Live Life to the Fullest
All men are created equal.
At least that’s the thought. In reality, each person comes into this world with certain abilities and disabilities. Some are minor, like not being able to remember where the car keys were placed. Some disabilities are more severe, requiring adjustments to how everyday life is carried out.
Either way, life is what you make of it.
Often we hear stories of everyday people who face enormous adversity that seems overwhelming, yet these people make a choice to make everyday count and not let their disabilities and challenges keep them down.
Such is the case with some of the blind students attending USU.
Sight is something most people likely take for granted. It’s possible to go through an entire day watching television, reading books, surfing the Internet and walking to class with ease, without once thinking how lucky it is to have the gift of sight. But what if that were taken away? How would you survive? Or could you survive?
Some blind students at USU find a way to read, using Braille, do their studies and enjoy other activities like athletics or music. Sure they have a disability, but so do many of the so-called “normal people” in this world, but their disabilities may not be as apparent.
The point is these brave students value the opportunity to get a college education. Do we? For many of us, going to school can become a hassle that gets in the way of hanging out with friends and other leisure activities. It’s no big deal to pick up a book and study for a class, though getting the motivation to do so is another story.
USU’s Disability Resource Center provides assistance to those who don’t have the gift of sight by providing alternative learning aids such as computer programs that can read text to the user, magnification screens and Braille books. This is a great praise to the dedication of the leaders of the university in their efforts to provide all students a chance to learn.
A couple hundred years ago this would have been unthinkable. The blind, deaf and maimed of these time periods were considered burdens to society, incapable of contributing anything merely because they lost one sense. While members of the blind community may not have the gift of sight, maybe they have something better: the blessing of greater insight.
These people don’t allow their disability to get in their way. They live life to the fullest as all of us should. It’s easy to whine about not feeling good when walking through the snow (don’t worry, it’s soon coming) to class and act like life has dealt a blow. It takes a person of true character, and true ability to look past that and live life, regardless the hands that were dealt.