When I was a child, I dreaded blindness. We used to ask: 'Would we rather be blind or deaf?' I said I'd rather be blind, even though I was scared of it. I couldn't bear not being able to hear music or talk to people.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
My mother had been blind as a child. And so, blindness was something that has long fascinated me, but also it's something I find really, really scary.
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.
The fact that I am blind is not what defines my life. It should be of no more interest than my blood type. People wonder if there is a relationship between my lack of sight and the way I sing. But there's no connection.
I've been blind in my mind since the age of three.
Losing my sight had nothing to do with my focus on music. My passion for music was already there, so it would be a mistake to give too much significance to my blindness.
I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, which was wonderful and something so many deaf people don't have.
Aversion toward the blind exists for the same reason that most prejudices exist: lack of knowledge. Ignorance is a powerful generator of fear. And fear slides easily into aggression and contempt.
When I lost the sight of my eye and faced the prospect of going blind, my sight was saved by the NHS.
I think being deaf gave me an increased sense of sight.
When I was young I knew I was deaf. I couldn't accept it.