Do you see these beautiful blue eyes? They have been declared Legally Blind. I received the notification today in the mail from the State of Massachusetts. Sarah is legally blind. Ouch. This was harder for me to digest emotionally than the fact that she had Cerebral Palsy. That she couldn't walk. That she couldn't speak. That she had to be fed. You get the idea. For some reason the term "legally blind" totally upset me. My daughter cannot SEE?????? But, I have come to understand that this only means that she has a certain amount of trouble with her vision. A lot of trouble with it to be exact but she can still "see". She can read large print words, recognize colors and shapes etc. However, I know she has no depth perception. Everything looks flat to her. Objects placed close together look like a big blob to her. She cannot discriminate more than maybe 3 objects on a page. And those objects have to be brightly colored, clear and concise on a plain colored background...or else she cannot see them. She cannot tell who has entered the room she is in unless I tell her who they are or she recognizes their voice. Very much like a blind child. I always have to narrate what is going on around her because she cannot see it. Remember, the environment is 3 dimensional and she cannot make sense of that.
Anyway, she will be eligible for certain services because of this new "label". One bright spot. I still love those beautiful blue eyes.
