Laura McGlynn from East Kilbride will be one of the hundreds of freshers descending on Glasgow University this autumn. She earned the right to swell the ranks of the great unwashed by passing her A-level exams. "So?" I hear you ask nonplussed: "what's the big deal?" Well, er, its not really such a big deal: after all the overwhelming majority of teenagers end up in further education after doing their A-levels. Laura happens to be blind so, of course, her impending arrival at uni is a big deal. I must confess to being ignorant of what's making the news in the East Kilbride area, but I'll eat my special talking computer if Laura isn't the talk of the town up there. Its just one of those stories that the local media love isn't it? I can almost see the headlines now - lachrymose and oozing stomach-churning sentimentality - ... "Blind Laura's Incredible Achievement" ... or something else even more mawkish. I detest the way blind people are depicted as heroes in the local media for doing the most mundane of things: you don't even have to plunge off the top of a building or scale a mountain to have hero-status conferred upon you. Even delivering newspapers and passing exams is apparently courageous and inspirational enough. Yes, I hate this patronising coverage but quite frankly, don't expect much more from the local press.Anyway, back to Laura. She may or may not be a local celebrity in East Kilbride: I don't know. There is however, an article about her on the BBC's website. Yes, the BBC. The organisation whose journalists are held in such high regard the world over for the quality of their authoritative reports. The organisation charged with educating and informing us have printed a story about someone passing their A-levels and going on to study at university. Is Laura's story either educational or informative? No, of course not. Is it newsworthy? Well, those people who regard "the blind" as a homogeneous group dependent on the benevolence of sighted people will think so. I haven't a clue how many of these people there are out there, but Isn't it worrying that by publishing this piece, an organisation as respected and influential as the beeb is playing up to their low expectations of blind people?
God knows how we can free ourselves from this disabling situation, but I'll make one promise ... I'll try to think up the solution on my way up The Matterhorn. I'll be setting off shortly ... Oh hang on ... Maybe I'll just take up a paper round instead.