F rom the moment I was born, my Grandmother has been with me. For almost every week of my life I’ve been seeing my Grandma Judy—but she could not see me. Judith Rothchild developed Behcet’s disease soon after she got married 64 years ago, which resulted in her being 100% blind. On every Sunday when my family and I visited her house, she would cook, play piano, knit, read, play board games, and do almost everything a sighted person would do. Being with her for 22 years up until she passed away has opened my eyes to the life of a blind person, and made me aware of the struggles they face in a world that does not cater to disabled people as much as able-bodied people. Seeing my Grandmother cook for my family every week and seeing the different tools she used got me thinking of ways I could make this experience easier for her. When there were instructions on packages, she had to get my Grandpa, me, or one of my parents to read it to her. Sometimes 1 packages would feel the same, and she would have to ask one of us for help once again. If she found a recipe, it would be impossible for her to follow some of the instructions. For example, if something said, “cook until golden brown” or “cook onions until translucent” how could she possibly know what the food looked like with every passing second? Also, she couldn’t really know when produce like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products would go bad. Sometimes when my family went over to her house, my mom would look in the fridge and see that the raspberries started to mold. My grandma would always respond with, “Well I had no idea!” These troubles my grandmother went through had me thinking of different solutions for an easier cooking experience in the kitchen.
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