Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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It's Easier To Be Blind in Finland than America (hungryinpori.com)
submitted by GrumpyFinn
CircleOfTheBlindMice 3 points 7y ago
Very interesting article, especially since when I've travelled elsewhere in Europe, I've found it to be the opposite of living here in North america (I'm in Canada, though) when it comes to accessibility. Although I have come across nice people wanting &/or willing to help, the fact that Europe is just so much older than North America poses some challenges for anyone with a visual impairment or physical disability, due to all the cobblestones, numerous kinds & colours of stones being used, many stairs, fewer ramps, lots of stairs on trains themselves, uneven train platforms, etc. However, many of the concert venues I've gone to in Germany & the UK have been wonderful with their disability accommodations, so it's a bit of a mixed bag for me. Some of my fellow travelling concert goers who live in Europe don't appreciate the venues giving accommodations to visually impaired people either, which I was rather surprised at, as I unfortunately have to deal with these same people at nearly every show I attend for our favourite band. :( But I have also met some very nice & understanding Europeans, too, so it's nice to hear that Finland for the most part is very accepting. Haven't been to a concert there yet! ;)
GrumpyFinn [OP] 1 points 7y ago
I haven't traveled anywhere other than Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and Canada(and the US, obviously). I don't use a cane, so the cobblestone hasn't been an issue for me. I actually like the cobblestone in Finland because generally it means I'm on a walking street and don't have to worry about cars. It's not the case all the time, though. I've found concert venues/clubs to actually be much more accepting here than in the US as well. In the US I used to have so many people telling me I was "pretending" to be blind to get a better location or early entry or whatever. In Finland no one has ever even thought that..because why the hell would you lie about something like that?
clandestinewarrior 1 points 7y ago
I have been to Germany and find most transit locations like train stations are pretty good. Many trains are double decker so there are stairs allowing passengers to go to the upper level. Cobblestones are a big pain.
The south has terrible public transit, which makes life inconvenient
The south has terrible public transit, which makes life inconvenient
Unuhi 1 points 7y ago
I can imagine why for an American who moves over there as an adult it might be easier to integrate.
But if you grew up there always failing the eye charts, it'd be massively different.
I lived there (and another country) as a kid. I knew an older blind lady as a kid, but never anyne around my age. Regular school there reminds of your experience, being one out of those handful of kids being picked at in a school of 600.
Back then I saw enough so no one thought about futureproofing my skills with o&m or braille. I thought everyone would have the same kind if sleep issues I did (especially in summer and winter when circadian rhythms just fail so bad). I learned only as an adult thru massive sleep deprivation that normal-eyed people can just sleep at night and stay awake during the day. And I learned braille - and now I just don't think I've ever noticed anything brailled around there. (Is there? Bathroom signs, room rumbers etc? I kind of assume elevator numbers and star is always there no matter what country)
I find it often easier to get around here in US.
"I don't drive" is a lot more powerful statement here (especially in the South) than in Europe. There there can be a lot of reasons for not driving, here just 3.
And of course public transport and planning how to get somewhere and back is a lot more figuring out.
Print disability can be another great thing in US - when you get it official and can request those reasonable accommodations. Before that it's a pain.
Visiting doctors and hospitals is one thing I imagine being easier there. Hospitals in US have left me with PTSD.
Customer service and assistance is probably easier too. At least with public transport, shops etc. (But you "Can I help you?" all the time here. Maybe I need to work on some of my insecurities to admit a bit more often that some help would be great)
Sauna culture and more honesty in communication are also great there. And it's a lot easier to decipher what a Finnish person is saying (and meaning when different from what is being said) than an American. Less deciphering underlying "tones of voice" in speech, and much less missed when you don't see people's facial expressions.
I probably wouldn't want to live there again, but I can see why it would appeal to others.
But if you grew up there always failing the eye charts, it'd be massively different.
I lived there (and another country) as a kid. I knew an older blind lady as a kid, but never anyne around my age. Regular school there reminds of your experience, being one out of those handful of kids being picked at in a school of 600.
Back then I saw enough so no one thought about futureproofing my skills with o&m or braille. I thought everyone would have the same kind if sleep issues I did (especially in summer and winter when circadian rhythms just fail so bad). I learned only as an adult thru massive sleep deprivation that normal-eyed people can just sleep at night and stay awake during the day. And I learned braille - and now I just don't think I've ever noticed anything brailled around there. (Is there? Bathroom signs, room rumbers etc? I kind of assume elevator numbers and star is always there no matter what country)
I find it often easier to get around here in US.
"I don't drive" is a lot more powerful statement here (especially in the South) than in Europe. There there can be a lot of reasons for not driving, here just 3.
And of course public transport and planning how to get somewhere and back is a lot more figuring out.
Print disability can be another great thing in US - when you get it official and can request those reasonable accommodations. Before that it's a pain.
Visiting doctors and hospitals is one thing I imagine being easier there. Hospitals in US have left me with PTSD.
Customer service and assistance is probably easier too. At least with public transport, shops etc. (But you "Can I help you?" all the time here. Maybe I need to work on some of my insecurities to admit a bit more often that some help would be great)
Sauna culture and more honesty in communication are also great there. And it's a lot easier to decipher what a Finnish person is saying (and meaning when different from what is being said) than an American. Less deciphering underlying "tones of voice" in speech, and much less missed when you don't see people's facial expressions.
I probably wouldn't want to live there again, but I can see why it would appeal to others.
GrumpyFinn [OP] 1 points 7y ago
See, I always found the "I don't drive" thing to be a deal breaker for a lot of people. When I was living in the US and trying to date, the fact i didn't drive and lived in a rural area was a huge deal. I might as well have said I have four legs and a tail.
I do find braille quite often, it's just in random places sometimes. I don't rely on braille so much, though, so I've only ever found myself needing it in places where it would obviously be found(government buildings etc(
Doctors here have been hit and miss, but yeah, much better than the US. Every time we moved when I was a kid and I had to switch eye doctors, I would cry and not sleep the night before because I knew it would be terrible. They would be mean to my mom and almost yell at her asking why I haven't had surgery. They would tell me I was over-reacting. They would put all kinds of awful drops and then finally, after actually looking at my cataract and reading the damn papers, they'd apologize a million times and send us on our way.
In Finland the first eye doctor I went to was difficult and made me cry because she wouldn't listen to me. But after that it got easier because I learned Finnish and learned the vocabulary for my condition. I used to fear the eye doctor but now it's okay. I prefer the doctors that my daughter sees in Helsinki because they're much friendlier and better, but they're also the top childhood eye doctors and glaucoma specialists in Finland, so naturally they'd be more knowledgeable than what I have here. Still, though, better than my American doctors.
I do find braille quite often, it's just in random places sometimes. I don't rely on braille so much, though, so I've only ever found myself needing it in places where it would obviously be found(government buildings etc(
Doctors here have been hit and miss, but yeah, much better than the US. Every time we moved when I was a kid and I had to switch eye doctors, I would cry and not sleep the night before because I knew it would be terrible. They would be mean to my mom and almost yell at her asking why I haven't had surgery. They would tell me I was over-reacting. They would put all kinds of awful drops and then finally, after actually looking at my cataract and reading the damn papers, they'd apologize a million times and send us on our way.
In Finland the first eye doctor I went to was difficult and made me cry because she wouldn't listen to me. But after that it got easier because I learned Finnish and learned the vocabulary for my condition. I used to fear the eye doctor but now it's okay. I prefer the doctors that my daughter sees in Helsinki because they're much friendlier and better, but they're also the top childhood eye doctors and glaucoma specialists in Finland, so naturally they'd be more knowledgeable than what I have here. Still, though, better than my American doctors.
Unuhi 1 points 7y ago
Living in the countryside would be a bit more challenging here. (But it'd be nice to have a lot of animals around)
I live in a bigger city so not a chance of driving. No clue what happens on other lanes, and I get road rage crossing a street sometimes. And it's enough complicated to figure how to get anywhere in the city: I have no scale for the city I live in, and can't tell from an address or block where it might be located.
The eye doctors I met in the north were good, well behaved and non-threatening.
The one I have here is good (and very polite) too. Also I've learned to use my voice more: no, that's enough. I'm not interested in surgeries or eye drops, just some new dark shades.
And using the voice so much more in daily life: "hi, I'm soandso, I do stuff here... I have no facial recognition so say hi if you see me somewhere but tell me where you know me from" and so on.
Here I've had bad experiences with many other kind of doctors. I know I'm nervous around them, and that doesn't exactly help. I don't look the b-word, so I feel stupid having to point out that I can't fill in those bloody paper questionnaires and can't read that paper they want me to sign. Or that English isn't my first or even second language so (if I don't like who I'm dealing with) I might need to get an interpret to translate from whatever language I want to speak back and forth go Medicalese. (Apparently a right, and not just for ASL or Spanish speakers).
I live in a bigger city so not a chance of driving. No clue what happens on other lanes, and I get road rage crossing a street sometimes. And it's enough complicated to figure how to get anywhere in the city: I have no scale for the city I live in, and can't tell from an address or block where it might be located.
The eye doctors I met in the north were good, well behaved and non-threatening.
The one I have here is good (and very polite) too. Also I've learned to use my voice more: no, that's enough. I'm not interested in surgeries or eye drops, just some new dark shades.
And using the voice so much more in daily life: "hi, I'm soandso, I do stuff here... I have no facial recognition so say hi if you see me somewhere but tell me where you know me from" and so on.
Here I've had bad experiences with many other kind of doctors. I know I'm nervous around them, and that doesn't exactly help. I don't look the b-word, so I feel stupid having to point out that I can't fill in those bloody paper questionnaires and can't read that paper they want me to sign. Or that English isn't my first or even second language so (if I don't like who I'm dealing with) I might need to get an interpret to translate from whatever language I want to speak back and forth go Medicalese. (Apparently a right, and not just for ASL or Spanish speakers).
Southpaw5000 1 points 7y ago
I'm super glad you're having such a great experience out there but I have to be honest and say I think all your negative experiences are not the fault of America as a whole. Probably just the crappy place you lived. There are plenty of audible crossings in Salt Lake. I've never come across anyone rude, and I've never had an issue finding assistance when I need it. So basically I guess I'm saying that the issue is not necessarily America as a whole. Just certain parts of it. Generalizations are never quite right.
GrumpyFinn [OP] 1 points 7y ago
I've always wanted to visit SLC but never got the chance to go that way.
I've been up and down the entire east coast minus Florida, and as far west as Illinois by car and then I flew to California. I know generalizations are never good, but what I've experienced is what I've experienced. Nowhere in the US was ever this accepting and ever this comfortable.
I've been up and down the entire east coast minus Florida, and as far west as Illinois by car and then I flew to California. I know generalizations are never good, but what I've experienced is what I've experienced. Nowhere in the US was ever this accepting and ever this comfortable.
Southpaw5000 1 points 7y ago
Well if you ever make it back take a pit stop here. I think you'll like it! I'm glad that you're happy though. In the grand scheme of things that's all that matters.
GrumpyFinn [OP] 0 points 7y ago
I'll let you know if I ever do. :) and thanks!
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