Musings: Intersections of being working class, disabled, and foreign

For the first time in my life today, I saw a hard labor foreign worker wearing glasses.

I had to do a double take, because for over 30 years of me being alive, I've never seen a foreign construction worker wearing glasses here.

It made me imagine if those among them who needed glasses had worn them... all the work they could've done or could have finished sooner... all the educational opportunities throughout their lives that they could have taken up... all the accidents they could've avoided/prevented.

In case you forgot (as I usually do), short/long-sightedness is still a disability. Although these issues can be managed using glasses/contact lenses/lasik surgery, all these require money and a certain level of care that not all of us can afford.

I'm so glad that the man I saw has glasses for his eyesight (I hope he has the right prescription!), but I also wish more people could get the help they need for conditions impacting their quality of life. It really is sad that the rich keep getting richer here and in most places in the world, while so many people (the majority of the world, in fact) have to treat necessities like medical aids as luxury items. 😔