFB's motto is "Blindness is NOT a tragedy!" I love, love, love this. I want people to realize that blindness isn't cancer, it doesn't have to be "fixed." 


For Emily, specifically, there is not a "cure." So far, I have been kind of grateful for that, because I want her to know there's nothing wrong with her. That she's a perfect, fun, loving, smart, beautiful, silly, wonderful girl! 


All of this was brought on by our "field trip" this weekend with Emily's therapy center, Faith Pediatric Rehabilitation. Now, I've always been grateful for the groups we are a part of, TPOBC, KDT, NOPBC, NFB, etc. They are AMAZING, but I didn't have this blog until a few weeks ago, so I am blogging about this, lol. This weekend, it was celebrating FPR's 5 yr. anniversary, & Faith, the owner, is Em's OT, & she's amazing. We are SO grateful for her & her practice. It just meant a lot to go & have such a wonderful time with ladies who dedicate their lives to caring, loving & helping our children, blind or sighted, she's treated the same. 


We will strive for Emily to be a successful braille reader, HS graduate, hopefully a college grad.(I haven't been to college yet, so I can't hold that against anyone, lol), & a thriving young woman(which I am so not ready yet for that, lol). I know I wouldn't be who I am, the kind of person I am, I know my family & those around us wouldn't have the knowledge we do now, or have the special experiences we are blessed to have if Emily wasn't a part of our family. I am so grateful for my family & for the "little" things we get to witness everyday as Emily grows up. 


Last thing, on Saturday, on our field trip, Emily was on a  swing, & she went "WEEEEEEE!!!!" with the BIGGEST smile! Now, to anyone else, they might think "K....big deal" but for Lou & I we were smiling, clapping, & cheering her on so proudly. When you have special need's, you learn to appreciate everything! She already has come so far speech wise. I love being around other blind children & seeing how well they are doing, it helps to encourage us that one day Emily won't be like a "sighted kid," she will be as independent, & strong as another "blind" kid : ) 


Okay, I'm off my proud parent of a blind child soap box now. Everyone, educate yourselves, support, & promote independence!