The thing with vision impairment is that it is very easy to conceal. Just this passed weekend I had the check out chick at Coles (Australian supermarket chain) say to me "If I didn't see your badge, I wouldn't know you couldn't see". I don't use my cane when I do my grocery shopping (one hand is already taken for my grandma trolley, so I don't want the other occupied with a cane), and I don't always wear a "Vision Impaired Badge", but as her comment illustrates, without these things, nobody would know.

And I don't think it is unreasonable that they wouldn't know, or that they wouldn't think "oh, he must be vision impaired/blind because he bumped into me/can't tell where the EFTPOS machine is/can't follow where I'm indicating something is". The article states that there are two million people "registered blind" in the UK, which has an estimated population of 65 million. The chance that any one person has experience interacting with someone who is blind or vision impaired is quite low. In addition people who are not totally blind still appear, for all intents and purposes, as fully sighted (provided they do not have a cane, badge, or dog) unless you have had that closer interaction with them.

I do not think it is unreasonable then that a bouncer might take a potential patron aside because they appear to be spaced out with unfocused eyes, especially if you lack anything that clearly states you are vision impaired. It's their job to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable night, and to promote the responsible service of alcohol through vetting those who've already had their fill. If they don't do that, then their employer is at risk, and likewise the patron in question, and other patrons depending on the first patron's disposition.

If you do not have a cane, badge, or dog that clearly shows you have vision impairment, how is it the bouncer can tell that your unfocused gaze is due to vision impairment as opposed to inebriation? They can't.

That's not to say greater awareness needs to be raised around vision impairment. Think in comparison to hearing loss. Hearing loss is just as concealable as vision impairment, perhaps more so. In any interaction, the person with hearing loss simply says "Sorry, can you repeat that, I have hearing loss" and without hesitation they will. But if you say "I'm sorry, could take my hand and place it where you are pointing, I have vision impairment", the person is likely to find the request somewhat strange. The idea that vision exists on a continuum like hearing is a foreign concept, especially a continuum on which you might have vision loss but not use aids like a cane or dog.

So I don't get annoyed when people don't understand vision impairment. I do not find it unreasonable the majority will treat you as the majority is. If you look like a completely sane able bodied person, people will treat you as a completely sane able bodied person until you advise them otherwise. To me, stories like this reinforce the importance of having a cane, even if it is only an identification cane.

Of course, that can lead to new and exciting forms of interaction with bouncers or airline staff - like when they try to confiscate your cane because "it could be used as a weapon" (no joke, true stories).

This is so sad. I've absolutely never thought of this as an option... if I'm ever out in public without my glasses(they're too heavy to wear for long) I always have my fiancé to help me around and say something to people if they stare since I do the same thing, can't look at people or focus on one thing. I can't imagine how shitty it would feel to be kicked out for something you can't control and have the people not believe you :/