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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

r/blind

Full History - 2020 - 08 - 23 - ID#ifdx2e

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It's ok not to explain how you use Reddit every time someone asks. (self.Blind)

submitted by SLJ7

Sometimes I make an offhanded comment somewhere and mention that I'm blind, and it seems like everyone who sees it has to chime in and ask how I could possibly be using the internet. I wrote a $1 about this recently, which does address the problem of assumptions but doesn't go into much detail about the technical operation of a screen-readder—I figure this subreddit already has that for people who want it. But sometimes I hesitate to mention the fact that I'm blind because I know these questions are going to come flooding in, and I don't want to deal with them.

So from now on I'm not going to worry about that. If I can't or don't want to answer, I won't—but I usually can and will. If people are really curious, they can take 15 seconds to Google it. If not, they still know more than they would have if I hadn't mentioned blindness at all. I know not everyone enjoys answering questions, so maybe there are people who need this more than I do:

ABookishSort 6 points 2y ago

I’m not blind but with all the technology we have today it would seem a little obvious. Like if people stopped to critically think for just a moment they’d figure it out. Maybe not the specifics but the overall idea.

grinchnight14 2 points 2y ago

You expect too much from people lol. Thinking clearly, who does that?

SLJ7 [OP] 1 points 2y ago

That's honestly what I thought, too. But people just have no idea. Some people don't even understand that we can type on their own. Vision is such a reflexively dominant sense that people who have it seem to have to force themselves to think outside the box a little, and not everyone does that. I don't hold it against people, but it sucks to feel like people are quietly content with the idea that we can do so little.

WarHamster40k 5 points 2y ago

I'll have to bookmark this. It's gotten bad enough on r/AskReddit that most "Blind People Of Reddit" posts automatically get linked to the r/blind FAQ and a reminder that accessible technology exists. Sometimes they pay attention, sometimes they don't.



EDIT - Fixed typoes.

impablomations 4 points 2y ago

Unfortunately when a blind related post gains traction on /r/askreddit it tends to be followed by trolling here.

For some reason the users of that sub have a weird fascination with the blind.

Search for 'blind' on /r/askreddit and sort by New. The sheer amount of times the same questions get asked every single day is astounding.

CloudyBeep 3 points 2y ago

r/NoStupidQuestions also has a largeamount of blindness-related posts.

SLJ7 [OP] 2 points 2y ago

I saw that recently, and I actually consider that a win for us. Even people who aren't asking the questions might eventually see that sticky and learn something. I do agree there are a lot of trolls, but that applies to everything.

yourmommaisaunicorn 4 points 2y ago

I’m going blind and learn something new each day because of this sub. My big issue is that I’m not blind enough for services in my state because I can still technically drive. I’m pretty sure I’m going to lose my license at my next check up because my peripheral vision is that bad.

So yeah, to say I rely on this sub is an understatement.

YearsOfGlitter 4 points 2y ago

This is really helpful for me I’m always looking for better technology for my elderly father who is blind. He is always ready to learn, but it’s me who is not up on the latest things to help him get there. Thank your for the You Should Know Post.

BenandGracie 3 points 2y ago

I have not been asked this yet, but that could be because I don't post on very many subs. The one place I mentioned it was on /r/bible and noone asked any questions about it.

Cecil_Hersch 2 points 2y ago

I long gave up on explaining to people who constantly question how I'm able to use the internet

grinchnight14 2 points 2y ago

I just mention the almost 2000 dollar price of my screen reader cause it's funny.

SecTrono 1 points 2y ago

you should repost this in one of the larger subs like /r/self. it will create greater awareness of the problem.

SLJ7 [OP] 2 points 2y ago

This is a great idea. I posted it to a few places, but not that one.

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