Social Distancing When You Are Partially Sighted
大象传媒 Sesh contributor Jake Sawyers spills the tea...
09 September 2020
Jake Sawyers is living his 'best life' as an actor, comedian and filmmaker. But, he admits coronavirus has thrown a spanner in the works for people who are partially sighted like himself.
He shares some of the struggles blind and partially sighted people are facing navigating everyday life with social distancing rules...
Around two million people in the UK, including myself, are living with sight loss.
If you see someone not following an arrow or getting too close, just stop for a second and think, why? You can鈥檛 always tell if someone has a visual impairment just by looking at them!
Now, emphasis on 'living' because I'm trying to 'live my best life' every single day.
I'm proud of my sight loss and I've learned to navigate this sighted world in my own little way.
Then plot twist, you know who came along! Coronavirus, the coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19, whatever you want to call her. She came.
Everyone's lives changed overnight and the process of getting back to normal - whatever that is - is complicated for everyone.
When you have a visual impairment, things like social distancing in places like shops and restaurants is virtually impossible.
'Please be kind and patient!'
If you see someone not following an arrow or getting too close, just stop for a second and think, why? Because you can’t always tell if someone has a visual impairment just by looking at them!
Honestly, the struggle on this one is all too real, guys.
The real life stories I've heard from visually impaired people who have been verbally abused in shops and parks because they physically didn’t know and couldn’t abide by the social distancing rules are heartbreaking!
‘Well if you can’t follow it you shouldn’t be let outside!’
People have had aggro for not seeing the queues outside the shops, for putting products too close to their face when they're reading them. It’s not OK.
Partially Sighted & Social Distancing
Jake on how social distancing can be a bigger challenge when you're visually impaired...
Fact: most of us can’t read signs. I couldn’t read signs before Covid and I can’t read them now!
If you’ve been out and about lately you’ll know that to abide by the social distancing rules, you need to be able to see all those visual cues.
It is not OK to aggressively call someone out because they weren’t doing something that they didn’t even know they had to do!
Honestly, the reason I get so passionate about this is because Covid or no Covid, it is difficult to navigate this world when you’re visually impaired.
For a lot of people, including myself sometimes, it's taken a lot of soul searching and confidence building just to be able to leave the house confidently. I don’t want that already fragile self-confidence to be jeopardised by some arrow on the floor.
Blind and visually impaired people are currently an afterthought in this whole Covid equation! We’re being left behind and we’re expected to adjust with lack of support. This is leading to some serious isolation and mental health implications!
Imagine being told you have to stay home just because you can’t see. It’s called ‘ableism’. It's really rough being on the receiving end of it.
I know the social distancing rules are there for our own safety. So, if I am distractingly breaking them when I'm getting pint of milk, don’t hesitate to tell me, but please do it patiently, kindly, and politely!
