by Penny Leclair
November 5, 2016

Is the idea of being proud of yourself new to you? How about being proud of the fact that you have a disability or that you can eat anything without getting sick?

I share with you that I am very proud of who I am, and that I am deaf-blind. The fact that I was born blind, and that I have never let that fact stop me from doing what I want, is a part of who I am, and who I intend to always be. It wasn’t easy to learn to live with deafness, but I have succeeded very well. I am an active senior citizen that is proud of being one of few people who is totally blind and deaf.

I can do several things well I know what it is to have patience and to persist. I have experienced many hard times and come away with more pride in myself. No one will ever take that from me.

No matter what happens in my life I know I will cope and that I will feel greater pride in who I am.

I’d love to help you feel that sense of pride. Realize that it is more difficult for you to do things because you have one, or more disability. That is cause for pride in yourself. Not just a little pride, no, a lot of pride. The more things you think of that you managed without knowing quite how you did it, is cause to be proud of yourself. So go ahead, discover pride in yourself, it is okay to feel proud and allow that to help you love yourself more and more each day.

As you do this, try to help another blind person feel that pride, it is the one gift you can give yourself, and pass that knowledge on to someone else.

Blind Canadians should demonstrate the pride of being blind. We are strong Canadians that have the courage to accomplish whatever we set our minds to, because we learned how to live with sight loss, and other losses as well. Believe that the worst thing that could happen to you, hasn’t happened yet. Knowing this will make a huge difference in how you view your losses. Don’t be a victom of misfortune. Concentrate on the pride you have and increasing that pride each and every day. This requires effort because we are not tought that we should be proud of ourselves just for having been successful at living with difficulties. Start today and know it is totally fine to discover why you should be proud of who you are.

http://www.blindcanadians.ca/participate/blog/2016/11/proud-be-blind