Post #3101746

@JessicatheVIArtist@kind.social @Rosalyn@mindly.social I also relate to a lot of this. Growing up, I went to a blindness school, and honestly I think that did a lot of damage to me in the long-term. There were so many rules, both explicit and unspoken, and I was always scared that if I did anything even remotely wrong, I would be yelled at or shamed. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of good people there, and a lot of these rules were for liability and safety reasons, but to me it sent a very clear message. Stay in line, don't rock the boat. This really hit home when I went to college and met a lot of blind people who were mainstreamed. They didn't have the same kind of anxiety I did, and just seemed very happy and carefree. I couldn't understand how they were so confident just going about every day life while I was nervous much of the time. I felt like there was something wrong with me, like I was inferior in some way, though I couldn't pinpoint why. To be honest it's something I still struggle with, but little by little I'm trying to gain more autonomy and stop being so scared of everything. Some days are definitely harder than others, but I just take it one step at a time and keep moving forward.