Emma and Vaughn Bennison have two children named Julian and Lucy. Emma and Vaughn are both blind while their son and daughter are sighted. The couple states that most of their parenting challenges do not come from inside their own home, but rather when the family steps outside into society. Emma and Vaughn have to deal with other people’s misconceptions about what they can and cannot accomplish as parents.
Emma and Vaughn’s decision to have children did not come easy. Vaughn had always wanted to have kids of his own, however, Emma was more apprehensive. “It took me quite a while, after we were married, to acknowledge that I held onto the idea which said that being a blind parent would be hard, and I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she says.
Emma admits it was not until she met Vaughn that she actually wanted to have children. She gave in to the media’s often negative portrayal of people with disabilities stating, “All of those ridiculous stereotypes people had peddled, probably with the best of intentions, I had swallowed them hook, line and sinker.”
“The actual mechanics of looking after a baby as a blind person were very straightforward. A lot of the things I thought were going to be difficult actually weren’t.”
After the birth of her son, Emma realized parenting was not as difficult as she thought it would be. She does most of her parenting tasks like changing diapers by the feel of touch. She states, “I know lots of sighted parents who change nappies in the dark. I have no idea why I thought it was going to be problematic.”
Emma and Vaughn may have never seen their children’s faces, but Emma feels that she is not missing out. “I think both of the children, at different times, have wished we could see their faces. But as far as I’m concerned, I know everything I need to know about my kids through touching and talking to them,” she says.
Growing up, Julian and Lucy adapted to the lifestyles of their parents. For instance, they figured out pointing was useless and would guide their parents in the right direction.
When their children started walking, Emma and Vaughn put jingle bells on Julian and Lucy’s shoes so they always knew where they were.
“Suspend your disbelief. Come and talk to us instead of making ridiculous assumptions about what we may or may not be capable of.”
In conclusion, Emma says “When people spend time with us, and our kids, I am optimistic about changing people’s perceptions. I think our children, and the children growing up with one or more parents having an impairment, will by default have a huge impact in changing people’s perceptions.”
Vaughn gives the following advice for fellow people with disabilities, “Don’t let them get you down. By that I mean the people saying you can’t do it. I think a lot of people in the community think if you have a disability, being a parent is not an appropriate thing.”
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