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Louisiana Association of Blind Students (LABS) |
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A MISSION OF CHANGE Editor's Introduction: Amber Chesser is a psychology major at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston where she will begin her second year there in the fall. She serves as the secretary of the North Central chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana, and is also involved in campus organizations and her church. Below is an article resulting from her involvement in the campus organization known as the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Last November, the week before Thanksgiving, I had the privilege to travel with 73 students and adults from the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) at Louisiana Tech to western Canada. There, we divided into teams and traveled to six different locations in Alberta, Canada, to work with missionaries in their churches and other fields of service. My team, the largest with 18 students, traveled to Calgary where we joined a husband and wife serving as missionaries and who were both graduates of Louisiana Tech. I have many memories of our week there, but one of the things that will always stay in my memory is the way I changed a few opinions about blindness. The tension was thick in the air as my teammates and I made our way through the Dallas airport and also as we made our way through Canadian customs. Even though I knew four or five people on the team, most people seemed uncomfortable and uncertain about talking to me. They seemed afraid to ask questions or unsure how to help me. I was polite and answered their questions. I hoped that our whole trip would not be as tense; I tried to act as normal as possible and as calm as possible, hoping to calm their nerves as well. In Calgary, a good bit of time was spent driving. This time in the van was very helpful in relieving a lot of the tension. We had great conversations and got to know one another. My teammates asked me questions about blindness which I answered willingly. I also used their questions as a way to ask them questions about themselves so that our conversations did not pertain solely to blindness. By the second day, everyone was a lot more comfortable around me, even making blindness jokes and laughing at mine. That was a true sign of their comfort, and it made me so happy. I wish there was one definite way to ease people's minds about blindness, and I wish it worked for everyone. Unfortunately, we have a mission in life; that mission is to find our own unique ways to change opinions about blindness. I chose to use humor and to seek equality in all aspects of this trip. My teammates saw me in lots of situations: learning to make snowballs, using a Braille menu at a local pizza restaurant to place an order, eating at a potluck dinner held by the local church, surveying locals about their involvement in church, and enjoying the scenery at Lake Louise. At times during these various events, I had to say, "hey, show me how to do that" or "could you describe the different areas we are in." By participating and showing people that I appreciated equality, I accomplished my mission. As students, we have many awesome opportunities that most people do not have. I would encourage you to take as many of them as you can and use them to accomplish the mission of the Federation: security, equality, and opportunity. It takes effort, but it can be done one person at a time. |
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