A young man who is blind sitting in the back seat of a car
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Looking forward to moving out

A high school student at Perkins School for the Blind shares her thoughts about moving out of her parents' house.

Perkins student, Bronwen, submitted this post as part of her work for her English class.  The assignment was to write about living on their own after Perkins.

For many teenagers, moving out is very exciting.  There comes a point when you are counting down the days.  If you are blind, it can be especially exciting; you can do things independently, freely, without being questioned, and without having to ask permission.  If you are reading this, you might think, “Well, all teenagers think this,” but when you are blind, it is different.

For me personally, being independent at home is not easy.  There are no sidewalks so I would have to walk along the curb in the road, very worried parents, and transportation not quite in my reach.  Put all of those together, and it is one huge challenge! If I wanted to get away for a little while, there is nowhere specific to go.  It’s also tough being very confident in your travel abilities, but your parents do not have the same level of confidence, because it is “harder.” It is extremely frustrating, their worries suffocating.  My parents also give me a hard time for being such a homebody, and I don’t blame them.  Once I am on my own, that will be much different.  I don’t care about stupid window shopping! I don’t care much for hiking at all, either.  I will not stand there while my parents look at groceries, a mere waste of my time! When I move out, most decisions will be mine, and I can’t wait! I can use instacart and have my groceries delivered, I can take the ride, Uber, and the bus and go wherever I want whenever I want.  I can plan my own trips without hearing “no!” Many people tell me, “You’re not paying the bills, so enjoy it while you can,” but paying bills will be absolutely worth it to me because life will be so much better!

By Charlotte Cushman

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