Face time

"Find her face, Austin"

Austin is five years old and in kindergarten as at an early childhood school for the visually impaired where I volunteer. Austin is an albino, and has some sight, and he is taught to "use" his sight. It can be easy for a visually impaired person to rely on their other senses and not develop what limited sight they do have. One of the things they teach the visually impaired children is to find the face of the person they are speaking with. It helps for identity purposes, and helps strengthen the vision they do have.

"Find her face." I wonder how often I speak with someone without really looking at their face; seeing their features, the feelings, the experiences that are displayed. Am I so caught up in my own world that I don't take the time to really "see" the person with whom I am talking. Could it be that me, a fully-sighted person, "sees" less than the visually-impaired child who is being taught to find the face of the person speaking to them?

Find her face, Katie