Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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What do you get asked the most by sighted people? (self.Blind)
submitted by jwall97
I’m not blind myself, but was wondering if there are certain questions blind individuals get asked more often than others.
BaginaJon 13 points 4y ago
I’m a teacher of the visually impaired. If I hear people ask my blind students stupid and insensitive questions, I wait until my student leaves and reprimand them hard. It makes me so pissed.
blind_devotion08 11 points 4y ago
Nice. I went to a public middle school and carried a white cane. One kid specifically tried to step on it to break it. The principal, who was known for wearing a red bow tie and matching sneakers, grabbed that kid by the ear and dragged him into a classroom over it.
Justice may be blind, but karma can see forever.
Justice may be blind, but karma can see forever.
FiverNZen 12 points 4y ago
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
And the obligatory: “so you can see darkness, right?”
And the obligatory: “so you can see darkness, right?”
princesspooball 6 points 4y ago
>How many fingers am I holding up?
WTF is wrong with people? I'd give them the middle finger and ask them the same thing
WTF is wrong with people? I'd give them the middle finger and ask them the same thing
blind_devotion08 10 points 4y ago
My top five (and their answers) are
How can you use a computer if you're blind?
Helpful programs.
How blind are you?
I see tunnel vision almost all the time, and dim lighting is like pitch black.
Were you born with it?
Yes, but I wasn't diagnosed till I was almost a teen.
Do you know sign language?
No.
Can you drive?
No, but some days I see sighted people who make me feel overqualified.
How can you use a computer if you're blind?
Helpful programs.
How blind are you?
I see tunnel vision almost all the time, and dim lighting is like pitch black.
Were you born with it?
Yes, but I wasn't diagnosed till I was almost a teen.
Do you know sign language?
No.
Can you drive?
No, but some days I see sighted people who make me feel overqualified.
GoBlindOrGoHome 5 points 4y ago
I was at an eye appointment when I overheard a group of macular degerative elderly people laughing because they're still driving even though the doctor told them they shouldn't be. I hate being in cars.
krASHbandicooot 2 points 4y ago
I work for a Braille school (I send out materials to TVI’s) and I ALWAYS get asked if I know ASL. Even when I explain that I’m from the Braille school, people will go on and on about sign language.
Raf_AL 7 points 4y ago
They usually ask me what I can see.
Some also ask me how I manage to stay positive all the time.
Some also ask me how I manage to stay positive all the time.
blind_devotion08 6 points 4y ago
Oh, yeah. I get that last one a lot, too. People called me an inspiration too. It's annoying as hell.
mobiledakeo 4 points 4y ago
When you’re inspirational just because you made toast in the morning
retrolental_morose 7 points 4y ago
How many fingers am I holding up?
Do you know who I am?
Shall I help you cross the rd? (Even if you're walking parallel to, rather than trying to cross one).
Do you dream in colour?
Is what you see just blackness?
How do you ... almost anything follows that one.
Just top-of-the-head stuff, i'm sure there's plenty more.
Do you know who I am?
Shall I help you cross the rd? (Even if you're walking parallel to, rather than trying to cross one).
Do you dream in colour?
Is what you see just blackness?
How do you ... almost anything follows that one.
Just top-of-the-head stuff, i'm sure there's plenty more.
deafblindgirluk 6 points 4y ago
Taxi drivers are terrible for this - almost every cab I get into I am asked how much I can see and what happened to my eyes.
It really gets tired when you're asked for the third time in one day.
It really gets tired when you're asked for the third time in one day.
blind_devotion08 7 points 4y ago
But it's just so important for people to know if we like stevie wonder or not!
Muzick_ 3 points 4y ago
I always get asked if I see black or darkness, which is definitely not the case. I have a genetic eye disease called Choroideremia. In a nut shell it causes men (and some women, but very few in reality) to lose most of their night vision at first, then slowly losing their peripheral, followed by most of their central, until they go completely blind.
These types of questions coming from people that are not "blind" make sense until you start thinking about blind spots, because every human on earth has at least one blind spot. In my case, my eyes have multiple blind spots that grow in size. Blind spots do not tell our brain to put a black splotch in our field of view because that would be incredibly annoying. Instead what happens is our brain essentially stretches the image across any physical blind spots to trick the eyes into thinking they are still seeing a full image, hence the name blind spot. Healthy human eyes have about 114 degrees of central vision (Google an "obtuse" triangle.), with about 40 degrees remaining for the outer ring of our eyes called the peripheral vision. My eyes have less then 9 degrees of central vision (Google an icosceles triangle with one angle that has 9 degrees.) This results in what's called tunnel vision, with maybe a single degree remaining for the peripheral vision.
Crazy stuff!
These types of questions coming from people that are not "blind" make sense until you start thinking about blind spots, because every human on earth has at least one blind spot. In my case, my eyes have multiple blind spots that grow in size. Blind spots do not tell our brain to put a black splotch in our field of view because that would be incredibly annoying. Instead what happens is our brain essentially stretches the image across any physical blind spots to trick the eyes into thinking they are still seeing a full image, hence the name blind spot. Healthy human eyes have about 114 degrees of central vision (Google an "obtuse" triangle.), with about 40 degrees remaining for the outer ring of our eyes called the peripheral vision. My eyes have less then 9 degrees of central vision (Google an icosceles triangle with one angle that has 9 degrees.) This results in what's called tunnel vision, with maybe a single degree remaining for the peripheral vision.
Crazy stuff!
RosyShine 3 points 4y ago
not at all saying it bother me, but the most common question i get is, so you went to a blind school, right?
blind_devotion08 6 points 4y ago
I've gotten this one too. I had one person argue with me because he was convinced I couldn't go to a public school and be legally blind. Then he insisted that I must have had an easy time because of teachers trying to take it easy on me.
I had all the classes and homework that other kids had, and I had braille, Mobility, and general life skills classes on top of that. I had MORE work than other kids on top of having a disability.
I had all the classes and homework that other kids had, and I had braille, Mobility, and general life skills classes on top of that. I had MORE work than other kids on top of having a disability.
munchhie 1 points 4y ago
"Do you wish you weren't blind?"
No.
"Would you rather be deaf?"
No.
No.
"Would you rather be deaf?"
No.
jwall97 [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Thank you all for your answers, they’ve been very informative and helpful!
delha4 -1 points 4y ago
I am sighted and the question I ask blind people the most is How are you doing?
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