Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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I would like to have a conversation about color. (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
I am interested in communicating the idea of color, or color itself, to people who are blind. But I realized I have never spoken with any blind people about color. I would love to have a conversation with any blind people who would like to express their understanding of color to me. If a phone call would be easier, ask me in PM and I'll give my phone number.
To begin, do you understand color to be a distinguishing feature of surfaces? If so, how do you cognitively imagine the distinction of surfaces without color?
And, do you believe that truths about color can be communicated in a way like the truths of geometry can be communicated?
Thank you.
To begin, do you understand color to be a distinguishing feature of surfaces? If so, how do you cognitively imagine the distinction of surfaces without color?
And, do you believe that truths about color can be communicated in a way like the truths of geometry can be communicated?
Thank you.
[deleted] [OP] 1 points
Hi there.
This might vary from person to person, but I'll give this a shot.
Some background: I have been blind since a very young age and thus have no real memory of light or color.
* Yes, to a certain extent I think so. I just compare it with other senses; sounds have different pitches and tones, things have different textures, etc. But having a real idea of what it is? I don't think so, since I don't really even know what sight is like in the first place.
* As I've said, I doubt it. We can have explanations or things to compare it to, but I don't think it's possible to truly understand something you have never experienced. If you have never tasted a certain flavor, can someone completely describe the experience to you?
I'm not sure if I answered your last question right. Did you mean facts about colors? I think through explanations and reading, we know what they are and their importance, but as I said, it might be next to impossible to truly make us understand them the way a sighted person would.
I hope this helps.
This might vary from person to person, but I'll give this a shot.
Some background: I have been blind since a very young age and thus have no real memory of light or color.
* Yes, to a certain extent I think so. I just compare it with other senses; sounds have different pitches and tones, things have different textures, etc. But having a real idea of what it is? I don't think so, since I don't really even know what sight is like in the first place.
* As I've said, I doubt it. We can have explanations or things to compare it to, but I don't think it's possible to truly understand something you have never experienced. If you have never tasted a certain flavor, can someone completely describe the experience to you?
I'm not sure if I answered your last question right. Did you mean facts about colors? I think through explanations and reading, we know what they are and their importance, but as I said, it might be next to impossible to truly make us understand them the way a sighted person would.
I hope this helps.
[deleted] [OP] 1 points
Thank you for your response.
Can you visualize a right triangle in your head? Or a circle? If we are considering the triangle or the circle, I want to ask, how does the space inside of the perimeter look like? Now, if there were two triangles or two circles next to each other, and they were the same size, how could they be distinguished? If I promised that the size was not a distinguishing characteristic, and I promised the the perimeter is not a distinguishing characteristic, then what could be? We could imagine that the two circles have a different "pitch" than each other, but what does that mean? That seems to be vocabulary about sound, rather than shape or geometry. And I can't help but shake my intuition that color and geometry are related, which is why I seek perspectives very different than my own.
If you can visualize space inside the perimeter of a circle, then I will go on to ask questions about "shading" the surface, as if you were painting it with a paint brush, or just sliding your hand over every part of it. But perhaps "visualize" is the wrong word to use here. Can you visualize space inside a perimeter? Or do those words strung together just sound like logical concepts, void of meaning? Like, "A bleep is a blorp because a kleep is a klorp, and we all learned that in elementary school." Does, "A circle is a shape where all points on its perimeter are equidistant from its center point" have meaning to you, or is it just fanciful language?
I guess I'll wait for your responses before I ask more questions.
Can you visualize a right triangle in your head? Or a circle? If we are considering the triangle or the circle, I want to ask, how does the space inside of the perimeter look like? Now, if there were two triangles or two circles next to each other, and they were the same size, how could they be distinguished? If I promised that the size was not a distinguishing characteristic, and I promised the the perimeter is not a distinguishing characteristic, then what could be? We could imagine that the two circles have a different "pitch" than each other, but what does that mean? That seems to be vocabulary about sound, rather than shape or geometry. And I can't help but shake my intuition that color and geometry are related, which is why I seek perspectives very different than my own.
If you can visualize space inside the perimeter of a circle, then I will go on to ask questions about "shading" the surface, as if you were painting it with a paint brush, or just sliding your hand over every part of it. But perhaps "visualize" is the wrong word to use here. Can you visualize space inside a perimeter? Or do those words strung together just sound like logical concepts, void of meaning? Like, "A bleep is a blorp because a kleep is a klorp, and we all learned that in elementary school." Does, "A circle is a shape where all points on its perimeter are equidistant from its center point" have meaning to you, or is it just fanciful language?
I guess I'll wait for your responses before I ask more questions.
[deleted] [OP] 2 points
They likely can't "visualize" anything in their head the way you are asking them to. Because they have no memory of being able to see, they don't know what seeing is and therefore can't replicate the sensation of seeing in their head. If you ask a blind person to imagine a triangle, they are going to imagine what the shape itself feels like (i assume)... What if I asked you to picture your favorite song in your head and tell me what it looks like.. you can't, because it doesn't look like anything.. it's only a sound. Or if I told you I had a sixth sense called "forp", and then asked you to "forp" an object in your mind, you wouldn't be able to.. you could see hear feel smell or taste it in your head but never forp it because your brain can't imagine a sensation that your body can't have naturally.
And as for the circle definition thing, that's almost insulting. Blind people may not be able to conceptualize sight, but things like distance are still very real and very understandable concepts. I blind person could still imagine a bunch of points that are equidistant to a center point because that information is not sight-exclusive.. you can measure distances with feel as well... The only things a blind person would likely not understand are things like color, or other sight-exclusive concepts.. anything else, however, is totally understandable.
And as for the circle definition thing, that's almost insulting. Blind people may not be able to conceptualize sight, but things like distance are still very real and very understandable concepts. I blind person could still imagine a bunch of points that are equidistant to a center point because that information is not sight-exclusive.. you can measure distances with feel as well... The only things a blind person would likely not understand are things like color, or other sight-exclusive concepts.. anything else, however, is totally understandable.
[deleted] [OP] 1 points
I didn't mean to be insulting.
[deleted] [OP] 1 points
It's cool.. i understood where you were coming from, i just wanted to warn you to be wary. someone else might take that in the wrong way
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