A friend I met in college has albinism and has subsequently been legally blind her whole life. When we were in college, one winter we each took a class during the winter term (one semester's worth of work truncated into two weeks). On weekdays, campus dining services were operating, but on weekends, students had to "fend for ourselves". Beth and I got provisions from our local grocery store and one night we made pasta with meat sauce in our dorm's kitchen. In the middle of browning the hamburger, I remembered that I left something in my room, so I told Beth to keep cooking the hamburger and that I would be right back. I noticed that she was stunned for some reason, and when I returned, I asked her why. She explained that when she had taken home ec in middle school/high school, none of her classmates trusted her to have any part in the cooking unit because of her low vision. Thus, she was surprised that I gave her any responsibility at all. I was surprised that it was even "a thing" because I knew Beth to be quite capable and it made me sad for her that she was treated that way.
Its so odd that in advertising there's a fine line between not being "disabled" enough and being "too disabled" that people are uncomfortable. This is so wild to me. We need more of these conversations. I subscribed to Olivia's channel immediately.
That's confusing to me, too. If you have a visible disability or people learn you have a disability, society I notice treats us as less than human, but if you have an invisible disability, society expects you to be like everyone else and don't know what's wrong with you if you don't learn as quickly as others or are blind, deaf, etc, something that alters people's perception of you. I find that a lot of people I meet expect me to be super smart until they learn about my short term memory and then are confused how I have had trouble finding a job where people give me time to learn. It's not that I'm not smart, but struggling in a school and work setting makes me feel like I am less smart than the average person. I feel lucky these days to have been in a job for over a decade that has allowed me to learn at my own pace.
but it is true. Molly doesnt look disabled. She looks like a regular petit woman with a dog. If you put her in a billboard, people that dont know her story, which is many, wont assume she is disabled. how could they?? Invisible disabilities are real but they are not physical, people wont know.
@@ZairaBandy Yeah people won't know she's blind at a glance, but some ads could work that into the text. If we allow society to get more used to the idea that disabled people often look "normal," then people will gradually adjust their expectations. And many of them are physical, I think you used the wrong word there.
I had Juvenile RA growing up & with that came a lot of issues, one was with my eyes so I was in glasses by 7 years old, I had two forms of cataracts that they couldn't quite pinpoint what was happening until I was much older & my vision finally trashed bad enough to go for surgery (my choice) I WAS OVERWHELMED BY SIGHTS & COLORS! My anxiety was through the roof & I was nauseated a lot, like motion sickness! As exciting as it was to see things I'd never seen, like pepper from a shaker, the actual color of my dog & her toes, the world as a whole, it was sensory overload! I love driving more than ever now that I'm used to it. Eye problems are genetic in my family & 2 OF MY SISTERS HAD SERIOUS ISSUES. One had "lazy eye" so bad she went totally blind in one eye. My elder sister has RP like you Molly but other than wearing thick glasses as a wee one she made it to her 30s with some vision, they did surgery & she could see much better. It was a one shot deal. She is now long passed legally blind & sees the world through black spots & dark shadows. We are both retired now & with my disability getting worse, it means even more that I can drive to go see her. I can't walk much & she can't see much but we have the best time together, like teenage girls! lol
Molly's advice for parents is so good and important (for any parents of any children). If you keep your children from experiencing and making mistakes, they will not know how to function once they're on their own because mistakes are inevitable in life. It's so much better to give kids freedom to make mistakes and be there for them to help them cope with the consequences so that they will learn how to cope when you can't be there for them.
I love this lady. I'm so glad that Molly devoted two videos to telling her story. Olivia is so pretty. How dare anyone tell any little girl that she's ugly or dumb. Shame on them! We all have our own unique beauty.
I could cry. I relate to Olivia's story so much as I'm on my own blindness journey. There aren't words to describe the relief of feeling understood by someone. I wasn't given opportunities to be a kid and learn to laundry. I was 18 when I learned how to do the most basic things. I just can't express how much these videos mean.
Thank you Molly and Olivia for sharing! I have an invisible disability and help advocate for change in my field, genetic counseling. Our community has a very low representation of disabled providers, which is a huge disadvantage since much of our patient population is disabled. I and other disabled genetic counselors get a lot of pushback but it helps to know that we are united together to improve our society. Also, I love how much Olivia describes her own facial expressions, jewelry, and movements to you throughout this interview.
I absolutely love how Olivia described for both Molly and any blind or low sighted audience members her body gestures. These are things that I honestly would never have thought about as a sighted person and I learned a lot just from that simple thing
I LOVE that you called out that sighted people need to understand that disabled people are people with skill sets and that by doing everything for someone who is disabled you are robbing them of their skills. I have spent years and years working with kids with special needs, mainly autism and other intellectual disabilities, but when I was younger I became very interested in Helen Keller and the one quote that has ALWAYS stuck with me from the movie is “I treat her like a seeing child because I expect her to see”. This doesn’t mean you actually expect someone to be able to do something they physically can’t do, but it DOES mean you treat them like a person and you expect them to have the skills they are capable of. This has been something I’ve taken with me in my profession and tried to teach others. If you treat a disabled person/child/etc like they are disabled, they will grow up disabled. Treat them like you would any other person and see what they can accomplish.
Even as someone who wears glasses I hear “So what can you actually see?” A lot so I could only imagine trying to explain Olivia’s vision and her experience.
Thank you Molly and Olivia for both videos. As a blind woman myself who has had several surgeries to get somewhat better vision but I'm still on the blind spectrum. I'm an engineer and work in technology. I can relate to a lot of what was said and how we are all trying to change the industry, have representation, and increase accessibility in the world around us. I've been told how what I could not do but love making the impossible possible. I live in Orlando Florida. I am a Disney connections and would love to gift Olivia a day at Disney when in the area. I am also the 1st blind elected official in Florida. Thank you both again for sharing, for normalizing blindness/disability, and for helping us cope with changes!
What a mature, thoughtful and meaningful set of videos these were. You continue to provide valuable content, and you have to know that it’s important, even to those of us who aren’t blind. Thank you for all your efforts.
Recently I've realized that I am part of the disabled community because of my ADHD. I was diagnosed at 27 and I am 29 now. There are so many misconceptions about ADHD that when my doctor first asked if anyone had told me I presented symptoms I laughed it off. I realize now how much I've been struggling my whole life and how ridiculous it is that I've had to. I'm honestly exhausted because I've been trying so hard only to be told that I'm not trying at all, so then I would try harder. Able people think that everyone should want to be like them and need to be "fixed" so that (it feels like) we don't have to be delt with and we don't make THEM uncomfortable. I'm still working on the grieving process and accepting that I am disabled, but your videos have helped me so much. You've shown me that I can accomplish and live the life I want once I am able envision that. Also vision is super intense sometimes (I've worn glasses since I was 12 and I'm not legally blind) and sometimes I just walk around without them or in the dark. I don't want eye surgery because it freaks me out and I'm fine wearing glasses and contacts. Plus, it makes a great joke when I tell someone I can't look at them and take off my glasses hahah
I also have ADHD. I got diagnosed at 19 from a family doctor. Was given a low dose of meds. Told If they don't bounce of the walls from it you must have ADHD. It relaxed me. But it does effect my sleep as evening the meds are completely worn off. I got officially diagnosed by a specialist at 23 years old. The only reason I got a diagnoses was because I pushed for it. Was told as a child I had a learning disability that's about it. They did give me a written test as a child to see if I had ADHD. Since I could sit still for 30 minutes I didn't have ADHD. Even if my school teachers said otherwise. The specialists didn't listen because they didn't see it in a controlled 30 minute period
I have had a very similar experience. I was diagnosed at 23 after seeing 9 different mental health professionals throughout my life and telling them there was something wrong with me. You’re not alone.
I was diagnosed at the same age. I’ve ended up being a very happy person. Take time to grieve, but also take heart. Your life is about to get better :-)
Thank you so much for sharing this story! I work in ophthalmology and this is a really unique experience that I've never gotten to hear. We've done surgery on people who only had light perception and got them great vision back, but they all had vision previously and it was more restorative than a new experience. We also often talk about being 20/happy, people can see really well subjectively and be unhappy with their vision, other people don't see as well on the chart but do everything they want safely and without difficulty. The most important thing for us is to never brush off anyone's concerns and do our best to validate what people are feeling because sight is such an individual experience. Keep up the great work!
How I pray that we could all learn to treat each other how we would want to be treated. So well elucidated These videos were excellent. Thank you for working to teach all of us. Lord Bless you both. (Molly have a great trip❤)
Thank you so much to both of you for sharing. I knew a little bit about “cures” being more complicated than they seem from deaf people with cochlear implants, but this really helped me understand how it presents new challenges to be “cured.” Olivia, it will be interesting to see if over the years your brain changes the way it process your sight. None of us really retain memories before the age of 3 so we can only imagine what it must be like for sighted babies with their extreme neuroplasticity learning to process all kinds of sensory information, vs you being well into adulthood. I wish you well on this journey!
I was profoundly visually impaired and then had corrective surgery at the age of 14 which gave me 20/80 Vision; even though I have lost all of my vision now I remember that because of this experience I always had two pictures of things in my mind. The way I saw it then and the way I saw it before.
This video was amazing. Made me think because I have epilepsy and I wouldn't wanted to be treated a certain way bc I have epilepsy. So many people are afraid they don't know why or how ect .💜💜😢
If you read the play Molly Sweeney (by Brian Friel), it's about a blind from birth girl who gets an operation and it shows in detail how jarring it was for her to see.
I've really been down on myself about what I can't do. And tell myself "other people can do it." I keep hearing people say "stop comparing." What molly said about everyone being different finally clicked.
It’s true, there are some things people with disabilities can do that people without cannot. I also have problems with my joints and my feet do not point. I won a gold medal in dance because I did a routine that precisely used that as a positive and I was very different. It took a long time to get to that point mentally though. And the first time I tried this, people didn’t get it. The second time I won
As a person who isn't disable, i would 100 percent buy a product that was accessible over a brand that isn't simply bc i know the best way for other companies to join in is to show them with my dollars. Molly was absolutely right, these companies make it seem like making products accessible won't pay off, like they are throwing money away. Which is such crap!
I work in reasonable accommodations and I often share in my clients frustration with accessible tech because the reality is it would be much easier and cheaper to build the functionality in from the beginning then to have to retrofit it after the fact.
PREACH!!! Especially in tech/apps/sites/etc.: when integrated from the start it’s often simply a matter of a few lines of coding!! Some physical products may have a bit of cost increase, but nothing that will break the bank & there’s ZERO reasoning for not letting screen readers work on ANYTHING. These were two fantastic videos though weren’t they? Have a wonderful & blessed week! 🤗💜🙏🏻
Keep fighting for people with disabilities. It is ridiculous that in this day and age technology is not automatically accessible to people who are deaf and/or blind.
Thank you for the driving anxiety story! I lived with pretty low vision for most of my childhood, because I was to scared to tell anyone that I could not see and apparently was very good at faking it. After getting glasses and being able to see moreI got sensory overload a lot but it got better over time. The thing where I still get overwhelmed the most is driving. It is so bad, that I avoid driving overall. I never met anyone that had a similar issue with it so I'm more than glad for hearing this. Thank you
I believe what Olivia is describing with her lens surgery and current contact situation is called monovision, after cataract/lens surgery your eyes cannot focus on things near or far like they could (called accommodation), and the few ways around this is to either have bifocal/progressive glasses, reading glasses, multi focal contacts, or monovision.
This has been a fascinating interview! Thank you both, Molly and Olivia. I read an essay by Oliver Sacks about a person gaining sight after being blind, and the person could not see his whole dog at once (he could see the front end and the back end, but not as a whole) because his brain was not used to taking in information through sight, and also that riding in a car was scary because the size of objects change rapidly as you approach or move away at freeway speeds. That was enlightening.
I really should read that collection of stories. I saw the operetta adaptation of another of Dr Sachs’s tales, “The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat”, when I was 16, and it was a fascinating story.
My wife, as a small child, used to wear out the arch of shoes because she dragged them along the edge of the sidewalk. Despite her father being the the air force, and the, honestly, bad health care they provided, they did learn early on that Viv was legally blind. On the other hand, it wasn't until she was about 13 that anyone spoke to them about how she needed to go to the Blind School. Her parents didn't want to allow her to go 'alone' so, her father asked to be moved to Bergstrom AFB. They stayed in the Austin TX area and he retired there/here. About 6 years ago, Viv's cataracts got bad enough that she had the surgery. Did it give her enough vision to drive? No, but it went from not really being able to focus from about 3 inches to actually able to see more than a blob at 6 feet. Still considered legally blind, but having glasses that weren't a ton. There was one doctor who ordered her old glasses to be made large and then punching out the focal area and put in smaller frames. She also had no color vision, she had achromatopsia. Viv always said that people who never had any vision, or, like she had, no color vision, probably would not be able to adjust to vision/color vision. The brain isn't 'wired' to adjust to the new thing.
What a beautiful person is Olivia. I love how she could express the blind and sighted version, how it is scary and what else. And the most beautiful part was when she described to Molly how she sat with her hands and her expression on her face.
Hmm, the word is "disabled" - not "unable." I'm a big etymology nerd: the Latin prefix 'dis' means apart, which is very different from 'not able.' I think we have to remember that.
I feel your description of driving sums up how I feel every time I have a driving lesson 😅 it took me a while to stop internally panicking about the car driving towards me on the other side of the road and having to watch everything that is happening
Thank you to Olivia for sharing her story. I believe her unique experience and point of view as both "blind" and "sighted" can help bridge the gap for companies and for individuals. She has so much to teach us.
Olivia saying that putting on the blind fold was like her comfort zone made me think of the Netflix show “Love is blind.” In the first season, there is a couple who just kept fighting. They had to go back to talking through a wall to relax and talk openly. Our brains are amazing, they adapt. I as a blind woman am so very happy for Olivia. Blindness is a journey and getting your sight back is a whole new journey. You have to learn to roll over, to sit up, to crawl, to stand and then finally walk. Sending all the positive vibes. Pittsburgh proud!
This was so fascinating to watch. Thank you for telling your story Olivia. As an aspiring user experience designer it helped me better understand the challenges blind people face. I hope to one day design products that will help everyone including the blind. You’re both beautiful people inside and out!
Wow molly next to normal people sounds very well spoken because when she's alone in a video, it's just molly but when she's next to someone else it really shows how articulate she is it like her super power.
Thank you so much to Olivia for sharing your story! I spent several years being on-off low vision and legally blind. A couple of years ago I had cataract surgery, and have had "normal" vision since. I could definitely relate to some of your experiences! I'm also a vision researcher (a weird coincidence with my personal experiences) and was super interested in your experiences adjusting to being sighted. Some of the experiences you report absolutely make sense given your situation. Again, thank you for sharing
Every time molly was talking the expression on Olivia’s face is so full of respect and joy its wonderful to see the obvious admiration in her face! So your vision is better than mine now! That’s amazing!!!
This has been outstanding… wish more people saw it and will get to see this. FYI, Molly you’re great at interviewing and your collabs are so good… thank you both of you ::)
Great job on this interview Molly! You're definitely improving in being an interviewer. Olivia was a wonderful guest and you did a great job at asking questions and letting Olivia tell her story. Good interjections affirming what she said without going off on too many tangents of your own. Well done! Love both interview videos.
I just love how mature and wisely Molly‘s always articulating herself. I love to listen to you Molly, I got the feeling you‘ve understood a lot about life❤️
I have an accessibility note for Molly. Please help me boost this so she will see it. Molly, these conversations are so wonderful and important. Also Molly you are very good at projecting and speaking clearly. However, your guests don't always have this skill. There were many times I had to rewind to catch what your guest said. Please think about possibly give your guests a mic, to allow a more balanced and clear audio. For me if there was any background noise, I couldn't hear your guest.
This interview, for me, really just reinforces how much of a light and inspiration Molly is to people all across the world. But even moreso, hearing Olivia's story has given me yet another perspective and understanding of just how diverse the blind community is. Big thanks to Olivia for devoting her time to being in this 2-part video series! This interview was really interesting from start to finish! I just had to look up Olivia's name on tik tok after watching part 1 and immediately decided to follow her
Thank you for sharing! Molly, I love your content. I’ve been watching for several years. I love how you advocate for accessibility. I do want to say something. My daughter has an intellectual disability. My aim is to have her learn to be as I dependent as she can. However, society sees intelectual disability a lot different then they are physical disability. I feel I have to strive even harder to have her accepted and seen as someone who is worthy of existing in society - even though she may not be able to contribute even as much as someone with a physical disability. I want to say that it bothers me when people who have physical disabilities talk about how offended they are when someone thinks they have a intelectual disability. I cringe when I hear that. It’s a constant reminder that even other people with disabilities don’t want to be lumped in the same group as my daughter. As if it would be the worst thing in the world is to be considered to be like my daughter. Or that you wouldn’t want to associate with my daughter lest someone assume you are like her. 😞
I don't know you or your daughter, but I do want to share something with you even though I'm writing a novella here. I started out (age 14) as someone who thought they were accepting of everybody. I began volunteering with people with various disabilities and the response I often got was something along the lines of "how nice of you". Something about that response triggered something in me that I wanted to advocate for people being people and people being worthy of care regardless of any health conditions, intellectual disabilities, reliance on others, etc. I learned how biased I really was and I am always trying to be conscious of how I think about others. I would love to know your thoughts on if there is a way that people could convey that people (with non-intellectual disabilities) don't want people to make assumptions about them without saying that they don't want to be associated with people with intellectual disabilities. ' Even if nobody but myself sees this, I would like to know how I can phrase things inclusively, because I genuinely believe a person's ability to contribute to society does not equate to their worth. I admit that I have a lot to learn about the impact of my words, even as one person. We all deserve to be here. I believe in God, so in my eyes He created everyone. Everyone, regardless of the level of care they require from others or ability to "contribute to society" is worthy of being recognized as a person. I am so, so sorry some people have the gall to imply or explicitly say that your daughter is somehow not worthy if she cannot contribute, as if they are somehow an all seeing being capable of judging your life and hers. I think it would suffice to say something like, "I wish people would not make assumptions about my disabilities", but I am always looking to learn from people who can speak to the truth because that is their life.
@@aaronwolf1045 thank you for responding and being so thoughtful and caring. I appreciate that so much. To answer your question, I would suggest maybe stating that you don’t want people talking to you in a patronizing way or that you don’t want to be talked down to like a child or a baby. Or simply that you don’t want to be seen as less capable than you are. I think that language would be more inclusive than literally being compared to someone with intellectual or mental disabilities. Because even those who have intellectual disabilities are offended at being patronized or seen as less capable than they are.
I completely understand where you're coming from, I'm autistic and also have a physical (more visible) disability and I've noticed the one I get treated the worst for is being autistic. I don't know how to describe it, but I can SEE the way people look at me change when I disclose I'm autistic as to when they thought I was neurotypical. Best wishes to you and your daughter x
@@fox_6174 thanks for responding to my comment. My daughter has Down Symdrome. I notice with both DS and Autism when it comes to “representation” in entertainment or on social media it’s only those who are (and I hate this term) “higher functioning” that are visible to the world. The rest of the people in these communities are supposed to remain invisible because they give the higher functioning folks a bad look (because they have more of the stereotypical traits). I don’t know maybe I’m seeing too much into it. 🤷🏼♀️
@@mmartens3 I think that’s related to how “high functioning” autistic people (which as I’m sure you’ve noticed from your own interactions with your daughter just means we’ve got the accommodations that we need) are expected to mask our autistic traits and present as neurotypical as possible, especially in public. Any stereotypically autistic behaviour-even something as harmless as a happy stim such as hand flapping-“must” (in the eyes of the general public) be suppressed so that we’re not shunned or worse.
Super interesting interview Molly, Olivia seems so sweet and has a lot of interesting things to say ☺️. Maybe you can do another video with her talking about self image and self expression more and her experiences with that topic going from blind to “cured”. 😉 How has her view of herself and others changed with this big change in her life.
I'm in awe at how good Olivia is at describing and explaining her experiences! I could relate to, or imagine, what most things she spoke of would feel like even though my life, and my experiences are very different from hers.
It is definitely out of the disability talk. But... I have low vision. I'm not blind and I were contact lenses, they don't make my vision perfect, but it is considered nearly perfect. And when I started dating my husband, who had perfect vision all his life (and maybe that is the reason, but) I started to understand that often we see things differently. And then when I found your channel and learned a lot of things from you, I started to understand things in a different way. Sometimes in some situations, I try to tell my husband I see that I don't see that. And he is surprised. So even if 2 sighted people can see things differently how can we even assume what a blind person can or can not see?
I grew up with two women in my life who were blind, who showed me just how capable blind people are. One of them was my Sunday school teacher, & the other was my Gran's best friend. My Sunday school teacher was one of the kindest people I've ever known & also the best Sunday school teacher I've ever had. My Gran's best friend was a secretary for a huge clothing store chain here in the UK, where she was treated like everyone else at work. She refused to use a cane or have a guide dog, but managed absolutely fine. One thing that really makes me frusatrated is when sighted people think they're helping a blind person by just grabbing their arm & frog marching them somewhere. If you want to help them, ask if they want your help & how best to help them. Every blind person is unique & has their own way of being assisted. Some people prefer to have their hand on your shoulder or put their hand on your arm. Just because my Gran's best friend preferred to link arms with me, doesn't mean all blind people want you to do that.
Coming from someone who was cited for 30 years and then lost their site I drove and of course at the time it was wonderful but now that I can't drive I honestly can say that I don't miss it I can sympathize with people who have not been able to drive to have that experience under their belt however now that I am unable to drive I find it more relaxing than ever. I personally was so shaken up every time I would get done driving because of the people around me and the way that they drove it's just a big stress relief off of my hands.
I was told to hide my learning difficulty and often feel like I don't fit in as I'm not "disabled" or able. I have tried to hide my symptoms so hard that it makes it harder to be accepted at times
Loved hearing Olivia's story, I loved how she provided her own description of her own expression. Honestly, so true. I have conversations with friends and family on what you talk about here on this channel. Even another channel by the name of Annie Elainey. Even conservations w/anyone and reminding them at the same time that is disabilities are on a spectrum, and just because you cant see it doesn't mean someone isn't. I follow someone (whom I don't know the exact name of her disability) but she uses a wheelchair, but also uses a cane at times. It's like people often still see disability as being in a wheelchair and it's like no it's so much more than that
Companies shouldn't just think "disabled ' people need accessible products..when I'm in the shower with no glasses I can't read the shampoo or conditioner bottles either...it would be nice to touch one and know which is which.
I'm so glad this interview happened. The only time I have ever heard this topic was once in a horror movie. And I know that's horrible to say but it truely is not talked about at all. The woman in the movie got a transplant (I know that's not how it works) and she had to learn what a stapler looked like and she genuinely couldn't figure it out without touching it even though she could see it. The rest of the movie was aweful. But that scene was so impactful. It really opened my child eyes to what that would be like to have a cure. And when I was in ASL learning about the deaf community I was able to understand the conversation of implants and hearing aids on a level that not everyone in the class really got because it stayed with me all these years. I wish the general public gets to hear more of this conversation. Thank you so much Molly and Olivia.
Iam so so grateful to you for your content molly i have learned so much about the blind community you are both beautiful intelligent inspirational strong women love you molly your channel is full of information just subscribed to her she sounds like an interesting person
The same things you said about able-bodied bodied parents "letting kids be kids" also applies to parents of able-bodied children as well Since in North America we aren't doing that anymore for even able-bodied children both disabled and able-bodied children need to "fall and scrape their knees" (heck, I scraped my knee many times as a kid before we realized after getting my first pair of glasses at the age of 16, that I had balance issues)
Such beautiful souls and strong people. These messages are so powerful and true. I wish NAMI Walks had more blind advocation. I'm part of NAMI and hope to see these organizations come together more soon. We can all raise each other up!
Both of these women are extraordinary, but Olivia is especially strong and bright to be able to be where she is after coming out of poverty in America today. Thank you Molly for making us aware of her: i love your hair like this . ( I think you’re very bright & brave too!)
Oh boy!!! Such a great time of two new friends sitting and sharing!! Molly is a friend to us all, and we adore her. You are a new friend now, too…I am so happy you go on your journey with you, and am heading to your page now to join. ❤️
I enjoyed listening and learning and felt such good energy and kindness from both ladies! This curiosity and information building is exactly what they want people to understand and it truly is working so well!
I was about 8 when we went to Disney and my parents could not make me go in the submarine. They explained what it was but I refused to go "underwater". I was traumatized of just thinking about it
Amen Molly people have trail blazed before us and we need to plant some trees we will never sit under for our communities generations to come. The Blind community needs to stop squabbling over the scraps and crumbs… let us stand together! United we stand and divided we fall! We will never be represented by one voice though it is in our best interest to put our plight first as a community. I have known those with more vision to lack confidence that more sighted people have. We are all unique and the crucial elements of these discussions are only what we only usually KNIW as blind people and most people assume we all would be better off cured. My heartfelt thanks to you both. Love and Blessed Be ✨🌟✨
Thank you to both of you for these two oh so inspiring vlogs. So many very important factors to try to digest. I am reminded of the t-shirt slogans on the children in Montessori schools. To the effect of "Show me how to do it for myself." As a person who has worn glasses to enhance vision since mid childhood and now many decades later also using hearing aids I have a very tiny understanding of others reactions, especially from hearing companions. Here in Australia with mask wearing rules for much of the pandemic I really worried for those who relied on lip reading. It was hard enough anyway! Thanks to you both again. Such amazing ladies.
For what Molly says about there being a community out there for you on the internet, she's right! I have a rare neuro-disability that I developed later in life and I found other people who share this condition on 'Stuff That Works'. There's communities for 100s of conditions on there and overlap between them too.
I love hearing about people who are visually impaired in treally impaired in the Tech industry growing up my dad who has been blind legally pretty much since childhood but fully since I've been alive who was a computer programmer for a big company. Back then he was such an anomaly it's great to hear more and more people doing tech related work
My undergraduate institution made their DEI plan to post advertising that includes visible disabilities. I had the same response as you. Why visible specifically? It is to exploit them for financial gain and praise to be perceived as inclusive. If this measure were about inclusion they would not need to specify the visibility of the disability (since neither type is featured enough) and they wouldn't need them to be included specifically for ads.
Hi Molly! Excellent example with the makeup skill comparisons, I felt it really captured something I often think of when I am doubting myself. I have invisible disabilities, and using my time and energy in ways that make me happy can feel hard to justify to myself and others. There is little meaning in pushing myself to do tasks I don't need or want, simply to prove my worth to strangers. I don't care much about makeup, so I haven't honed that skill. My hair and clothing, however, are very important to me, so I don't mind spending extra time and energy on them.
I really enjoyed watching these videos with Olivia. What an interesting perspective to compare and contrast your two experiences. Blind representation matters 🥰
Molly, I hope you understand as a blind person it is the same for sighted people in the regard that everybodies sight is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. The majority of modern people no longer have as good as 20/20 eyesight, and even those that do almost everyone loses ability as they age, just like other physical functions. I had a room mate with 20/15 vision. I have like I cant remember but like 20/-450 and -600 or some crazy thing from nearsighted, but then also age now I cant see up close either, and floaters (common in old age) makes it hard, then, if you wear glasses (I do) you can only see in this one little area clearly so driving and checking your blind spot is super perilous. Other people are farsighted. My cousin had nearsightedness like me and she got lasic so she could see pretty well (weak glasses) for about 10 years but then she aged and now she wears trifocals. glasses you are also always seeing the frames, and glare...its a whole thing.
.everyone also has a dominant eye, which can be more or less pronounced so are often seeing far more with one and near more with one, and the level at which peoples eyes are wired to their brain really varies allthough most people are not aware of the impact this has on their quality of life.
Both part one & two are absolutely incredible videos of amazing, beautiful & talented women showing all of us how you take on the world! @Molly Burke , Olivia & Neve; you ALL stepped up & delivered some of the best content we have seen in quite a long time so THANK YOU! Sending everyone here lots of hugs, love & prayers for a wonderful & blessed week 🤗💜🙏🏻.
once she said she had a fixed range of focus I assumed she was wearing a lense in her right eye because you can tell that is the eye that is focused and the other one is a bit not. They kind of do that with people with more regular sight issues in that when you get old and your lenses no longer focus well (they become stiff) many people get one contact lens for seeing far, and one for seeing near, if they do not get bi or trifocals.
We both have endometriosis and this makes us think about how it would be to be cured. We’re also in our 30s and have been chronically sick for a long time. It would be a massive adjustment. We would take the cure if there was one, but it would feel awkward. We talk about this a lot on our TH-cam channel. Sharing our experiences has helped us accept our disability. As medical research advances accepting and processing cures will definitely be something we humans will have to tackle. We love this video series!
This thing you talked about in the end, about parents needing to let their children have some autonomy and to be allowed to get hurt, I think that's really important, especially when it comes to physical pain and injuries, because, from a biomechanical perspective, if a child and an adult have the exact same physical accident, for example tripping and falling, the adult will get more badly hurt. This is because adults are taller, heavier, have more stiff joints etc, the child is more fitted to get hurt, and it's good to learn what hurts when you're a child, because otherwise you might be reckless as an adult and get really badly hurt in the process.
![[Part 1] รักมาไม่ทันตั้งตัว❤ หนุ่มสาวโสดถูกจับมาแต่งงานกันกะทันหัน แถมเธอยังเป็นหัวหน้าของเขา?!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/y2pOOMkuFI0/mqdefault.jpg)
A friend I met in college has albinism and has subsequently been legally blind her whole life. When we were in college, one winter we each took a class during the winter term (one semester's worth of work truncated into two weeks). On weekdays, campus dining services were operating, but on weekends, students had to "fend for ourselves". Beth and I got provisions from our local grocery store and one night we made pasta with meat sauce in our dorm's kitchen. In the middle of browning the hamburger, I remembered that I left something in my room, so I told Beth to keep cooking the hamburger and that I would be right back. I noticed that she was stunned for some reason, and when I returned, I asked her why. She explained that when she had taken home ec in middle school/high school, none of her classmates trusted her to have any part in the cooking unit because of her low vision. Thus, she was surprised that I gave her any responsibility at all. I was surprised that it was even "a thing" because I knew Beth to be quite capable and it made me sad for her that she was treated that way.
I understand this. Omg :(
I love how Olivia provides audio description of her own expression at 13:29
I noticed that, too. I want to be as conscious of others' experiences and needs as Olivia is here
Aww thanks! Don’t be hard on yourself - I’ve had these eyes for about 5 years and I acclimated and can forget too! ❤️❤️❤️
I was coming to the comments to say the same thing!
Same!
@@OliviaDurant 💗💗
I just remembered a thought from a disability activist: being able bodied is temporary, we will all need accommodations if we live long enough.
Its so odd that in advertising there's a fine line between not being "disabled" enough and being "too disabled" that people are uncomfortable. This is so wild to me. We need more of these conversations. I subscribed to Olivia's channel immediately.
That's confusing to me, too. If you have a visible disability or people learn you have a disability, society I notice treats us as less than human, but if you have an invisible disability, society expects you to be like everyone else and don't know what's wrong with you if you don't learn as quickly as others or are blind, deaf, etc, something that alters people's perception of you. I find that a lot of people I meet expect me to be super smart until they learn about my short term memory and then are confused how I have had trouble finding a job where people give me time to learn. It's not that I'm not smart, but struggling in a school and work setting makes me feel like I am less smart than the average person. I feel lucky these days to have been in a job for over a decade that has allowed me to learn at my own pace.
@@HaleyMary 💜
So true!!!
but it is true. Molly doesnt look disabled. She looks like a regular petit woman with a dog. If you put her in a billboard, people that dont know her story, which is many, wont assume she is disabled. how could they?? Invisible disabilities are real but they are not physical, people wont know.
@@ZairaBandy Yeah people won't know she's blind at a glance, but some ads could work that into the text. If we allow society to get more used to the idea that disabled people often look "normal," then people will gradually adjust their expectations.
And many of them are physical, I think you used the wrong word there.
I had Juvenile RA growing up & with that came a lot of issues, one was with my eyes so I was in glasses by 7 years old, I had two forms of cataracts that they couldn't quite pinpoint what was happening until I was much older & my vision finally trashed bad enough to go for surgery (my choice) I WAS OVERWHELMED BY SIGHTS & COLORS! My anxiety was through the roof & I was nauseated a lot, like motion sickness! As exciting as it was to see things I'd never seen, like pepper from a shaker, the actual color of my dog & her toes, the world as a whole, it was sensory overload! I love driving more than ever now that I'm used to it. Eye problems are genetic in my family & 2 OF MY SISTERS HAD SERIOUS ISSUES. One had "lazy eye" so bad she went totally blind in one eye. My elder sister has RP like you Molly but other than wearing thick glasses as a wee one she made it to her 30s with some vision, they did surgery & she could see much better. It was a one shot deal. She is now long passed legally blind & sees the world through black spots & dark shadows. We are both retired now & with my disability getting worse, it means even more that I can drive to go see her. I can't walk much & she can't see much but we have the best time together, like teenage girls! lol
Molly's advice for parents is so good and important (for any parents of any children). If you keep your children from experiencing and making mistakes, they will not know how to function once they're on their own because mistakes are inevitable in life. It's so much better to give kids freedom to make mistakes and be there for them to help them cope with the consequences so that they will learn how to cope when you can't be there for them.
I love this lady. I'm so glad that Molly devoted two videos to telling her story. Olivia is so pretty. How dare anyone tell any little girl that she's ugly or dumb. Shame on them! We all have our own unique beauty.
I could cry. I relate to Olivia's story so much as I'm on my own blindness journey. There aren't words to describe the relief of feeling understood by someone. I wasn't given opportunities to be a kid and learn to laundry. I was 18 when I learned how to do the most basic things. I just can't express how much these videos mean.
Thank you for also making me feel less alone
Thank you for sharing. We have an autistic teen who can’t do much for herself. For some it takes longer to learn.
Thank you Molly and Olivia for sharing! I have an invisible disability and help advocate for change in my field, genetic counseling. Our community has a very low representation of disabled providers, which is a huge disadvantage since much of our patient population is disabled. I and other disabled genetic counselors get a lot of pushback but it helps to know that we are united together to improve our society. Also, I love how much Olivia describes her own facial expressions, jewelry, and movements to you throughout this interview.
Aww thank you :)
I absolutely love how Olivia described for both Molly and any blind or low sighted audience members her body gestures. These are things that I honestly would never have thought about as a sighted person and I learned a lot just from that simple thing
I LOVE that you called out that sighted people need to understand that disabled people are people with skill sets and that by doing everything for someone who is disabled you are robbing them of their skills.
I have spent years and years working with kids with special needs, mainly autism and other intellectual disabilities, but when I was younger I became very interested in Helen Keller and the one quote that has ALWAYS stuck with me from the movie is “I treat her like a seeing child because I expect her to see”.
This doesn’t mean you actually expect someone to be able to do something they physically can’t do, but it DOES mean you treat them like a person and you expect them to have the skills they are capable of. This has been something I’ve taken with me in my profession and tried to teach others. If you treat a disabled person/child/etc like they are disabled, they will grow up disabled. Treat them like you would any other person and see what they can accomplish.
Even as someone who wears glasses I hear “So what can you actually see?” A lot so I could only imagine trying to explain Olivia’s vision and her experience.
Thank you Molly and Olivia for both videos. As a blind woman myself who has had several surgeries to get somewhat better vision but I'm still on the blind spectrum. I'm an engineer and work in technology. I can relate to a lot of what was said and how we are all trying to change the industry, have representation, and increase accessibility in the world around us. I've been told how what I could not do but love making the impossible possible. I live in Orlando Florida. I am a Disney connections and would love to gift Olivia a day at Disney when in the area. I am also the 1st blind elected official in Florida. Thank you both again for sharing, for normalizing blindness/disability, and for helping us cope with changes!
What a mature, thoughtful and meaningful set of videos these were. You continue to provide valuable content, and you have to know that it’s important, even to those of us who aren’t blind. Thank you for all your efforts.
Yes Amen to that.
Recently I've realized that I am part of the disabled community because of my ADHD. I was diagnosed at 27 and I am 29 now. There are so many misconceptions about ADHD that when my doctor first asked if anyone had told me I presented symptoms I laughed it off. I realize now how much I've been struggling my whole life and how ridiculous it is that I've had to. I'm honestly exhausted because I've been trying so hard only to be told that I'm not trying at all, so then I would try harder. Able people think that everyone should want to be like them and need to be "fixed" so that (it feels like) we don't have to be delt with and we don't make THEM uncomfortable. I'm still working on the grieving process and accepting that I am disabled, but your videos have helped me so much. You've shown me that I can accomplish and live the life I want once I am able envision that.
Also vision is super intense sometimes (I've worn glasses since I was 12 and I'm not legally blind) and sometimes I just walk around without them or in the dark. I don't want eye surgery because it freaks me out and I'm fine wearing glasses and contacts. Plus, it makes a great joke when I tell someone I can't look at them and take off my glasses hahah
I also have ADHD. I got diagnosed at 19 from a family doctor. Was given a low dose of meds. Told If they don't bounce of the walls from it you must have ADHD. It relaxed me. But it does effect my sleep as evening the meds are completely worn off. I got officially diagnosed by a specialist at 23 years old. The only reason I got a diagnoses was because I pushed for it. Was told as a child I had a learning disability that's about it. They did give me a written test as a child to see if I had ADHD. Since I could sit still for 30 minutes I didn't have ADHD. Even if my school teachers said otherwise. The specialists didn't listen because they didn't see it in a controlled 30 minute period
I have had a very similar experience. I was diagnosed at 23 after seeing 9 different mental health professionals throughout my life and telling them there was something wrong with me. You’re not alone.
I was diagnosed at the same age. I’ve ended up being a very happy person. Take time to grieve, but also take heart. Your life is about to get better :-)
Thank you so much for sharing this story! I work in ophthalmology and this is a really unique experience that I've never gotten to hear.
We've done surgery on people who only had light perception and got them great vision back, but they all had vision previously and it was more restorative than a new experience.
We also often talk about being 20/happy, people can see really well subjectively and be unhappy with their vision, other people don't see as well on the chart but do everything they want safely and without difficulty. The most important thing for us is to never brush off anyone's concerns and do our best to validate what people are feeling because sight is such an individual experience.
Keep up the great work!
How I pray that we could all learn to treat each other how we would want to be treated. So well elucidated These videos were excellent. Thank you for working to teach all of us. Lord Bless you both. (Molly have a great trip❤)
13:24 I appreciate that bit of accessibility from Olivia to describe her expression of her feelings by her actions
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! THIS!!!
Thank you so much to both of you for sharing. I knew a little bit about “cures” being more complicated than they seem from deaf people with cochlear implants, but this really helped me understand how it presents new challenges to be “cured.” Olivia, it will be interesting to see if over the years your brain changes the way it process your sight. None of us really retain memories before the age of 3 so we can only imagine what it must be like for sighted babies with their extreme neuroplasticity learning to process all kinds of sensory information, vs you being well into adulthood. I wish you well on this journey!
Thank you! I’ll try to document some of it on my channel :)
I was profoundly visually impaired and then had corrective surgery at the age of 14 which gave me 20/80 Vision; even though I have lost all of my vision now I remember that because of this experience I always had two pictures of things in my mind. The way I saw it then and the way I saw it before.
I hope Olivia enjoys Disney, cause she's definitely getting there!
Such a fun placeeeee!!!
I hope she also gets to go on the Disney Cruise! It’s beyond wonderful!!!
This video was amazing. Made me think because I have epilepsy and I wouldn't wanted to be treated a certain way bc I have epilepsy. So many people are afraid they don't know why or how ect .💜💜😢
If you read the play Molly Sweeney (by Brian Friel), it's about a blind from birth girl who gets an operation and it shows in detail how jarring it was for her to see.
I've really been down on myself about what I can't do. And tell myself "other people can do it." I keep hearing people say "stop comparing." What molly said about everyone being different finally clicked.
It’s true, there are some things people with disabilities can do that people without cannot. I also have problems with my joints and my feet do not point. I won a gold medal in dance because I did a routine that precisely used that as a positive and I was very different. It took a long time to get to that point mentally though. And the first time I tried this, people didn’t get it. The second time I won
As a person who isn't disable, i would 100 percent buy a product that was accessible over a brand that isn't simply bc i know the best way for other companies to join in is to show them with my dollars. Molly was absolutely right, these companies make it seem like making products accessible won't pay off, like they are throwing money away. Which is such crap!
I work in reasonable accommodations and I often share in my clients frustration with accessible tech because the reality is it would be much easier and cheaper to build the functionality in from the beginning then to have to retrofit it after the fact.
You are singing my song!!!
PREACH!!! Especially in tech/apps/sites/etc.: when integrated from the start it’s often simply a matter of a few lines of coding!! Some physical products may have a bit of cost increase, but nothing that will break the bank & there’s ZERO reasoning for not letting screen readers work on ANYTHING. These were two fantastic videos though weren’t they? Have a wonderful & blessed week!
🤗💜🙏🏻
@@rebeccaude4412 I hope that through TH-cam folks like us can make positive change on this. ❤️
I've been looking forward to part 2! Such a great interview. Very informative, interesting and you both are so sweet! I love you Molly! 🥰🥰
Keep fighting for people with disabilities. It is ridiculous that in this day and age technology is not automatically accessible to people who are deaf and/or blind.
Thank you for the driving anxiety story!
I lived with pretty low vision for most of my childhood, because I was to scared to tell anyone that I could not see and apparently was very good at faking it. After getting glasses and being able to see moreI got sensory overload a lot but it got better over time. The thing where I still get overwhelmed the most is driving. It is so bad, that I avoid driving overall. I never met anyone that had a similar issue with it so I'm more than glad for hearing this.
Thank you
I believe what Olivia is describing with her lens surgery and current contact situation is called monovision, after cataract/lens surgery your eyes cannot focus on things near or far like they could (called accommodation), and the few ways around this is to either have bifocal/progressive glasses, reading glasses, multi focal contacts, or monovision.
That is correct :) I also struggle with flashers and floaters and sometimes my brain stops understanding it but… That’s basically what it is
This has been a fascinating interview! Thank you both, Molly and Olivia. I read an essay by Oliver Sacks about a person gaining sight after being blind, and the person could not see his whole dog at once (he could see the front end and the back end, but not as a whole) because his brain was not used to taking in information through sight, and also that riding in a car was scary because the size of objects change rapidly as you approach or move away at freeway speeds. That was enlightening.
I really should read that collection of stories. I saw the operetta adaptation of another of Dr Sachs’s tales, “The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat”, when I was 16, and it was a fascinating story.
My wife, as a small child, used to wear out the arch of shoes because she dragged them along the edge of the sidewalk. Despite her father being the the air force, and the, honestly, bad health care they provided, they did learn early on that Viv was legally blind. On the other hand, it wasn't until she was about 13 that anyone spoke to them about how she needed to go to the Blind School. Her parents didn't want to allow her to go 'alone' so, her father asked to be moved to Bergstrom AFB. They stayed in the Austin TX area and he retired there/here. About 6 years ago, Viv's cataracts got bad enough that she had the surgery. Did it give her enough vision to drive? No, but it went from not really being able to focus from about 3 inches to actually able to see more than a blob at 6 feet. Still considered legally blind, but having glasses that weren't a ton. There was one doctor who ordered her old glasses to be made large and then punching out the focal area and put in smaller frames. She also had no color vision, she had achromatopsia. Viv always said that people who never had any vision, or, like she had, no color vision, probably would not be able to adjust to vision/color vision. The brain isn't 'wired' to adjust to the new thing.
What a beautiful person is Olivia. I love how she could express the blind and sighted version, how it is scary and what else. And the most beautiful part was when she described to Molly how she sat with her hands and her expression on her face.
Hmm, the word is "disabled" - not "unable." I'm a big etymology nerd: the Latin prefix 'dis' means apart, which is very different from 'not able.' I think we have to remember that.
I feel your description of driving sums up how I feel every time I have a driving lesson 😅 it took me a while to stop internally panicking about the car driving towards me on the other side of the road and having to watch everything that is happening
Thank you to Olivia for sharing her story. I believe her unique experience and point of view as both "blind" and "sighted" can help bridge the gap for companies and for individuals. She has so much to teach us.
Olivia saying that putting on the blind fold was like her comfort zone made me think of the Netflix show “Love is blind.” In the first season, there is a couple who just kept fighting. They had to go back to talking through a wall to relax and talk openly. Our brains are amazing, they adapt. I as a blind woman am so very happy for Olivia. Blindness is a journey and getting your sight back is a whole new journey. You have to learn to roll over, to sit up, to crawl, to stand and then finally walk. Sending all the positive vibes. Pittsburgh proud!
This was so fascinating to watch. Thank you for telling your story Olivia. As an aspiring user experience designer it helped me better understand the challenges blind people face. I hope to one day design products that will help everyone including the blind. You’re both beautiful people inside and out!
Wow molly next to normal people sounds very well spoken because when she's alone in a video, it's just molly but when she's next to someone else it really shows how articulate she is it like her super power.
Thank you so much to Olivia for sharing your story! I spent several years being on-off low vision and legally blind. A couple of years ago I had cataract surgery, and have had "normal" vision since. I could definitely relate to some of your experiences! I'm also a vision researcher (a weird coincidence with my personal experiences) and was super interested in your experiences adjusting to being sighted. Some of the experiences you report absolutely make sense given your situation. Again, thank you for sharing
Every time molly was talking the expression on Olivia’s face is so full of respect and joy its wonderful to see the obvious admiration in her face! So your vision is better than mine now! That’s amazing!!!
This has been outstanding… wish more people saw it and will get to see this. FYI, Molly you’re great at interviewing and your collabs are so good… thank you both of you ::)
amazing conversation here… the two of you have great rapport together. I could sit and listen to this for hours.
Great job on this interview Molly! You're definitely improving in being an interviewer.
Olivia was a wonderful guest and you did a great job at asking questions and letting Olivia tell her story. Good interjections affirming what she said without going off on too many tangents of your own.
Well done! Love both interview videos.
It is totally legal to drive on private property without a license, so you can also recommend that.
I just love how mature and wisely Molly‘s always articulating herself. I love to listen to you Molly, I got the feeling you‘ve understood a lot about life❤️
I'm so sorry you weren't given accommodations. Thank you for sharing your story.
this conversation is beautiful. Very enlightening!
I have an accessibility note for Molly. Please help me boost this so she will see it. Molly, these conversations are so wonderful and important. Also Molly you are very good at projecting and speaking clearly. However, your guests don't always have this skill. There were many times I had to rewind to catch what your guest said. Please think about possibly give your guests a mic, to allow a more balanced and clear audio. For me if there was any background noise, I couldn't hear your guest.
I’m sighted, always have been. But driving always gives me anxiety. Can’t imagine experiencing that with new sight. Overwhelming experience amplified
This interview, for me, really just reinforces how much of a light and inspiration Molly is to people all across the world. But even moreso, hearing Olivia's story has given me yet another perspective and understanding of just how diverse the blind community is. Big thanks to Olivia for devoting her time to being in this 2-part video series! This interview was really interesting from start to finish! I just had to look up Olivia's name on tik tok after watching part 1 and immediately decided to follow her
Having watched and gotten to love Molly and others, any business or product I ever create will have accessibility. Definitely important to me.
Thank you for sharing! Molly, I love your content. I’ve been watching for several years. I love how you advocate for accessibility. I do want to say something. My daughter has an intellectual disability. My aim is to have her learn to be as I dependent as she can. However, society sees intelectual disability a lot different then they are physical disability. I feel I have to strive even harder to have her accepted and seen as someone who is worthy of existing in society - even though she may not be able to contribute even as much as someone with a physical disability. I want to say that it bothers me when people who have physical disabilities talk about how offended they are when someone thinks they have a intelectual disability. I cringe when I hear that. It’s a constant reminder that even other people with disabilities don’t want to be lumped in the same group as my daughter. As if it would be the worst thing in the world is to be considered to be like my daughter. Or that you wouldn’t want to associate with my daughter lest someone assume you are like her. 😞
I don't know you or your daughter, but I do want to share something with you even though I'm writing a novella here. I started out (age 14) as someone who thought they were accepting of everybody. I began volunteering with people with various disabilities and the response I often got was something along the lines of "how nice of you". Something about that response triggered something in me that I wanted to advocate for people being people and people being worthy of care regardless of any health conditions, intellectual disabilities, reliance on others, etc.
I learned how biased I really was and I am always trying to be conscious of how I think about others. I would love to know your thoughts on if there is a way that people could convey that people (with non-intellectual disabilities) don't want people to make assumptions about them without saying that they don't want to be associated with people with intellectual disabilities. '
Even if nobody but myself sees this, I would like to know how I can phrase things inclusively,
because I genuinely believe a person's ability to contribute to society does not equate to their worth. I admit that I have a lot to learn about the impact of my words, even as one person. We all deserve to be here. I believe in God, so in my eyes He created everyone. Everyone, regardless of the level of care they require from others or ability to "contribute to society" is worthy of being recognized as a person. I am so, so sorry some people have the gall to imply or explicitly say that your daughter is somehow not worthy if she cannot contribute, as if they are somehow an all seeing being capable of judging your life and hers. I think it would suffice to say something like, "I wish people would not make assumptions about my disabilities", but I am always looking to learn from people who can speak to the truth because that is their life.
@@aaronwolf1045 thank you for responding and being so thoughtful and caring. I appreciate that so much. To answer your question, I would suggest maybe stating that you don’t want people talking to you in a patronizing way or that you don’t want to be talked down to like a child or a baby. Or simply that you don’t want to be seen as less capable than you are. I think that language would be more inclusive than literally being compared to someone with intellectual or mental disabilities. Because even those who have intellectual disabilities are offended at being patronized or seen as less capable than they are.
I completely understand where you're coming from, I'm autistic and also have a physical (more visible) disability and I've noticed the one I get treated the worst for is being autistic. I don't know how to describe it, but I can SEE the way people look at me change when I disclose I'm autistic as to when they thought I was neurotypical.
Best wishes to you and your daughter x
@@fox_6174 thanks for responding to my comment. My daughter has Down Symdrome. I notice with both DS and Autism when it comes to “representation” in entertainment or on social media it’s only those who are (and I hate this term) “higher functioning” that are visible to the world. The rest of the people in these communities are supposed to remain invisible because they give the higher functioning folks a bad look (because they have more of the stereotypical traits).
I don’t know maybe I’m seeing too much into it. 🤷🏼♀️
@@mmartens3
I think that’s related to how “high functioning” autistic people (which as I’m sure you’ve noticed from your own interactions with your daughter just means we’ve got the accommodations that we need) are expected to mask our autistic traits and present as neurotypical as possible, especially in public. Any stereotypically autistic behaviour-even something as harmless as a happy stim such as hand flapping-“must” (in the eyes of the general public)
be suppressed so that we’re not shunned or worse.
Absolutely loved the second part to this interview. Part one was wonderful too
Super interesting interview Molly, Olivia seems so sweet and has a lot of interesting things to say ☺️. Maybe you can do another video with her talking about self image and self expression more and her experiences with that topic going from blind to “cured”. 😉 How has her view of herself and others changed with this big change in her life.
I'm in awe at how good Olivia is at describing and explaining her experiences! I could relate to, or imagine, what most things she spoke of would feel like even though my life, and my experiences are very different from hers.
It is definitely out of the disability talk. But... I have low vision. I'm not blind and I were contact lenses, they don't make my vision perfect, but it is considered nearly perfect. And when I started dating my husband, who had perfect vision all his life (and maybe that is the reason, but) I started to understand that often we see things differently. And then when I found your channel and learned a lot of things from you, I started to understand things in a different way. Sometimes in some situations, I try to tell my husband I see that I don't see that. And he is surprised. So even if 2 sighted people can see things differently how can we even assume what a blind person can or can not see?
I grew up with two women in my life who were blind, who showed me just how capable blind people are. One of them was my Sunday school teacher, & the other was my Gran's best friend. My Sunday school teacher was one of the kindest people I've ever known & also the best Sunday school teacher I've ever had. My Gran's best friend was a secretary for a huge clothing store chain here in the UK, where she was treated like everyone else at work. She refused to use a cane or have a guide dog, but managed absolutely fine.
One thing that really makes me frusatrated is when sighted people think they're helping a blind person by just grabbing their arm & frog marching them somewhere. If you want to help them, ask if they want your help & how best to help them. Every blind person is unique & has their own way of being assisted. Some people prefer to have their hand on your shoulder or put their hand on your arm. Just because my Gran's best friend preferred to link arms with me, doesn't mean all blind people want you to do that.
I've had sight my whole life and driving also terrifies me lol
Coming from someone who was cited for 30 years and then lost their site I drove and of course at the time it was wonderful but now that I can't drive I honestly can say that I don't miss it I can sympathize with people who have not been able to drive to have that experience under their belt however now that I am unable to drive I find it more relaxing than ever. I personally was so shaken up every time I would get done driving because of the people around me and the way that they drove it's just a big stress relief off of my hands.
I was told to hide my learning difficulty and often feel like I don't fit in as I'm not "disabled" or able. I have tried to hide my symptoms so hard that it makes it harder to be accepted at times
Loved hearing Olivia's story, I loved how she provided her own description of her own expression. Honestly, so true. I have conversations with friends and family on what you talk about here on this channel. Even another channel by the name of Annie Elainey. Even conservations w/anyone and reminding them at the same time that is disabilities are on a spectrum, and just because you cant see it doesn't mean someone isn't. I follow someone (whom I don't know the exact name of her disability) but she uses a wheelchair, but also uses a cane at times. It's like people often still see disability as being in a wheelchair and it's like no it's so much more than that
Companies shouldn't just think "disabled ' people need accessible products..when I'm in the shower with no glasses I can't read the shampoo or conditioner bottles either...it would be nice to touch one and know which is which.
Yes to universal design for everyone
I'm so glad this interview happened. The only time I have ever heard this topic was once in a horror movie. And I know that's horrible to say but it truely is not talked about at all. The woman in the movie got a transplant (I know that's not how it works) and she had to learn what a stapler looked like and she genuinely couldn't figure it out without touching it even though she could see it. The rest of the movie was aweful. But that scene was so impactful. It really opened my child eyes to what that would be like to have a cure. And when I was in ASL learning about the deaf community I was able to understand the conversation of implants and hearing aids on a level that not everyone in the class really got because it stayed with me all these years. I wish the general public gets to hear more of this conversation. Thank you so much Molly and Olivia.
Iam so so grateful to you for your content molly i have learned so much about the blind community you are both beautiful intelligent inspirational strong women love you molly your channel is full of information just subscribed to her she sounds like an interesting person
❤️❤️❤️❤️
The same things you said about able-bodied bodied parents "letting kids be kids" also applies to parents of able-bodied children as well Since in North America we aren't doing that anymore for even able-bodied children both disabled and able-bodied children need to "fall and scrape their knees" (heck, I scraped my knee many times as a kid before we realized after getting my first pair of glasses at the age of 16, that I had balance issues)
I just saw you Bank of America add! I'm so proud and happy for you! You go girl!!!
Such beautiful souls and strong people. These messages are so powerful and true. I wish NAMI Walks had more blind advocation. I'm part of NAMI and hope to see these organizations come together more soon. We can all raise each other up!
Both of these women are extraordinary, but Olivia is especially strong and bright to be able to be where she is after coming out of poverty in America today. Thank you Molly for making us aware of her: i love your hair like this . ( I think you’re very bright & brave too!)
Olivia's smile is soo pretty 😍
I've been away for while in a data dead spot and I just have to say your hair looks amazing! I love love love it!
God she's great. After all she's been through she's absolutely amazing just the way she is. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
Oh boy!!! Such a great time of two new friends sitting and sharing!! Molly is a friend to us all, and we adore her. You are a new friend now, too…I am so happy you go on your journey with you, and am heading to your page now to join. ❤️
I love the work you're doing for the disabled community molly!! ❤
Just wanted to say how proud I am of molly and the wonderful community she’s built 🥰❤️❤️❤️
I enjoyed listening and learning and felt such good energy and kindness from both ladies! This curiosity and information building is exactly what they want people to understand and it truly is working so well!
I was about 8 when we went to Disney and my parents could not make me go in the submarine. They explained what it was but I refused to go "underwater". I was traumatized of just thinking about it
NGL it is kinda scary now
i just finished part one about 2-3mins ago so im so happy this one is out! :)
Perfect timing!
Amen Molly people have trail blazed before us and we need to plant some trees we will never sit under for our communities generations to come. The Blind community needs to stop squabbling over the scraps and crumbs… let us stand together! United we stand and divided we fall! We will never be represented by one voice though it is in our best interest to put our plight first as a community. I have known those with more vision to lack confidence that more sighted people have. We are all unique and the crucial elements of these discussions are only what we only usually KNIW as blind people and most people assume we all would be better off cured. My heartfelt thanks to you both. Love and Blessed Be ✨🌟✨
Ok, what you said Molly about the inner monologue when you’re driving… that’s me! And I’ve been sighted my whole life! But I do love driving.
Thank you to both of you for these two oh so inspiring vlogs.
So many very important factors to try to digest.
I am reminded of the t-shirt slogans on the children in Montessori schools. To the effect of "Show me how to do it for myself."
As a person who has worn glasses to enhance vision since mid childhood and now many decades later also using hearing aids I have a very tiny understanding of others reactions, especially from hearing companions.
Here in Australia with mask wearing rules for much of the pandemic I really worried for those who relied on lip reading.
It was hard enough anyway!
Thanks to you both again. Such amazing ladies.
For what Molly says about there being a community out there for you on the internet, she's right! I have a rare neuro-disability that I developed later in life and I found other people who share this condition on 'Stuff That Works'. There's communities for 100s of conditions on there and overlap between them too.
There is a very famous essay written by Helen Keller that I read in high school that both of you might likr to read is Three days to see
I love hearing about people who are visually impaired in treally impaired in the Tech industry growing up my dad who has been blind legally pretty much since childhood but fully since I've been alive who was a computer programmer for a big company. Back then he was such an anomaly it's great to hear more and more people doing tech related work
I think this was the most important video i've ever watched from you 💕
Your so pretty and your videos are really quite impressive. Thanks for sharing your story with us that watch your channel. Outstanding job young lady.
My undergraduate institution made their DEI plan to post advertising that includes visible disabilities. I had the same response as you. Why visible specifically? It is to exploit them for financial gain and praise to be perceived as inclusive. If this measure were about inclusion they would not need to specify the visibility of the disability (since neither type is featured enough) and they wouldn't need them to be included specifically for ads.
💯!!!
@@OliviaDurant :) Also, your reply helped me find your channel, and I follow it now :) I look forward to seeing more of your content!
@@natalieedelstein so nice to meet you!
@@OliviaDurant You as well! :)
Thank you for making this video. You two are amazing people!
Hi Molly! Excellent example with the makeup skill comparisons, I felt it really captured something I often think of when I am doubting myself. I have invisible disabilities, and using my time and energy in ways that make me happy can feel hard to justify to myself and others. There is little meaning in pushing myself to do tasks I don't need or want, simply to prove my worth to strangers. I don't care much about makeup, so I haven't honed that skill. My hair and clothing, however, are very important to me, so I don't mind spending extra time and energy on them.
I really enjoyed watching these videos with Olivia. What an interesting perspective to compare and contrast your two experiences. Blind representation matters 🥰
Thanks so much for thinking this video!
Molly, I hope you understand as a blind person it is the same for sighted people in the regard that everybodies sight is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. The majority of modern people no longer have as good as 20/20 eyesight, and even those that do almost everyone loses ability as they age, just like other physical functions. I had a room mate with 20/15 vision. I have like I cant remember but like 20/-450 and -600 or some crazy thing from nearsighted, but then also age now I cant see up close either, and floaters (common in old age) makes it hard, then, if you wear glasses (I do) you can only see in this one little area clearly so driving and checking your blind spot is super perilous. Other people are farsighted. My cousin had nearsightedness like me and she got lasic so she could see pretty well (weak glasses) for about 10 years but then she aged and now she wears trifocals. glasses you are also always seeing the frames, and glare...its a whole thing.
.everyone also has a dominant eye, which can be more or less pronounced so are often seeing far more with one and near more with one, and the level at which peoples eyes are wired to their brain really varies allthough most people are not aware of the impact this has on their quality of life.
Thank you Molly and Olivia for uploading these videos. It was very insightful.
Both part one & two are absolutely incredible videos of amazing, beautiful & talented women showing all of us how you take on the world! @Molly Burke , Olivia & Neve; you ALL stepped up & delivered some of the best content we have seen in quite a long time so THANK YOU! Sending everyone here lots of hugs, love & prayers for a wonderful & blessed week 🤗💜🙏🏻.
once she said she had a fixed range of focus I assumed she was wearing a lense in her right eye because you can tell that is the eye that is focused and the other one is a bit not. They kind of do that with people with more regular sight issues in that when you get old and your lenses no longer focus well (they become stiff) many people get one contact lens for seeing far, and one for seeing near, if they do not get bi or trifocals.
We both have endometriosis and this makes us think about how it would be to be cured. We’re also in our 30s and have been chronically sick for a long time. It would be a massive adjustment. We would take the cure if there was one, but it would feel awkward. We talk about this a lot on our TH-cam channel. Sharing our experiences has helped us accept our disability. As medical research advances accepting and processing cures will definitely be something we humans will have to tackle. We love this video series!
She's so interesting and there is so much more I wanted to know.
There’s more on my channel and more to come. I’ll make videos for any further questions:)
There is a charity in the uk called 'Speed of Sight' that does driving experiences on race tracks around the country. :)
Thanks so much for all this information. It's nice to know as a sighted person to know what you do in your lives.
Loved this entire interview, such an interesting perspective
This thing you talked about in the end, about parents needing to let their children have some autonomy and to be allowed to get hurt, I think that's really important, especially when it comes to physical pain and injuries, because, from a biomechanical perspective, if a child and an adult have the exact same physical accident, for example tripping and falling, the adult will get more badly hurt. This is because adults are taller, heavier, have more stiff joints etc, the child is more fitted to get hurt, and it's good to learn what hurts when you're a child, because otherwise you might be reckless as an adult and get really badly hurt in the process.