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Disability Book: Eyes Wide Open

Lauren Holcomb

Special Education, University of La Verne

SPED 420: Foundations of Inclusive Education

Professor Astrid Montano

April 13, 2022

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Disability Book: Eyes Wide Open

“Learning to live eyes wide open is a matter for the mind. Choosing to do so, however, is

a matter for the heart.” (Lidsky, 2017, p. 282) This powerful quote by Isaac Lidsky is a perfect

example to embody in all aspects of everyday life. Not only does it teach everyone to be

determined in what they are learning, but it also shows examples of the growth versus fixed

mindset. Carol Dweck states that there are two different kinds of mindsets which have two

different outlooks on everyday life and wellbeing. There is the fixed mindset which means that

someone is fixated on one thing and does not take receptive feedback. On the other hand, the

growth mindset does not dwell on anything, takes receptive feedback, and allows for change to

be happen. This relates to the quote by conveying that through a growth mindset, one can see

eyes wide open. With that said, Isaac Lidsky’s Eyes Wide Open explores his journey through his

disability and conveys the struggles and challenges he faced.

In Lidsky’s novel, it was revealed that he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the

age of 13. I didn’t know much about this disability other than knowing that it was a type of

visual impairment, so there were many things I learned. The first thing I learned about was what

retinitis pigmentosa is. I learned that it has to do with the rods and cones in your eyes. As time

goes on, they slowly start to diminish, which effects the retina. I also learned that one will

eventually go blind with this type of vision impairment. With that said, the time frame of losing

your vision is different for every person which I also learned, but Lidsky stated that he didn’t

lose his vision completely until the age of 25. Lastly, I learned that there is no cure or treatment

for this type of vision impairment. Looking back at his story, Lidsky’s journey can be described

as a blessing but also a curse. In chapter 2 of this book, it discusses the fears that he encountered

at the beginning of finding out his condition. He did realize that being blind was going to be
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inevitable, but it was a curse because of the fear of the unknown. As mentioned earlier, the time

span until completely blind is different for everyone. Lidsky was lucky to not go blind for a little

over 10 years, but there were some challenges that arose. In the first few years, he was losing a

little of his vision, but was still able to see. A couple years later, his vision worsened. Overtime,

he had to start using a cane because of how severe his condition was getting. Furthermore, it was

considered a curse because of all of the challenges and obstacles that came his way. On the other

hand, it became a blessing because even though he became blind, he was able to renavigate his

world and learn how to see through the other senses which is how his eyes wide open approach

started.

After reading his book, it made me realize how it impacts me as a future educator and

what I can do to make the world a better place. As I was reading this book, there were many

feelings I experienced. The feelings I felt were disparity and sadness as well as feelings of hope

and inspiration. It was very sad to read about his story from finding out about him having

retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 13 to him going blind at the age of 25, but there were feelings

of hope and encouragement. For example, the feelings of inspiration were seen when he was

adjusting. Lidsky learned to see through his other senses which was how he created an eyes wide

open approach to society. This book was also very inspirational in other ways. Lidsky founded

the Hope for Vision organization for those struggling with vision impairments and blindness. It

was really touching and heartfelt to see that he made a philanthropical organization to help those

who are going through the same thing he went through and is currently going through. This book

also made me realize that there are ways I can improve on my journey to becoming a future

educator. The one aspect of the author’s story that will change the way I teach is his eyes wide

open approach. In this approach, it focuses on not dwelling on the past, but focusing on how you
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can make a difference through other means despite any obstacles or challenges that come your

way.

As mentioned in this paper, Eyes Wide Open has several themes such as acceptance,

inclusivity, determination, motivation, and overcoming obstacles or struggles. These themes

relate to our class quote because we should be treating everyone with the same amount respect

and dignity. It also makes me think of the golden rule of treating people how you are wanting to

be treated. In addition, the information and themes all relate to what we have been learning in

this class and what I have experienced during my education at the University of La Verne as well

as my experiences as an athlete. In this book, Lidsky (2017) spoke about defining disabilities

through three unique perspectives. The first perspective highlighted is that “disability is a divine

punishment for moral sin in this life or another.” (p. 121) The second perspective discussed is

that “a disability is a medical matter meaning that it is a mental or physical impairment which

means they are ‘sick.’” (p.121) The one thing that’s stood out to me within these two

perspectives is that they are closely related to what we have learned about the medical model of

disabilities in this class. As we have learned, the medical model focuses more on the disability

than the person which is conveyed through the first two meanings of disability. In the third and

final perspective, Lidsky (2017) discusses is that a disability refers to a diminished ability to

perform an activity relative to one’s peer group since it encompasses the roles of environment

and societal attitudes.” (p. 121) This third perspective made me think of the social model of

disabilities because the social model focuses more on the person and what they can do instead of

the disability as a limiting factor. On the other hand, Lidsky (2017) states that “You paint one

stroke at a time, one day at a time, breathe a single breath after your last, a single breath before

your next. You will never control tomorrow, but you can always choose whether to act today,
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and how.” (pp. 64-65) While reading this book, this quote stood out to me as it applies in every

part of my life. From the perspective of an athlete, you can’t always control what is going on

around you. For example, in water polo, I can’t control how bad the officials are or what the

weather will be like, but I can control how I am going to act and how you are going to play.

From a perspective of everyday life with my family, this quote holds a completely different

meaning. My grandfather on my mom’s side of the family is not doing well. He already battled

stomach cancer and won, but he had to get surgery to have his stomach removed. During that

time, he developed dementia and depression as an aftermath to his surgery. A couple years go by

and all of a sudden, we found out that he had a cancerous tumor under his armpit. After

immunotherapy and chemotherapy, the tumor was shrinking, but it was still there and was not

able to be removed since it is attached to a nerve on his arm. Because of that, they found that

there is nothing else they can do other than make him comfortable. I don’t know how much

longer I have with my grandfather on this earth, but I do know that even though I can’t control

how much longer he has to live, I can still cherish every moment I have with him and spend as

much time as I can with him while he is still here.

In conclusion, this made me think of why Lidsky would want to share his story with the

whole world. I feel like Lidsky decided to share his life story to spread awareness on his

disability which kind of goes back to my favorite quote of the whole book that I introduced at the

beginning of this paper. “Learning to live eyes wide open is a matter for the mind. Choosing to

do so, however, is a matter for the heart.” (Lidsky, 2017, p. 282) Lidsky didn’t have to share his

story with the rest of the world, but he decided to because he wanted others to learn that people

can make choices and decisions about changes, but it is a matter of whether they want to make

difference and change in the world. This will definitely by something I will remember for such a
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long time. Overall, this is definitely a book I would recommend. Since reading this book, I have

recommended it to several of my friends, family, and some staff on campus. I don’t read a lot of

nonfiction books, but this book is definitely one of my favorite books I have read in a while.
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References

Lidsky, I. (2017). Eyes wide open: Overcoming obstacles and recognizing opportunities in a

world that can't see clearly. TarcherPerigee.