Blind Women Victims of Sexual Abuse

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violence against women: blind women BE Leeds demonstration against face special problems WHEN I tell people that I have been sexually assaulted, they throw up their hands in horror, finding it disgusting that someone should take advantage of me.

They think it only happens to "normal" women. I am what society is pleased to call blind. 1 have a visual disability and use a white stick.

Every. day, wherever 1 am, people are touching me, taking my arm to guide me, pushing me about. Some people have used my situation and the body contact involved to assault me. This happens on the streets, on public transport and. in public buildings.

When I was an undergraduate, I lived in a student hall of residence, at the back of our college. There were two routes to it - through a desolate street, badly lit, or through the main college building.

We sation. began I shoo: distrac One night, I was returning from the student bar and chose to take the "safe route" • The college porter let me in, locking the door after us, as was the practice, and he took my arm to lead me.

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made polite converAfter a wr ile, he o touch my breasts. him off and tried to his attention back to conversation.

Then he pounced on me, tried to kiss and embrace me, running his hands over my body.

I pushed him away and continued walking down the corridor, trying to pretend it hadn't happened. Then he pounced again. I became angry, broke away from him and rank down the corridor. As I got to the door at the other end, I slipped and fell. Struggling to get up, I remembered that the door was locked.

He made as though to help me up and tried to embrace me again. I pushed him away and began screaming. After a while he seemed to think better of it and opened the door.

I was in my local railway station, late at night. I had been into the ladies' toilets, which lead out into the waiting room.

When I emerged, I found a man standing in front of the door. I said that I wanted to get out. He grabbed me.

• shook him off, but he grabbed me again rest time, touching pushed him away, but he advanced, pinned me against the wall and began running his hands over my body. I was struggling and started screaming.

Then he pushed me more violently, so l hit him around the head and face, screaming again. No one came. He got angry and I kicked him and screamed even more. Then I was alone.

I thought about these incidents and why they were happening to me. Then I realised that both these men, alone with me late at night, under the guise of assisting me, had the excuse and the body contact to touch me sexually.

Since society has told me that I must accept all assistance offered to me with gratitude, I accepted the THE ALTERNATIVE Talking Newspapers Collective has already got the second issue of its socialist magazine Left Out underway initial contact. I did not feel that 1 had the right to refuse, that i did not want their help, that I did not need their help. And, because I did not discourage them, they took advantage of me.

I have thought much about how to behave in these situations, when people try to manipulate me. It is their natural reaction to wish to control something they don't understand. They are afraid of me and feel guilty about my situation.

Thinking about themselves, if they couldn't see, either they can't imagine what it is like for me or, worse, they try to imagine and conclude that it's terrible.

But I am used to my situation and know what is best for me. I know that-to be grabbed disorientates me, as they are pushing me in front of them and I don't have any control.

I know that it is best that I take their arm, since then I am touching them and the control is in my hands, so that I can let go if I want to. It is hard to release myself from a tenacious grip.

People are like this to me because it is deep in our culture, right back to Oedipus, Tyresias, Milton and Blind Pew.

Oedipus blinded himsélf to atone for the horror of his incest. It was an act of castration and he became through magazines and reading them onto tape.

Anyone interested should write to ATNC, Box 35, 136 Kingsland High Street, London E8 ZNS, stating on the envelope if it is about helping or whatever and which magazine they want to help with.

The subscriptions are £3 per year for 12 monthly issues, and anyone who is blind or partially sighted or who for other reasons cannot read is welcome to subscribe.

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sexless. The gods comforted Tyresias for the loss of his sight by giving him the power to prophesy. Blind Pew is a figure of fear and imathied his while Milton imbued writings with anguish and despair over his blindness.

To many people, because of this heritage, we are seen as sexless objects. But we are contained in a female body, which our culture tells us, is not our own, but an object of fantasy and eroticism.

Men are brought up to believe that a woman's body is something for them to posess and control; that they can do what they like with her and society will acquiesce.

When a man comes into contact with a woman who is blind his instincts are confused. She looks like a woman, but she can't see. When he takes her arm, ne feels a woman's arm. Yet his culture tells him that she is sexless and something to be feared. So he becomes confused How can this be stopped? I say to all men: "Get your hands off me! Ask me if I want any assistance. Don't push me about, but let me take your arm.

"I don't want your attention. If you are confused about the situation, then leave me alone." Then I am in control.

This is only one facet of the whole issue of women and sexual harassment. It is which has been grossly ignored, by the women's movement and by the labour movement and I feel that it is time that this issue, and the struggle of people with disabilities in general, was actively sup ported women's movement and the labour movement. of Aftere ith disabities concerns the same aims -the right to benefit from the advantages of this" society. without discrimination or open hostility. The liberation of people with disabilities is a political struggle.