Here’s the thing: If you have low vision, you have to wear glasses provided that contact lenses are not an option. For many, glasses are a fact of life. There is no running away from that reality. If you hate glasses (which is a natural reaction) too bad. It’s glasses or bust.

That said, there is no reason that you have to hate the glasses you are forced to wear. Your glasses are a part of your face much like your nose. You have to have a nose. But it doesn’t have to be that Roman nose you were born with. Thanks to cosmetic surgery, you can change it to look like whatever you want.

The same is true for glasses. Believe it or not, there are some very nice looking frames out there. Some are so nice that many people who don’t need glasses choose to wear some form of glasses just for the cool factor. Your prescription glasses can have the same cool factor as a pair of Ray-Bans. This type of fashion upgrade can give you more confidence and feel less awkward in social situations. Glasses are easy to upgrade to something more fashionable. Here are a few other ideas for turning your liability into an asset:

A NEW SET OF WHEELS

The standard wheelchair hasn’t visibly changed in what feels like a thousand years. It looks like something that was designed by a committee of inartistic apes. It is a kludge of a mockery of engineering. I have two and I hate them both. It seems like we can do better. And as it happens, we can.

Check out the Spintek Wheels They are going to run you over a grand. But that is a small price to pay for upgrading your ride from something ugly to something enviable. You don’t have to be stuck with the standard chair either. You can go from your typical hospital chair to something more sporty and capable. There are some very interesting off-road wheelchairs for the more adventurous.

If you want to accessorize within a more strict budget, that is also available. Rather than a whole new set of wheels, you can add spoke guards to your existing wheels. Rather than having raw spokes, why not put a wheel-sized image on them instead. The possibilities are endless and relatively inexpensive. Around $100 buys you something artistic, quirky, patriotic, or whatever best expresses your personality. You can even make your own without too much work. Treat your wheelchair like a sports car and make it your own.

SLEEVES AND BRACES

If you have bad knees, you have likely had to wear a temporary knee sleeve, or brace, or both. You also know that the braces you get from your orthopedist are not exactly brimming with style. That is not a problem if you can get away with wearing them underneath your clothes. But that is simply not an option in many cases. Knee braces don’t tend to go well with dresses and skirts.

You can find stylish knee braces that are colorful and interesting. You don’t have to look like a person stuck with a bad knee. You can look like an athlete preparing for the big game. A more interesting way to spice things up is with support sleeves. They are less expensive and come in all manner of styles. Get a longer sleeve and treat it like leggings. If you have to wear leg support, wear stylish leg support.

Disability is a rough road to travel. No one gets there on purpose. But that doesn’t mean it has to rob us of personality. Whether it is glasses, wheelchairs, canes, or joint support, find a way to show your true colors. The world is staring anyway. Give them something interesting to look at that says something interesting about you.

David Johnson