Darlene O’Brien and her guide dog, Radish
I’m going to share a story with you, a painful moment of insight that I learned the hard way. To be honest, it’s not an easy story to share as it’s one that embarrasses me, even today. And yet, I think it worth sharing.
When I was in college I had a job in the law school cafeteria. One evening, while I was working on the food line, a blind law student came up to the counter and asked what was for dinner. Ever the helpful person, I began to respond, my voice raised and slowed so as to avoid any confusion, “WE HAVE ROAST BEEF AND WE HAVE CARROTS AND WE HAVE MASHED POTATOES”…
The law student smiled at me a knowing smile. “I’m blind,” he said, “I can hear you just fine.”
I wanted the floor below to open up and swallow me whole. I apologized profusely, ashamed of my behavior, but I’ve never forgotten that moment, and that student’s grace in dealing with that ignorant 18 year old.
I’m so excited to introduce you to Darlene O’Brien. We had an amazing conversation about how we place perceived limitations on others. We talk about how the world expands when we learn to see it through their experiences and the opportunities we are given to develop compassion and understanding along the way.
For over twenty years, Darlene has been an inspiring speaker, dynamic trainer, and passionate disability rights advocate. She’s also a holistic educator, with a successful bio-energetics practice in both Northern and Southern California.
Since going blind in 1998, she has dedicated herself to demonstrating that all people, with or without disabilities, deserve the same considerations and opportunities found through social interaction and competitive employment.
After going blind at the age of 35, and with two young children to support, Darlene realized that the career development needs of those with blindness and low vision were profoundly underrepresented in her area of Northern California. So she created the career development program in Sacramento, where she addressed the vocational needs of the blind and low vision community. She also realized that employers would benefit from a better understanding of how to hire and work with individuals with disabilities, so she co-created the Spirit of Inclusion workshop, with a local non-profit organization, A Touch of Understanding where she delivered a lively, hands-on Disability Awareness and Etiquette Training program, to thousands of employees throughout the greater Sacramento area.
Darlene has developed a reputation for being a dynamic and inspirational speaker. Her enthusiasm and tell-it-like-it-is humorous style have won over audiences in both the public and private sectors.
In addition to serving on ATOU’s board of directors for over 18 years, she continues to facilitate their annual event, An Evening of Insight, which enables its participants to experience a meal under blindfold, while interacting in a lively social environment.
She is currently writing her teaching memoir, in addition to developing a new talk show. Darlene believes that genius is held within each one of us, regardless of physical, intellectual, or mental ability, and that this genius is here to serve the greater good. She believes that it is incumbent on each of us to discover that genius and bring it into the world, because it is only then that we will raise humanity to its highest potential.
I’m so grateful she took the time to visit with me this week on the podcast.
To listen to Darlene’s episode, click here.
To learn more about A Touch of Understanding - the organization that Darlene speaks about in the episode, click the link.