The Schwa Was Here

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), three percent of children under eighteen are blind or visually impaired (“Fast Facts About Vision Loss.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Lexie’s character in The Schwa Was Here is a positive representation of a person who is blind. Shusterman also uses the condition of blindness to explore the themes of identity and perception: how people with blindness may “see” some things more clearly than sighted people, and how sighted people also can have “blind spots” toward other people and ideas.

People with disabilities often face marginalization and exclusion from mainstream society. Including characters with disabilities in works of fiction is important because it allows those with disabilities to see realistic, positive portrayals of individuals like themselves. Accurate disability representation promotes inclusion by allowing non-disabled readers to become more sensitive to others’ differences and inspiring empathy and understanding.

Blindness is something outside of Antsy’s experience. Meeting Lexie, who became totally blind when she was three and does not remember seeing, shows Antsy how people who are blind thrive in the sighted world. Antsy observes that Lexie is “the most unhandicapped handicapped person I’d ever laid eyes on” (99). While the use of the word “handicapped” to describe people with disabilities is outdated, Antsy’s sentiment is positive. He is impressed with Lexie’s confidence in herself: Lexie reads Braille, practices tactile learning at school, and says, “I know the whole world by touch” (96). Shusterman shows, however, that Lexie is not a stereotypical “blind seer” or “supercrip”—a stereotypical disabled character with exceptional powers or who “overcomes” their disability. Antsy recognizes the barriers that Lexie and other people with blindness face. He learns about Lexie’s physical limitations and frustrations: her cautiousness in movement, her helplessness when Mr. Crawley injures himself, and her irritation when a restaurant does not provide a Braille menu.

Shusterman ensures that Lexie is not defined by her disability, an important criterion for authentic disability representation. Lexie has the same desires and failings as any teenage girl, differently abled or not. Antsy also learns that people with blindness cannot all be stereotyped or pigeonholed into one category: Each has different ways of coping with and perception of their disability. Antsy says, “Some of Lexie’s schoolmates seemed well accustomed to their state; for others, it was a serious hardship. I never imagined there was such a range in how people handled being blind” (123). Shusterman’s representation of Lexie is authentic because she is a three-dimensional character who isn’t used to evoke pity or provide “inspiration.”

Shusterman also uses Lexie’s blindness as a metaphor for how we perceive ourselves and others. Lexie’s blindness helps her appreciate the Schwa’s personality because, while others are “blind” to the Schwa and find him invisible, to Lexie, he is no different or less visible than anyone else. She “sees” everyone equally though she does feel that sighted people miss out on—or are blind to—more subtle communication.

Metaphorically, blindness often has negative connotations. Someone who is “blind” to something is ignorant, oblivious, or refuses to accept reality. When Lexie kisses Antsy in front of the Schwa, Antsy is upset by her insensitivity. He asks, “How could you be so…so…” letting the readers infer that the adjective he did not add was “blind” (138). Lexie was emotionally blind to the Schwa’s feelings. Children who are blind may experience problems with social interaction and with expressing and recognizing emotion in others. Antsy recognizes that Lexie does have “a blind spot for others’ feelings” (179). The Schwa Was Here thoughtfully and realistically portrays Lexie’s disability. His friendship with Lexie helps Antsy, and readers, empathize with and better understand people who are blind.

The following young adult titles also feature authentic representations of people with blindness. In Things Not Seen (2002) by Andrew Clements, 15-year-old Bobby wakes up one morning and discovers he is invisible. His new friend Alicia, who is blind, helps him deal with this strange problem. Sixteen years old and blind, Cheyenne is in the backseat of a car when it is stolen and she is held for ransom in Girl, Stolen (2012) by April Henry. In The One Thing (2015) by Marci Lyn Curtis, Maggie loses her sight at 16. Angry and resentful, Maggie discovers she can see certain people, and she must figure out why. Finally, in Peter Moore’s Blind Sighted (2002), a young woman with blindness hires 15-year-old loner Kirk to read to her and helps him overcome personal challenges.