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Celebrating Christmas with zest – the unique outlook of the blind
By Shania Pereira
When comparing a visually impaired or blind person to one with normal sight, there are significant differences. Some of those with vision impairments are even faced with societal stigma.
A crooner does his thing at a Christmas concert for the visually impaired
Moreover, it is perceived by some that celebrating Christmas for these individuals just might be viewed as perhaps the worst time of the year for them. This, however, is not true for all persons with visual impairment, as many of them are known to really get into the spirit of Christmas. This has been amplified by persons within the Society for the Blind. In fact they have been making recommendations for society to accept that those it represents can indeed do what it takes to have a jolly Christmas too.
Just like other Guyanese, the visually impaired can celebrate their Christmas exactly, and even more, than those who have no issues with sight.
Just like most of us, they start with the traditional “breaking up the house”, thorough cleaning and other preparatory work, of course with the help of persons who are seeing better than they can, to get things just right. They may need little help to get the traditional Christmas meals going, as they are able to make full use of their other senses of touch, smell, hearing and taste. Truth be told, I have even heard that a blind person’s cooking can turn out to be especially sumptuous.
Shopping for them is another interesting experience. Because of their extraordinary sense of touch they are much more capable of selecting quality items. They can go shopping for Christmas trees, bells, streamers, lights, furniture and appliances.
Even accompanied by a relative or friend, a blind person bumping into other shoppers at this busy time of the year is almost impossible to avoid. This can become daunting when cruel and unkind words are hurled at them.
Grocery shopping is practically the same, but this is a more enjoyable experience. Getting the right cuts of beef, pork, ham, chicken, fish, shrimp and mutton, and the ingredients for cakes, puddings, yogurts, sauce, drinks and so much more could in fact be a fun aspect of a blind person’s Christmas.
After all the big excitement of shopping is done, the Pepper pot is prepared with the well-seasoned meat, garlic pork is cured and the house is usually painted.
“Without that extraordinary scent of paint, oh please, where can I get that Christmassy Feeling,” a visually impaired woman said excitedly. But trying not to touch the walls is one of the biggest challenges for them since these serve as a guide for navigating and maneuvering around the house.
“I remember when I made baby steps throughout the entire house all day long just to avoid touching those freshly painted walls,” she confided.
“Even though we are blind, we still manage to decorate the Christmas trees and the houses in an organised and well fashioned way… we’ve got magic in our hands,” a few more visually impaired persons chimed in. For them, too, the eve of Christmas, that’s when all decorating is preferred to be done.
“With carols playing and that tender bread baking that gives you all the effort and encouragement to get on your feet and get something doing,” another blind person shared.
Despite challenged without sight, blind persons still have a clear image in their head of what works well for them. After the finishing touches to the home are completed, they are able to go to bed with relaxed and eased minds, very much aware of their tremendous contributions.
“We can cook, bake and do all of the things that are traditionally done on our own, without assistance,” another member of the Blind Society shared.
Christmas comes but once a year, the season where everyone should feel most loved, even if they are blind or visually impaired.
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