I know I'm not the only one. Share any stupid questions you have been asked due to you being blind.

This may seem a bit negative but it is meant to

1. Educate anyone who might ask these questions.

2. Allow you to rant about a bad / silly experience.

3. Entertain.


When I was 7 years old I went to a restaurant with my family. My parents gave me a kids menu to draw on while they talked about what they would order. As I was drawing, my face was at most an inch from the paper.

The waiter approached to take our order and asked, "How's that menu smell?"

My parents looked at each other. Without hesitation I looked up at him and said, "I'm blind. This is how I draw," then continued to draw.

At the time this was not meant as a comeback but a real answer. From the look on his face (my parents would later tell me) he seemed very embarrassed. I think my family could tell that he was just trying to be funny and perhaps unaware of my condition.

I am not mad at him or anyone else who is curious about my vision or why I do what I do. I do, however, get angry with those who ask in the worst ways possible.

For example, my wife and I were on a bus. I was looking at something very close as usual. A man across from us then looks at my wife and asks, "What's wrong with him?" I barely noticed what he said because I didn't think he was talking to us. My wife was so shocked that she didn't know what to say. She was furious. When she told me what he asked I was mostly confused and felt very disrespected. Why would he address my wife instead of me if he thought of me as his equal?

If you notice someone acting different please fight the urge to ask the first question that pops into your head. If I've learned anything from these questions it is patience. I often try to use someone's "stupid question" as a way to openly share my perspective. I hope that maybe by doing this I help create better interactions for those around me. If you made it this far let's get out there and share our perspectives!