The Life and Writings of a Blind Women
Nonfiction Published in Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities
My nonfiction story titled "I Did It" has been published in an anthology of short stories, each written by someone with a disability. The collection was edited by Belo Cipriani and distributed by Oleb Books.
When I started losing my eyesight in my late thirties, I could find all the medical information, treatment options, and prognosis for my condition. What I couldn't find were stories of how people managed life with a visual impairment. The stories in this anthology show everyone how people with disabilities live different but full lives. Here is the beginning of my story:
I Did It
“Dave, things aren’t good,” I cried into the phone.
“Whadaya mean ‘things aren’t good’?”
“I got a D on my first stats exam, and now they think I’m dumb.” Six weeks into the accounting Ph.D. program at Drexel University, I had gotten a D on my first statistics exam. Oh crap, I thought to myself. I can’t fake this anymore. My problem with statistics was simple. I could not see the blackboard, and had never told anyone at school I was legally blind. After about five seconds I felt the need to defend myself to Dave.
“You know I just can’t see the board, right?”
Then, in a moment of horror, the fact that my worst grade in the MBA program at Columbia University had been in statistics flashed through my head. I had to remind myself I still had passed the class.
“I mean, I thought I knew what was going on. I figured I knew enough to pass the first exam.” My face burned with embarrassment.
“I was doing okay on the homework.”
A sense of panic overwhelmed me. If I didn’t get my doctorate, I had no other plan. I heard Dave pound his foot on the floor and groan, his typical reaction to being presented with a new problem to solve. “You got a D, huh, that’s not like you.”
Always one to be brutally honest, he laughed and added, “But then again, statistics isn’t exactly playing to your strength, either.”
“Hey, that’s not nice. I’m going to flunk out of the program. One F and I’m out.”
The rights to this story remain with Oleb Books. If you are interested in reading the rest of the story, or any of the eleven others in the anthology, you can click here to purchase the book.