Robert Leslie Newman (61, Omaha, Nebraska) is as fit as when he graduated from high school. A writer and vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor, he lifts weights, runs and swims up to three miles when weather permits. In May, this devoted father and husband will make his third trip to Istanbul with the Blind Core team to share new American rehab techniques with their Turkish counterparts.
Blindness is Not What You Might Think
Born fully sighted, Newman's interest in rehabilitation came after his optic nerves were severed in an auto accident at age 15. At the Nebraska School for the Blind, he realized that the biggest problem facing blind people is "ignorance about the human potential to successfully live and work with blindness." He learned this the hard way – through policies and interactions that reinforced the idea that not much can be expected from blind people.
Newman, who recently celebrated 36 years with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, spoke with Suite 101 about his experiences. Once a district manager and then Assistant Director of VR Services, he requested a transfer back to the rehab counselor position ten years ago.
"The variety of duties and the rewards of seeing your successes first hand," explains Newman, who still likes Mondays, "is what makes me wish to carry on in this position."
Newman observes that there are few positive blind role models in the mainstream society. Yet, blind Americans are currently working as chemists, mechanics, engineers, lawyers and in many other professions.
"Here on the job," states Newman, "what I observe on a regular basis and love to jump on, is the general ignorance and fear that blindness brings as it comes into a person's life. The greatest service I can provide is the opportunity to see, listen to and taste what others have learned about rebuilding your self and your life to include the new set of circumstances, characteristics, expectations and skills needed to succeed without sight."
Blindness and the Impact of Low Expectations
The assumption that blindness leads to a nonproductive, dependent life is held by the general public, many professionals in the blindness field and blind people themselves. It contributes to the gap between those, like Newman, who are independent and the majority (70 percent) who are unemployed.
These low expectations are devastating to newly blinded individuals, who themselves harbor these prejudices. Most blind Americans grew up fully sighted. When blindness comes, these perspectives are turned inward. Newly blinded adults frequently resign themselves to dependence and inactivity.
Newman points to the bias against the use of Braille and white canes. Instead of being encouraged to learn non-visual skills, many legally blind people with residual vision are forced to rely on their faulty sight. Children spend far more time on homework than their peers, often experiencing painful headaches. They have no time for extracurricular activities. Eventually, they fall behind academically and socially. This failure is accepted as inevitable.
"The stressing of the use of low vision at all costs is widespread," says Newman, "It has created a generation of believers that vision at any price is worth the pain, despite knowing that the end result is the disappointment of being an inferior sighted person."
Thought Provokers: a Writer's Way of Changing What it Means to be Blind
"My writing," states Newman, who is President of the NFB's Writers' Division, "is a reflection of my desire to inform and educate."
Though his job has required him to write since 1973, Newman didn't begin writing for himself until the '90s, when computers became more user-friendly to blind people. His articles have appeared in the NFB publications Future Reflections, Slate and Style and the Braille Monitor.
"The motivation for my writing," he says, "has always been the thrill of creation. As for what I write, first it must be understood that my primary intent is to inform. Second, because I see this as a hook to grab and keep the readers attention, I will entertain."
Newman's discussion forum, Thought Provoker, is a popular outlet for blind people in and out of the NFB to discuss the experiences and philosophies surrounding blindness issues. A quiet man who is primarily interested in observation and analysis, he knows that he learns best when subjects are presented as stories. Each month, he writes a vignette featuring blind people in various situations. Readers post their thoughts.
In 2008, after ten years of writing and hosting Thought Provoker, Newman received one of the NFB's first annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards. With support from the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, these awards recognize outstanding achievements in the blindness field.
Blindness: Solutions to Help Everyone
Robert, who plans to work on his four unfinished novels in retirement, recommends greater mainstream media exposure for successful blind people. Mandatory education and training exercises from kindergarten through college would acquaint everyone with the capabilities of people with disabilities. Exercises with sleep shades would convince people that they themselves could adapt successfully to blindness.
Donna W. Hill - Donna W. Hill is an author, singer/songwriter, recording artist, speaker and avid knitter in Pennsylvania's rural Endless Mountains. Her ...
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