I had an interesting experience this week, one that reminded me that sometimes even the obvious needs to be pointed out.  

For a very brief moment I got a small taste of what it’s like to have low vision. Blind Low Vision New Zealand hosted a breakfast - during which I was given glasses to wear which mimicked glaucoma, and then I was guided into a café where I tried to read a menu. This all required a level of concentration and effort I don’t often call on. Thankfully, I was able to remove the glasses before I drank my tea and ate my breakfast as, I can tell you, it would have been a very messy affair.  

I’ve had my head firmly in the disability camp for the last few years - getting to grips with the challenges neurodivergent people have fitting into a world that isn’t designed for them.

So, I was embarrassed at how little I have thought about how difficult life is if you’re not able-bodied in an able-bodied designed world. Obviously being blind or having low vision is exhausting. Obviously it makes everything you do in your day much more challenging. Obviously it limits your job prospects and what you can do. But it only took about another 10 minutes at home wearing my newly acquired glaucoma glasses for this to really sink in.  

I did a few basic things around the house. I put the washing on - which went well until I tried to read the buttons on the washing machine. I then stood on the cat. I ate a kiwifruit. I was a bit nervous about the knife - but then couldn’t find my mouth. I filled the kettle and made a cuppa, which took longer than usual. I stood on our clingy cat again, and then went outside and tripped over my partner’s gumboots. At this point my daughter suggested it would be safer if I ended the experiment.  

It was very clear how much I take for granted as I rush through life. I treasure my independence. I don’t think twice about how I’m going to get from A to B and enjoy the interactions I have with work colleagues and others throughout the day.  

But those who are blind or have low vision deal with huge inequities every day - which take a functional, financial and emotional toll. 58 percent of disabled New Zealanders earn $30,000 or less a year, compared with 33 percent of the non-disabled people. 51 percent of working age Blind Low Vision NZ members are without a job, and 74 percent of youth clients have never had a part time or summer job. We’re all impacted by the rising cost of living, but this community is really struggling.  

I’d passively assumed that by 2025 we’d have removed more of the barriers that make the simplest of things - like getting groceries - difficult. But from the conversations and stories I heard this week, that’s clearly that’s not the case.  

As we go about our day today, maybe we should pause for a second each time we do something and imagine doing it like one of the 183,000 Kiwis who are blind, deaf blind or low vision. This month is Blind Low Vision Month - if you have a moment head to blindlowvision.org.nz and see the work they do. And at the very least, next time you pass an e-scooter lying across the footpath, pick it up and move it to the side. 

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