It is this kind of energy that makes her memoir cum how-to book for life and writing so interesting. Because I have been a columnist for MyShelf.com for so long now, because regular visitors have come to know me and I many of them, I was determined to share more about Sarah after I read this new release of hers. You’ll see why she has so much to say:

Sarah: This was one particular teacher and I think that she was simply incompetent. There was another teacher, Sandy, who actually took the time to teach me to read, working one to one. Sandy still teaches When I first wrote that section about my school experiences, I sent her a copy. Sandy says that, sadly, things probably haven’t changed as much as one would hope. I suppose those two teachers represent the extremes. One, absolutely incompetent. The other, completely committed to teaching.

Carolyn: In Liberation you recounted instances when you encountered prejudice because of your blindness. I believe that people are sometimes hurtful out of ignorance or tactlessness, sometimes they are just plain intentionally cruel. I’m not sure, really, which is more destructive.  You do have any take on this?

 Sarah: Older people are often dealing with their own fear of losing eyesight. Sometimes they say odd things, but I assume it’s really about their own fear.  

Frequently, comments are not intentionally cruel, people say things without thinking. Kids sometimes say tactless things because they are curious and simply don’t know how to ask the questions. If parents or teachers are within earshot, they are usually embarrassed by the kid’s tactless questions and try to hush them. I tell them that it’s really OK and then try to explain that some people don’t see as well as others.  I’ll show them the thick magnifying glass I use for reading. They always find that intriguing.  I want kids to understand that people may be different in some way but that’s nothing to be afraid of. I hope that if I can answer their questions, they will be in a better position to interact with classmates who may be different in some way, too.  

Educators and others who interact with kids should understand that all children with physical disabilities are not equal in their ability to deal with hurtful comments. Some kids may have wonderful and supportive families and can deflect such comments effortlessly. But others may live in an abusive home, or have parents who are so overly protective that the kid is unprepared for the realities of the school playground.  

Let me give you a quick example of what I mean. 

When we took John to the studio for his senior class photo, he had just started wearing contact lens. Before that he had worn the thick, cataract correction glasses that indicate poor vision. This fact wasn’t as obvious with contact lens. 

Anyway, he bent his head to fill out the form. The guy behind the counter says, “You need glasses.” John says, I wear contact lens.” The man says, “You need to get some that work.” 

This man had no understanding that the contact lens did work. They provided as much correction as possible. 

John was a confident young man and the comment meant nothing to him. But imagine if this had been a kid with poor self-esteem who was regularly picked on. Here he is trying to get his senior photo taken and is confronted with this. I was sitting a few feet away and heard everything. I called the school’s principal, the district office, the people at the photo studio, basically everyone I could think to call and I explained why this was absolutely unacceptable. I said,  “Can you please try to imagine the potential damage if this had happened to the kid who was already dealing with daily abuse?”

The reason I included the section “On Being Legally Blind”  in Liberation is that I think the more knowledge people have, the better all around. It’s really uncomfortable for me when I’m confronted with someone’s discomfort. I can feel their awkwardness. Then I feel like it’s my responsibility to put that person at ease.  

Carolyn: It is apparent that one of the reasons you chose to write Liberation is that you are grateful for what technology has given you. Would you care to explain that to our readers? 

Sarah: Sure. Being legally blind I certainly can’t drive a car. This meant that for many years as an aspiring author I found it difficult to network with other writers. The Internet has changed all that. Not only has it given me the ability to grow as a writer, but also to start my own business without leaving the desk in my home office. Computers and the Internet have truly given me the freedom to communicate with the world.

I am from the fourth generation in my family to be born with congenital cataracts, my son John is fifth generation. The creative urge must also be an inherited trait because we all have it. Computer technologies and the Internet have given us what medical science could not. It’s not necessary to have a driver’s license. With the click of the mouse we can interact with the world. 

John is a talented digital artist, majoring in digital media. We are privileged to live at a time when technology provides all the tools we need to succeed. No excuses. We have what we need. Where we go from here is entirely up to us.

Carolyn: I know that your son, John, is a talented graphic artist and cartoonist. In fact, I’ve supplied the editor of this Have You Heard page with one of his delightful Bartlett the Cat cartoons. Based on your experience and your experience bringing up a confident, talented young man, please give readers a short rundown of what they might do if they must raise a child with a handicap—anything from dyslexia to autism to blindness? Maybe the two most important things to do in rearing them? 

Sarah: Educate yourself. Take the time to learn about the condition. Never feel shy about asking questions.

Network with others in similar circumstances. The Internet can be a tremendous resource. For example, I participate on an e-mail list where those losing eyesight, or raising kids with limited eyesight can seek advice. There are many similar e-mail lists and message boards.

The parent must be an advocate for the child. This means that the parent must stay on top of the child’s education, healthcare, whatever is needed for the best possible quality of life. One time I was talking to another mom and telling her that she really needed to talk to the principal at her child’s school. She was hesitant. “I don’t want them to think I’m a bitch.” I said,  “this isn’t about you. Who cares what they think of you? This is about what’s best for your daughter.” Honestly, I’d rather be viewed as a bitch than as a doormat without the guts to stand up for my own kid. 

Beyond the parent or grandparent raising the child with a disability, the general community can assist. Realize that many children with physical disabilities or learning disorders may not have a supportive home life. Physical abuse, neglect, drug or alcohol abuse can also cause or contribute to the physical or learning disability. Neighbors, communities, should do what they can to create a supportive environment for these children. 

Carolyn: In many ways Liberation is a memoir. In some ways it seems a how-to to guidebook for authors. Sometimes it feels a bit like a history, of publishing, of the net and more. Yet it seems to work well together. Do you have a take on the industry’s tendency to want to tie a book up and slap a label on it? 

Sarah: Believe me, this was a challenge. I wanted to explain how the Internet has benefited me personally. To do that, I had to talk about my life. People view technology as impersonal, lacking the human touch. That’s true. But behind every technology are real, breathing human beings. We are using a technology to accomplish a thing, to meet an objective, but at the same time we are living real lives.

Carolyn: I love the part in your book where you describe your efforts to bring an old snapshot to life using Photoshop. It works as a metaphor at so many levels. I had a teacher at UCLA who talked about a “writer’s brain” as nearly a separate entity. She knew that sometimes writers come up with symbols and metaphors out of the recesses of their subconscious. What about yours?

 Sarah: I find it interesting that you mention that scene. When I wrote it, I was merely describing an actual event, my attempt to clean up a faded and blotched photo of my parents. Then at the end of my narrative I describe sitting in my garden and realizing I had all the tools to go forward as a writer. Only later, while editing, did it occur to me how well this worked together.

I don’t know how these things work. I’ve had so many experiences as a writer where I’m writing a scene or dialogue and I’ll find that I’m typing something that seems to come from some other place. I have a great deal of respect for technology and the potential of technology, but let’s be clear. The human brain is by far the most powerful and complex technology on this planet. There’s lots we still don’t understand. 

Carolyn: Tell us a little about your butterfly garden. It seems to be a fable of sorts, as well as a metaphor. What can writers learn from it?  Readers? The general population? 

Sarah: I’ve been an avid butterfly gardener for fifteen years. This grew out of my love of herb gardening. Several herbs are host plants for butterflies including fennel, dill, parsley, and rue. Others are ideal nectar plants including many members of the mint and composite families. As I relate in Liberation, when we moved to our current home no butterflies were present for the first six months. But as the host plants began to thrive—passionflower, cassia, butterfly weed among many others—the butterflies began to find my garden. They would mate and lay eggs. My nectar flowers also thrived. Before long, butterflies were present all the time. Many nectar flowers are also excellent seed plants. Soon enough the cardinals, doves and many other birds became regular inhabitants in my garden.   

I think the lesson of the butterfly garden is that if one wishes to create a circumstance, attract readers for instance, one must create the most favorable environment for this to take place. For example, if one is promoting a book online and would like to entice readers to visit a website, the website must be a desirable place to visit and offer something of value to the reader.  

 Few things happen overnight. These things take time and persistence. Sometimes we must make changes in our environment or within ourselves.

Carolyn: Back to my favorite subject, tolerance. I feel that the ways that I didn’t fit into my surrounding were the same aspects of my life that motivated me to prove myself. I sense that you feel the same way. Did you benefit in any other ways?

 
Sarah: Being legally blind means that I must look closer at things. In a weird sort of way, I think that makes me more observant than many fully sighted people. This may not make sense to some, but think about it. If you have little or no sight, you need to gain as much information as possible about your surroundings to get about as effortlessly as possible. If I’m in new surroundings, I make a deliberate effort to notice as much as possible. The same thing is true in the garden. I study photos of the birds, butterflies and other insects, so that I know what I’m seeing in the garden, even if I can see the creature in full detail. 

 I also make observations using all my senses. I wrote about this in Liberation because I get the impression that many fully sighted people think that the other senses become super powerful when you lose eyesight. That’s just not true. What happens is that one develops the habit of observing with all the senses, not just sight.

I think this helps me as a writer. When describing a scene I’m always thinking beyond how hinges look to how they smell, sound, feel and taste. 

Carolyn: Do you have anything else to share that I have neglected?

Sarah: My friends, if you desire to create, don’t wait around for somebody to give you permission. Take the initiative. There are no certainties in life, no guarantees for tomorrow. If there is something you wish to accomplish, make it happen yourself. If it is your dream, then you must be the catalyst for its realization. Go for it! Let no one discourage your passion.

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