Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Blind and Deaf Communication without Tactile (self.Blind)
submitted 7y ago by Muchashca
Hey everyone!
I'm currently writing a story that, if it comes together well enough, I'd like to turn into an animation for people to watch. Specifically, I'd like to tell the story of a blind man who falls in love with a deaf woman, and the two must learn to communicate without knowing tactile beforehand. The beautiful thing about stories is that it lets us imagine life from another perspective, but I need to understand the world a little better from a blind person's perspective to make the story accurate.
In particular, I have two questions:
First, how do blind people generally begin a relationship with someone they're interested in? Where do you meet, and what signals would you listen for to indicate that that person is interested in you?
Second, if you met a deaf person and felt a mutual attraction, but spoke no sign language, how would you communicate with them before being able to learn Tactile Sign or a similar language?
Thanks in advance!
I'm currently writing a story that, if it comes together well enough, I'd like to turn into an animation for people to watch. Specifically, I'd like to tell the story of a blind man who falls in love with a deaf woman, and the two must learn to communicate without knowing tactile beforehand. The beautiful thing about stories is that it lets us imagine life from another perspective, but I need to understand the world a little better from a blind person's perspective to make the story accurate.
In particular, I have two questions:
First, how do blind people generally begin a relationship with someone they're interested in? Where do you meet, and what signals would you listen for to indicate that that person is interested in you?
Second, if you met a deaf person and felt a mutual attraction, but spoke no sign language, how would you communicate with them before being able to learn Tactile Sign or a similar language?
Thanks in advance!
Unuhi 3 points
Online, and in twitter?
Some of my blind friends met on a blind date, some thru other means.
A lot of blind communication is by all other means than sight - and the plausibiity of your story depends partially on details. Has the blind person ever seen? (Body language skills) does the deaf person communicate orally? Not all deaf communicate only with sign language. Many can lipread and speak pretty well.
So a love story with a functional blind that can do normal bosy language of the country and culture they live in and a deaf person that can lipread and communicate orally might be pretty reasonable.
But big potential for communication issues: when you can't see how do you know if someone is fooling around, lying, making fun of you? Microgestures or discomfort or cluelessness does not translate well to spoken language.
They would have to find ways to communicate and learn together. Email, twitter or facebook might be some of those means.
Some of my blind friends met on a blind date, some thru other means.
A lot of blind communication is by all other means than sight - and the plausibiity of your story depends partially on details. Has the blind person ever seen? (Body language skills) does the deaf person communicate orally? Not all deaf communicate only with sign language. Many can lipread and speak pretty well.
So a love story with a functional blind that can do normal bosy language of the country and culture they live in and a deaf person that can lipread and communicate orally might be pretty reasonable.
But big potential for communication issues: when you can't see how do you know if someone is fooling around, lying, making fun of you? Microgestures or discomfort or cluelessness does not translate well to spoken language.
They would have to find ways to communicate and learn together. Email, twitter or facebook might be some of those means.
Muchashca [OP] 1 points
I hadn't considered online dating, great point! As I'd imagined the story, both parties were respectively blind and deaf from birth, so the blind man doesn't know sign language, and the deaf girl doesn't speak, but I really like your idea of lipreading!
I'd forgotten about the insecurity of not knowing how serious someone is from not seeing their body gestures, but that's a great point as well. That would be something very interesting to write into the story, especially since it would help the people that watch the animation keep that in mind when later talking with people that are blind.
Great information, thank you!
I'd forgotten about the insecurity of not knowing how serious someone is from not seeing their body gestures, but that's a great point as well. That would be something very interesting to write into the story, especially since it would help the people that watch the animation keep that in mind when later talking with people that are blind.
Great information, thank you!
Unuhi 2 points
Deaf from birth people may still be able to speak if they were raised orally. If they were born in a deaf family they might then learn to use sign language as their only "spoken" language.
The blind may have some blindisms - depends on raising and siblings etc too. Parents play a great role inteaching what things are not acceptable.
The blind may have some blindisms - depends on raising and siblings etc too. Parents play a great role inteaching what things are not acceptable.
romanj35 2 points
Your story premis is ok, but it didn't take into account the modern day reality of technology. If the deaf and blind person have some kind of smart phone, hell even most plain phones can read aloud text messages, and the two deaf people I know personally can read.
My wife works in retail as an assistant manager in an office supply store and the deaf customers come in there with cell phones and just type everything out. My wife takes her smartphone out and they just type back and forth and hand each other their phones.
My wife works in retail as an assistant manager in an office supply store and the deaf customers come in there with cell phones and just type everything out. My wife takes her smartphone out and they just type back and forth and hand each other their phones.
Muchashca [OP] 1 points
You're completely right, I hadn't even considered the utility that smartphones bring to the situation. I'd never considered how much easier communication must be for those that can't speak than it used to be, awesome!
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