Finding a Way through the Rough Years: How Blind Girls Survive Adolescence

Abstract

The author looks back on her own adolescence and that of seven other women to give some impressions of the feelings and experiences of blind teenage girls and of their special problems with peers, dating, fashion, and makeup.

Attainment of Developmental Tasks by Adolescents with Visual Impairments and Sighted Adolescents

“…The lower levels of peer group relationships and romantic relationships among the students with visual impairments are consistent with the results of previous studies (Huurre & Aro, 1998, 2000Kef & Bos, 2006;Kent, 1983). Problems with these tasks may reflect the effects of impaired social competence, the lack of visual cues for social interaction, or the effects of social discrimination (Lewis, 2003).…”

“…In addition, Kroksmark and Nordell (2001) reported that adolescents with visual impairments spent less time with their peers and in participating in leisure activities than did sighted adolescents. Furthermore, in Kent's (1983) study, women who are blind recalled that blindness had embarrassed them during adolescent gendered activities with peers, such as talking about fashion and makeup. The women also reported problems with dating and sexual experiences because their male peers believed that blind girls were "something like saints" and did not have sexual needs.…”

Food Experiences and Eating Patterns of Visually Impaired and Blind People

“…Furthermore, when viewed against the backdrop of society at large, these characteristics and experiences are distinctly different from the general population. Compared to its sighted counterpart, the blind community has divergent patterns of education, level of income, employment, participation in sports and leisure activities (Statistics Canada, 1990), homemaking (Li Wang and Bricker, 1970), social development (Kent, 1983;Mangold and Mangold, 1983), self perception (Baker et al, 1998), and political and cultural identity (Titchkosky, 2001). It thus is likely that blind people may present a series of unique food experiences and eating patterns which are both directly and indirectly related to their blindness.…”

Reactions toward dating peers with visual impairments.

“…Those integrated into the sighted community have concerns which relate to the impairment as well. These pertain to social isolation, opportunities for finding suitable partners, misconstrual of the nature of interest which is shown by opposite sex peers, and one's acceptance as a potential partner for sighted peers (Calek, 1973; Kent, 1983; Welbourne, Lifschitz, Selvin, & Green, 1983).…”