30 Jan Is autonomy ultimately a matter of personal choice?
An experiential article by Thodoris Tsatsos – psychologist, co-founder and trainer of Black Light
Many times through our articles such as THIS, we are referring to the need to increase the accessibility of people with disabilities in all areas of social life. This time, on the occasion of my move to a new house and the upcoming process of adapting to it, , I thought about how much autonomy I can have as a blind person in my everyday life. I am a person who has been living alone for many years, but in a… somewhat unorthodox way, as having various relatives very close by, issues such as cooking, I solved by taking food from them. To summarize the situation, I was enjoying the advantages of living alone, but without taking on most of the responsibilities that this brings, such as the notorious housework.
But as with every choice we make, mine has its own costs and of course certain limitations.
A very important advantage of the effort someone makes to become more independent in their life is that they gain greater self-confidence, which in turn motivates them to try to achieve even more. So, wanting to treat my move as a new opportunity for more autonomy in terms of managing the household, I share some thoughts that may be useful to others who are concerned about this issue.
- The basic change will bring others. When someone tries to take on new responsibilities, they must also take into account that the way they manage their time will change. Dealing with the house and its care on a frequent basis will require its own time. Especially for the beginning, when someone will need to learn to do things they have not done before. This time may be significantly more than they estimate. So prioritizing what needs to be done and when is a skill that will need to be developed.
- The wheel has already been invented. Many blind people live alone, maintain and care for their homes, start families and raise children. So connecting with the community and benefiting from other people's experience is extremely useful, (which household appliances are the best and most accessible? What is the easiest way to get a job done?😉 These are just a few examples where the experience of others can be valuable.
- Every new skill requires training. In addition to the experiential knowledge of others about daily autonomy that one can utilize, there are also specialized trainers who can provide training in daily skills. From the most appropriate configuration of a personal space, so that it is as functional as possible, to learning to use household appliances as well as many other useful techniques for greater autonomy at home. A personalized training, oriented to the specific needs and according to the capabilities of the one who needs it, can be beneficial.
- The courage to try new things. It is a given that trying to learn something new brings with it failures. But this is the way to understand what didn't work, so that you can succeed next time. Keeping your cool when you fail and the will to try again is the key to mastering new skills.
So I think the answer to my original question about how much autonomy I can have as a blind person in my daily life can be summarized as follows:
As much autonomy as I want and I am willing to strive for it, and this is ultimately perhaps the goal of equal access to things, to have the options and access available so that you can use them as much as you want and need, as those who are not hindered do.