Why Refer to Blindness as a “Characteristic”?
Again, this point deals with the development of feelings of normality. Every human being is made up of a combination of characteristicsnormal characteristics. Some human beings are female, others are male; some are tall, others short; some are fat, others thin; some are dark-skinned, others light; some have red hair, others black or brown; some are educated, others not. These and hundreds of other characteristics mold each of us into an unique person. Whatever else we may say about them, such characteristics are perceived by the vast majority of people in our society as being normal. By their very nature, characteristics sometimes carry with them limitations to one degree or another. If you are male, you can’t be femaleyou can’t bear children, but who complains about this enormous limitation. If you’re extremely short, you can’t play professional basketball, but who whines about it. If you’re heavy, you can’t be a horse jockey. If you don’t have an education, there are lots of jobs for
