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Im writing a blind character. What are things easily forgotten (or things you wish would be mentioned)? (self.Blind)
submitted by ArrangementOfFruit
I wrote in a blind character for a fantasy novel - mostly because I wanted to explore how magic would change the every day life of someone.
I soon realised though, that there is quite a stigma around blindness and many people dont actually know how it works and plays out? (Including me).
Because I dont wanna copy old tropes and stereotypes (like milky eyes, clumsyness etc.) - what are struggles you have that you almost never see represented in media?
Im sorry if this is the wrong place to turn to. If this is in any way offensive, please tell me! That is not all my intention.
(Also quick side note; the character is mostly blind and unable to see but can enhance their hearing through magic.)
I soon realised though, that there is quite a stigma around blindness and many people dont actually know how it works and plays out? (Including me).
Because I dont wanna copy old tropes and stereotypes (like milky eyes, clumsyness etc.) - what are struggles you have that you almost never see represented in media?
Im sorry if this is the wrong place to turn to. If this is in any way offensive, please tell me! That is not all my intention.
(Also quick side note; the character is mostly blind and unable to see but can enhance their hearing through magic.)
zersiax 3 points 2y ago
Hmm ...this is a tricky question.
It's really more of a list of things you SHOULDN'T be doing rather than things you should be doing, I think.
What makes it tricky is that there's not really such a thing as the universal blind person.
Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy follows a blind girl who works towards being able to see again, and even though that author did a lot of research he still got some negativity thrown at him for various reasons, chiefly the feeling of " blindness is a thing to be pitied/feared/cured" that the book summoned for the readers.
Now ... this is a fantasy setting, which makes it trickier. But I'd say here's a few bullet points:
​
\- Not all blind people are fully blind and use their remaining sight, if any, to different amounts of utility. I myself only have light perception, which I can use almost like a visual sonar. No light = something blocking the light = some solid object, probably a wall or door.
\- Not all blind people, especially blind people who were born that way, want to be cured/fixed. Blind people can lead a fulfilling life even while being blind and at times, even figuring out the reason for someone's blindness can be a pretty trying ordeal that not everybody wants to go through.
\- If a blind person WERE to be cured, and they have never seen before in their life, it will take significant amounts of time, effort and hardship before they would be able to use their vision for anything in particular. The way something feels has very little relevance to the brain in linking it to what something looks like, and depth perception is an entirely alien concept for a brain that has never seen before, so the concept of things getting larger the closer they get will probably always be a bit of a marvel.
\- Braille is fantastic, and I love it to death , having grown up learning and using it, but a large amount of "blind" people actually have little to no braille literacy.
\- I don't know of any blind people who routinely touch people's faces, especially not in order to figure out what someone "looks like", outside of perhaps very close intimate relationships like one's partner. Not saying it doesn't happen, but definitely saying it doesn't happen as often as the various portrayals in media would have you believe.
\- Strengthening one's ears with magic is a cool trope, allowing for literary freedom to have that sense be the dominant one. Don't forget that loud noises would probably be in some way debilitating while the protagonist is doing that though, see also the daredevil movie.
​
I hope that helps a bit :)
It's really more of a list of things you SHOULDN'T be doing rather than things you should be doing, I think.
What makes it tricky is that there's not really such a thing as the universal blind person.
Robert J. Sawyer's WWW trilogy follows a blind girl who works towards being able to see again, and even though that author did a lot of research he still got some negativity thrown at him for various reasons, chiefly the feeling of " blindness is a thing to be pitied/feared/cured" that the book summoned for the readers.
Now ... this is a fantasy setting, which makes it trickier. But I'd say here's a few bullet points:
​
\- Not all blind people are fully blind and use their remaining sight, if any, to different amounts of utility. I myself only have light perception, which I can use almost like a visual sonar. No light = something blocking the light = some solid object, probably a wall or door.
\- Not all blind people, especially blind people who were born that way, want to be cured/fixed. Blind people can lead a fulfilling life even while being blind and at times, even figuring out the reason for someone's blindness can be a pretty trying ordeal that not everybody wants to go through.
\- If a blind person WERE to be cured, and they have never seen before in their life, it will take significant amounts of time, effort and hardship before they would be able to use their vision for anything in particular. The way something feels has very little relevance to the brain in linking it to what something looks like, and depth perception is an entirely alien concept for a brain that has never seen before, so the concept of things getting larger the closer they get will probably always be a bit of a marvel.
\- Braille is fantastic, and I love it to death , having grown up learning and using it, but a large amount of "blind" people actually have little to no braille literacy.
\- I don't know of any blind people who routinely touch people's faces, especially not in order to figure out what someone "looks like", outside of perhaps very close intimate relationships like one's partner. Not saying it doesn't happen, but definitely saying it doesn't happen as often as the various portrayals in media would have you believe.
\- Strengthening one's ears with magic is a cool trope, allowing for literary freedom to have that sense be the dominant one. Don't forget that loud noises would probably be in some way debilitating while the protagonist is doing that though, see also the daredevil movie.
​
I hope that helps a bit :)
ArrangementOfFruit [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Thank you so much!
I knew most of these already, but I'll be extra careful not to put them in.
I dont have any disabilities besides mental ones, but even then I would never say anyone should be "cured".
I guess It might be different with someone who lost eyesight later in their life, but most people Ive met with visual disabilities seem to live their lifes just fine, though a bit different than me.
I actually never thought about a blind persons reaction to seeing, so this is actually really helpful. I myself cant see in depth without my glasses and even then it takes about 10 minutes to adjust for my brain. You make a really good point!
(Btw, this might be in sensitive, but if you only have a "light-dark" Vision, do you read this via a braille displaying laptop? Because ive seen one of those in my research and they are so cool! I just always wondered if people actually use them or if its more a niche thing).
I knew most of these already, but I'll be extra careful not to put them in.
I dont have any disabilities besides mental ones, but even then I would never say anyone should be "cured".
I guess It might be different with someone who lost eyesight later in their life, but most people Ive met with visual disabilities seem to live their lifes just fine, though a bit different than me.
I actually never thought about a blind persons reaction to seeing, so this is actually really helpful. I myself cant see in depth without my glasses and even then it takes about 10 minutes to adjust for my brain. You make a really good point!
(Btw, this might be in sensitive, but if you only have a "light-dark" Vision, do you read this via a braille displaying laptop? Because ive seen one of those in my research and they are so cool! I just always wondered if people actually use them or if its more a niche thing).
zersiax 2 points 2y ago
I do use a laptop with a screenreader, yes :) Your response just now got read to me by a robotic voice at a rate of , say, around 750 words per minute. I do have a braille display and use it on the job when I'm programming, or when I'm working on the various spoken languages I'm learning as I learn better when I can see the words in front of me for lack of a better word :)
ArrangementOfFruit [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Thats so cool! Yay to science!
(Does the robotic voice also inform you of things being written in cursive or underlined? What about structural things like dots and semicolons? Are they said to you? (If so, is that irritating or helpful?)
What about random capitalisation or key smashing? Or wrong written words?)
You dont have to answer these, Im just amazed by the concept :)
(Does the robotic voice also inform you of things being written in cursive or underlined? What about structural things like dots and semicolons? Are they said to you? (If so, is that irritating or helpful?)
What about random capitalisation or key smashing? Or wrong written words?)
You dont have to answer these, Im just amazed by the concept :)
zersiax 1 points 2y ago
punctuation can either be explicitly spoken or inferred from inflection, depending on the needs of the user. When I'm programming I tend to have punctuation announced more explicitly if for some reason I can't use braille, which quickly gets annoying so I tend to try not to get into that position too often :)
As for typos and such, I practically live on the internet. I tend to just pattern match my way through most common typos these days. Things like cursive writing,underlined words etc is again a matter of preference, I tend to have announcements for that kind of thing disabled as it is rarely actually relevant and I would find that kind of stuff more useful on a braille display
As for typos and such, I practically live on the internet. I tend to just pattern match my way through most common typos these days. Things like cursive writing,underlined words etc is again a matter of preference, I tend to have announcements for that kind of thing disabled as it is rarely actually relevant and I would find that kind of stuff more useful on a braille display
HeftyCryptographer21 2 points 2y ago
I am not the person you replied to, but I am Deafblind, and use a braille display to read things, as I cannot hear the screen reader or voiceover.
siriuslylupin6 1 points 2y ago
I am totally blind and currently just using speech/voice over when I need to read something thicker I will
[deleted] 2 points 2y ago
[deleted]
projeeper 2 points 2y ago
You should read “Dog Driven” by Terry Lynn Johnson. She does a great job of writing about a lot of the trials that the vision impaired have to deal with. Especially those who are trying to keep their independence. But it is written in a very positive way. You should also Google John Bramblitt now there’s a blind guy that is magical. Or Dan Parker “The blind machinist”. Or George Wertzel “the Subaru Guy” he is also an incredible furniture designer an woodworker. And yes they all still have all their fingers. My point is it’s not about how blind you are, It’s about how driven you are!
skeletal_vagina 2 points 2y ago
I am not blind, but if you have not read The Inheritance Trilogy by NK Jemisin I would highly recommend it. The second book in the trilogy features a blind main character who can sense magic in lieu of physical sight.
siriuslylupin6 1 points 2y ago
Depends on the blind person some blind people are more capable and live and are nearly like sighted people. I myself. And even a bit adventurous and such.
But if you do have questions feel free to get in touch.
But if you do have questions feel free to get in touch.
kkolb7 1 points 2y ago
It's hard to be confident being blind in a sighted world. Food is spilled. Walls and signs and mailboxes are run into, sometimes daily.
Help is nearly always needed. What can is this?
Is this half gallon jug milk or cider or iced tea? Does this meat still look edible?
You may think a blind person could be confident at one thing, like computers. But computers are incredibly frustrating. Tasks can be done, but if you construct a blind character who zooms their way thru the dark web it just isn't likely.
Maybe a blind character could be confident in music. Blind people live in sound.
I hope this helps.
Help is nearly always needed. What can is this?
Is this half gallon jug milk or cider or iced tea? Does this meat still look edible?
You may think a blind person could be confident at one thing, like computers. But computers are incredibly frustrating. Tasks can be done, but if you construct a blind character who zooms their way thru the dark web it just isn't likely.
Maybe a blind character could be confident in music. Blind people live in sound.
I hope this helps.
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