Diversity Directions

She needs street names and major intersections. These things are totally meaningless to me. I’ll say the building by the drugstore or go for three blocks hang a left go two blocks hang a right second house on the right.
We drive each other mad.
Back to my Information Technology career for a moment. Every organization has a taxonomy or language that they use to talk about their business. In that language they describe the data they require from their customers to do business on a day to day basis. Basically a data model.
Each of us has our own language for describing our world and we also have our own data model. Or things that we require to know so we can function in the world. My data model is not defined by my blindness. I know many people who orientate themselves with landmarks instead of discrete coordinates such as street names.
My blindness does not define my intelligence my blindness enhances my abilities. I am profoundly spacial and visual as a thinker and I can take a problem and analyze the problem in multidimensional space. I can give you alternate views on an issue with profound speed. My competitive advantage actually.
In all things we need diversity. I need my fiancee’s detailed view of the world as her view balances my big picture view. Together we are stronger more effective a team. Our strengths are greater than the sum of our individual abilities.
It is my experience professionally ideas that the whole team contributes to are the best. These ideas grow and people take pride in their contribution. Ultimately these are the ideas that make the most sense to invest in as everyone has brought something to the solution.
What am I saying well one I don’t give directions to my fiancee. But more importantly in all things consider other points of view. You will learn something, I promise.