[in movie announcer voice] In a world where most people can see.
[chuckle] I can't.
[music plays]
In another video, I talked about the best things about being blind.
But... what are worst things about being blind?
Uh oh. [chuckles]
[music plays]
One of the worst things about being blind, I got to be honest, is the injuries that happen.
And they're nothing serious. I just walk around
and I might bump my head on something or I might hit my leg on something
as I'm walking by. Or, you know,
maybe burn my finger slightly trying to take something out of the oven or whatever.
You know, there just these little things but they're sort of a nuisance
but at the same time it's part of what I do.
It's part of the whole blind experience.
You know, I'll be walking down the street one time and walk into something.
And somebody behind me will freak out and be like,
"hey, are you okay?!" And I'm like, "yeah!"
This is what I do. It's okay. Part of being blind
is walking into stuff. It sounds strange to say, but it's true.
Here's another one. People don't know what to call me.
Seriously. I meet somebody and they'll say to me,
"how long have you been like that?"
Or, "wait, so you're visually challenged...
you're visually impaired." People don't know what to call me.
[chuckles]
How about Tommy? [laughs]
[music plays]
Walking into the airport, for example,
that makes me nuts. Because I just sort of have to stand there
and listen for a minute and try and see if I can figure out where the counter is
where I can check in. It's really difficult not to know exactly
where to go. Sighted people, you can just walk in and see
the check-in counter and just walk right up to it and do your thing.
Not so much for me.
[restaurant ambience]
One of the really horrible things is being on a date.
Right? And you go out and you're with somebody nice and you're having a nice time.
You're having a little dinner and a couple of drinks.
And about half way through, I have to ask her,
"excuse me, can you tell me where the bathroom is.
Maybe could you take me?"
Because even if she told me I wouldn't be able to, you know, I wouldn't know
because I've never been there before
You know what one of the worst things about being blind is?
Going on a visually impaired date. [laughs]
See, I did it backwards.
[music plays]
So, when I was in high school, I went to a boarding school, okay.
And it wasn't a blind school.
It was just a school -- I just wasn't a great student.
So my parents figured they'd send me away.
And for the first little while I was walking around sighted guide.
I was just walking around, you know, holding on to somebody's elbow.
I needed a mobility instructor to teach me how to get around using a white cane.
And I hated that.
I just stood there and was defiant.
Because I'm 15-16 year old kid going,
"but I'm going to be the only one with a white cane."
But everyone already knew I was blind to start with. You know what I mean?
And that was really tough for me.
But once I started, the freedom that it gave me
was incredible because I could walk anywhere on the campus to any one of the dorms
to any one of the classroom buildings and the dining hall or anything like that.
And it was great. But at first -- at 16
you're so insecure to begin with...
you know, and to have to walk around with a white cane and be the only guy doing that
in the whole place, you know, is pretty daunting.
[music plays]
So one of the rights of passage when you grow up
is to get your driver's license. And I have two older sisters and they got their licenses
before me then it became my turn. And all my friends started
to get their driver's license and I didn't.
And that was really hard. I mean, I felt really left out.
You know, I felt like, you know --
I can't have this one thing that everybody else in the world is getting.
And then it really broke my heart when my little sister got her license.
It was very tough to deal with.
Another weird thing. I have to get in stranger's cars from time to time.
Really. One time I missed my stop on the train
I couldn't get a signal or anything. It was freezing cold outside.
And a guy just pulled up and he goes,
"do you need help?" I said, "sure." He said, "where do you live?"
And I told him and he said, "alright, I'll drive you there."
And that's really risky and scary, but again
I've been doing it my whole life. You know, I think I'd know
when it's going to be alright. [chuckles]
Famous last words. [laughs]
You know what the worst thing is... the worst thing about being blind?
Do you want to know what the worst thing about being blind is?
I can't see. [laughs]
[music plays]
Listen, I'm talking about the worst things about being blind, but you know, here's the thing
this is my normal, right? This is what I do
every single day of my life. This is how I live.
And it's all good. It really is.
I mean, I've gotten to experience some things in my life that you may have never experience
in your life and vice versa. There are things that you've done
that I can't do. So, you know what, we get to share and talk about them and stuff
and it's really cool and that's what makes it all fun.
That's what make it's fun to be around other people and to learn
about each other.
Yeah, so I walk into some furniture. Big deal.
[music]
[beep] No, you know what the worst is? I never know
when to stop wiping... in the bathroom... you know. [chuckles]