This rant post is addressing the sighted tech developers, game designers, writers and students looking for visually impaired volunteers. The following are personal opinions. Let me know what you think.

I just think it's baffling that we get so many sighted visitors to this sub who don't bother to read the FAQ or use the search function and end up asking the same questions over and over and over again.

How do blind people use Reddit? Screen Readers like JAWS, Zoomtext and VoiceOver.

To the people trying to develop new technology to help blind people I ask that you do some research on things like canes, screen readers and tactile watches before trying to reinvent the wheel. That being said, there's always room for improvement. We get a lot of posts and comments about hypothetical technology conceived by sighted people who have never interacted with a blind person in their life. I know you mean well, and I know it isn't everybody, but please, **Do your research first.** And if you're trying to design tech for the blind for a school project, I'd recommend choosing a different topic because

A) Your invention probably already exists or something incredibly similar does.

B) Depending on where you live, there might not be any blind people around who can actually test your invention. And no, putting a blindfold on is not enough to simulate being blind. A blindfolded person won't have the same skills and experiences as someone who actually lives with a visual impairment.

C) it's really annoying and vague when people ask things like "what kinds of assistive technology would you find helpful?" Wanting to help blind people is great, but if you're doing it for a project, you should have something specific in mind. Also good to remember: most people don't want to have to wear motion sensors or any kind of bulky contraption when they go out.

D) You might not have the resources or the time to actually make it happen.

To the gamers:

There are plenty of games designed specifically for the visually impaired. Additionally some people's conditions don't actually prevent them from playing certain types of games. One of the best Street Fighter players in the world is completely blind and taught themselves how to play based on the different sounds that all of the combos make. As far as designing games to be accessible, just get creative and be sure to include audio.

To the writers:

The three most important things I personally think should be taken into account when writing blind characters are:

1) The severity of their visual impairment. Some people can only see shapes. Some people can only see colours. Some people can actually see perfectly but have a very small field of vision and so it affects their mobility. The list goes on. There are thousands of eye conditions, and everybody compensates for theirs in their own way. Remember *visual impairment is a spectrum* it's not just "Totally blind or completely sighted."

2) The age they were when they lost their sight, and how it happened. Creating a rich backstory is just good writing. This will help you determine how well adapted the character is to their situation. Everybody adjusts to their situation at their own pace. Some people hit the ground running, other people don't leave their homes for years. Roughly half the blind people in Canada are unemployed and pretty much never leave the house. Being visually impaired affects people's lives in huge ways, and small ways too. For example: The worst thing about losing your vision as an adult in my opinion is not being able to drive anymore. Busing everywhere wastes so much time, but taking taxis everywhere gets expensive.

3) Avoid clichés. Blind people can do a lot more than practice law and play musical instruments. As a matter of fact, there really isn't anything a sighted person can do that a blind person can't. There are plenty of things we probably shouldn't do like drive into traffic, or carry and shoot firearms in populated areas, but nothing that we can't find a way to do except critiquing graphic art in accurate and meaningful ways.

To the mod team: Maybe we could add a weekly megathread for the kinds of posts I outlined like tech development and writing? Or add flairs for writing and people trying to "design things to help the blind." Or both?

To conclude: reading the same 3 posts submitted by different users over and over again is kind of annoying, and easily avoidable if people would just read the FAQ. I'll say again, I'm only speaking on my own behalf. If you agree, or disagree, please let me know, and tell me why. I just wanna make our sub a more organized place.

-Snooby