Closure and forgiveness: Thoughts on the human condition
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 31-08-2010Wherever we find ourselves in our lives, at whatever point in time that it may be, we are always the sum of our experiences. Since people are not perfect, that sum will be made up of lots of different things. What is important if we are to learn, to grow and to ultimately find what we are all looking for - the freedom to live in peace and happiness - is to take time to reflect now and then, in order to make sure that we are becoming the people we want to be and that our lives are on the right paths.
Does it grow corn?
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 24-08-2010I have never been a big fan of rules and think I will probably remain a bit of a rebel for the rest of my life, because even now, when faced with having a rule imposed on me, not only do I want to break it, I want to break it twice. And in the same vein, I am also not much of a conformist or big on social convention, and these things do get me into trouble now and again.
One man’s attempt to get fit and keep in trim for his next sailing championships
Posted by Toby Davey, published on 19-08-2010Now all the celebrating is over from the sailing worlds in Italy it is fine time to get back in the gym and work off those extra pints of beer!
Disclosing a disability when the time is right
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 17-08-2010I have been loathe to disclose something that is not exactly a secret to those that know me, but conversely is not something that I get on the rooftops and shout about in the way I do about sight loss and human rights. When I first started writing, doing advocacy work and public speaking, I simply felt that disclosure would confuse matters and dilute my message of hope, and that was not something that I was willing to risk.
Loving someone with a disability: change begets change
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 10-08-2010When I look back on the incredible amount of change that I have been through since I picked myself up off my backside and decided that registering blind was not the end of the world, I am a little taken aback at how all of this change has transpired so seamlessly. And the changes themselves have been wide and varied - some by design, others by default, some under my control and others well out of my grasp - but the one constant in all of this has been the foundation of love, respect, understanding and encouragement provided so effortlessly by Mark and Martin.
A case of severe red-eye
Posted by Shezan Hirjee, published on 05-08-2010What better way to end the school year (for those of you who have forgotten or just don’t know who I am, I’m a teacher) than with an eye operation: an enucleation. The thread goes that for the last fifteen years my right eye’s been blind and in the last eight or so of these, it’s simply not been behaving itself much at all. Rather like an unruly pupil it has intermittently promised better comportment, only to revert to type once you’ve turned your back and are busy with the rest of the class. Whether it be a holiday, a new job or any other weighty change in my life, the eye that wouldn’t die flares up a storm of irritation, inflammation and unchecked tears to distract me to the tenth degree.
There is a world of a difference between accessibility and inclusivity
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 03-08-2010I realise that I may be setting myself up for a bit of a tumble here, after my regular assertions about my distaste for labels and uber-political correctness, but when it comes to terminology that is running the risk of misuse or misunderstanding in a way that could be detrimental to the ideals that I am working towards, then that is a different story.
Disability from the outside in: perception and reality
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 27-07-2010Like most people in the world, how I perceive myself and how I feel about myself inside is probably somewhat different to how others perceive me and when you add disability into the mix, this can sometimes yield some rather odd results.
The Italian Job, World Blind Match Racing Championships, bringing the gold back home
Posted by Toby Davey, published on 22-07-2010Team GBR landed in Italy for the 2010 IFDS World Blind Match Racing championships after quite a stressful flight from Stanstead. The first day was taken up with registration and sight classification check ups, which in my case meant I had an Italian man waving two fingers in front of my face to make sure that my sight classification was definitely B2 and I was not Ben Ainslie!
Altruism, open education and accessibility
Posted by Sandi Wassmer, published on 20-07-2010In this turbulant journey that I am on, trying to make the world a better place for folk of all abilities, I meet plently of interesting people, kind people, charitable people and sometimes people that are not so nice, but on balance, it reamins a very interesting and fulfilling journey indeed.
recent posts
- Closure and forgiveness: Thoughts on the human condition
- Does it grow corn?
- One man’s attempt to get fit and keep in trim for his next sailing championships
- Disclosing a disability when the time is right
- Loving someone with a disability: change begets change
- A case of severe red-eye
- There is a world of a difference between accessibility and inclusivity
- The Italian Job, World Blind Match Racing Championships, bringing the gold back home
- Disability from the outside in: perception and reality
- Altruism, open education and accessibility
Sandi Wassmer
Businesswoman Sandi Wassmer registered blind a year ago. In her blog, she shares with us the 'shenanigans of visual impairment'.
Shezan Hirjee
Shezan Hirjee was born with Glaucoma and is Partially Sighted. He is a Business and Economics teacher based in London, having taken a little detour trekking in Nepal and absailing in Vietnam and is now here to tell all.
Guest Blogger
We will be running a series of guest blogger's over the coming months. This is a pick of their stories, feelings, thoughts and advice.
