Commentary: Spreading Awareness through the Real Talk Campaign
Without a doubt, many misconceptions about people with disabilities or other health conditions still exist. Some think, for example, that individuals with vision loss cannot live independent lives. It’s not that people intentionally have these beliefs, but rather they simply have never learned about these subjects. For this reason, Vineet Aggarwal, a second year student at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine recently launched the Real Talk Campaign. The ultimate goal of this project is to shed light on topics affecting people from all walks of life who are facing different challenges.
The Real Talk Campaign is a series of videos about people living with various illnesses and experiences. Some of the topics covered thus far include the Syrian refugee crisis, and interviews with people living with AIDS, depression and vision loss. I was interviewed for the video about life as someone who is blind, and you can watch it here. Currently, this video series has approximately 3,500 viewers.
Vineet tells me that part of the reason he decided to launch this campaign is to create more awareness about those experiencing different situations and challenges. He discovered that although factual information – such as that seen in the news – is important, it is also vital for society to get a firsthand account of individuals who are currently facing different challenges and obstacles. He says that although this project is only a few months old, it has taught him and given him a great deal of personal growth.
As someone who is blind, I am particularly interested in debunking the myths and misconceptions about people with vision loss. For that reason, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be interviewed for this series. The internet and social media have revolutionized the way we obtain information, and they are without a doubt a great tool for enlightening others about disabilities. The Real Talk Campaign covers thought provoking topics many people might have never considered, and it provides us with a great opportunity to learn and gain greater understanding.
I invite everyone to take a look at the Real Talk Campaign stories. You can find the videos on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Vineet hopes to expand his project and cover even more topics in the near future, and he is open to suggestions! You can reach him by sending an email to realtalkcampaign@gmail.com, or commenting on any of the links mentioned above. Special thanks to Vineet for reaching out to The Lighthouse, we all wish you the best of luck with this exciting project!
Sandy Murillo works at The Chicago Lighthouse, an organization serving the blind and visually impaired. She is the author of Sandy’s View, a bi-weekly Lighthouse blog about blindness and low vision. The blog covers topics of interest to those living with blindness and vision impairments. Being a blind journalist and blogger herself, Sandy shares her unique perspective about ways to live and cope with vision loss.
