In June 2018 I had the pleasure of meeting Krister Inde in person. We were in Laško, Slovenia, both invited as speakers at the first low vision conference organized by the European Blind Union, the voice of the blind and partially sighted people in Europe
The thing that struck me about Krister is the lightness with which he speaks about visual impairment, not just with words, but with all of himself.
He conveys serenity. He is the impersonation of the title of his book, because he too is visually impaired but it is clearly perceived that he is serene and happy.
[…] The essential thing is to “come out”, to be who we are in any given moment. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyhow. We are not the same people at all time. It shifts with our inner emotions and outer conditions: for example, who is with you at that particular moment or how heavy the rain is. But the person you are in that very moment, that is who you are.
But your low vision remains the same
However, do not make your visual impairment any worse than it has to be, and do not pretend to have better vision than you do. You are interesting to other people because you are often the only one with a visual impairment, but that interest will fade after a while.
Who are you as a person? Your visual impairment is not the only aspect of your personality, nor is it the most important one!
I have learned to always use assistance in big airports, but I can find my way around places where I have been before. You may have to put up with some assistants treating you as if you are less of a person because of your low vision, but it is preferable to having to worry about getting lost.
Of course it feels sad not to be able to enjoy a person’s physical beauty, a sunset or other interesting and beautiful things in life that others can, or that I can’t read signs. But I no longer curse my faith. Still, I do allow myself a certain amount of grief. A touch of melancholy when I, for example, meet old classmates at an anniversary. But at the same time it is important to make an appearance at such events because those people know me from before. It helps to show that I have lived and am living a good life given the situation, just like them.
Now all that remains is the rest of my life, and I look forward to keeping busy, spending time with my loved ones and planning for new projects. Three things said to constitute a happy life, and which I wish others to have as well. No one should have to be a victim.
That, and all the rest that this book deals with, still apply.
From the Preface of
See Bad Feel Good, by Krister Inde
Download here the full book in PDF
Krister Inde, a BA graduate and visual pedagog became visually impaired in his twenties.
He has written a large number of books and other writings on vision and vision training and is a popular lecturer. Today, his methods are practiced in many countries around the world. He has also worked as a principal, a teacher and as a mentor in leadership. During his career, Krister Inde has also worked as an entrepreneur in advertising and marketing.
In addition, he has worked as a CEO within Swedish trade and industry and is now connected to Certec at Lund University.