Image description: Intersectionality Unleashed title graphic. Gray background with blue, green, and orange diagonal stripes on the left and right hand sides. In the middle, the Disability Network logo and the words “Intersectionality Unleashed: Amplifying Diverse Voices.” Under those words, an illustrated group of eleven people with various disabilities are gathered together in conversation.

Blind and Low Vision Awareness + Intersectionality

Written by Debbie Wellington and Kari Havenaar, MA

Image Description: Debbie is sitting on a black leather chair with a white wall in the background and is wearing a bright red shirt. Debbie has brown eyes and brown hair that is styled in locs. Debbie is looking straight forward and smiling.

Debbie, a blind resident of Michigan, has been a participant in our blind and low vision peer group at Disability Network for 2 years. Here at DNWML, our blind and low vision support group is open to individuals across the state. This is her story.

——–

Growing up in a mixed-race family was a blend of interesting, confusing, and awkward experiences. I was diagnosed as visually impaired at birth due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, and at the age of 37 lost almost all of my vision. My mother, a European/Native American from Canada, and my biological father, a Black/Native American from Chicago, IL, were not well-versed in raising a visually impaired child. I wasn’t alone in this; my sister is also visually impaired. When my mother married my stepfather, life took a different turn. My stepfather, a Black man from Mississippi, became more of a father to me than my biological father ever was. He was a strong, determined man who never gave up easily. He ensured I attended all my eye appointments, received a proper education, and, most importantly, believed in me. My mother, on the other hand, shared my biological father’s doubts about my independence, possibly due to cultural differences or a lack of education

Junior high school was a challenging time. I was often bullied for wearing thick glasses, leading me to fight back and eventually get suspended. My mother had to bring me back to school, after my suspension, and her presence sparked curiosity and ridicule about my having a white mother. Despite attending a mixed-race school, the ones who mocked me were mostly Dark-skinned Black girls, while Latino students were generally kind, and Black boys were friendly. The presence of colorism was rampant within the school system I attended and that shaped my experiences with the school system. I also received blatant racism from staff and other students who were white as well. One incident that stands out was when my typing teacher, (a white woman), upon seeing my mother, asked if I was adopted. Her question disturbed me, and I responded, “No, haven’t you ever heard of a mixed-race person?” My answer clearly unsettled her.

My stepfather passed away when I was fifteen, but he left me with a lasting legacy: the belief that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. As an adult, I felt compelled to prove to my mother and biological father the values my stepfather had instilled in me. It wasn’t until then that my mother began to respect me and treat me like my other siblings, a dynamic that lasted until her passing in 2007. These experiences have shaped my life as someone with intersecting identities.

My life today looks a bit different in some ways than that of my childhood. I am a mother who also has a mixed-race daughter; however, she isn’t looked at as mixed race because of the darker complexion she possesses. The effects of colorism are still prevalent today in my experiences with others. In comparison to my young adulthood, I am immensely more confident with myself and my disability, even though the community around me still struggles with internalized ableism, especially with the blind and or low vision community. I am always a work in progress as I learn and grow through the stages of life. I also have very creative hobbies today and love to sing and consider myself to be quite funny and make others laugh.

Resources:

LEO – Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (michigan.gov)

Resources – Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired

idc-008241.pdf (bie.edu)

Home | American Council of the Blind (acb.org)

Homepage | National Federation of the Blind (nfb.org)

Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired

https://www.michigancounciloftheblind.org/

NLS at the Library of Congress – National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) | Library of Congress (loc.gov)

LEO – Braille and Talking Book Library (michigan.gov)

Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Print Disabled at AADL! | Ann Arbor District Library

Home Page | MDE-LIO (mdelio.org)