Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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I'm creating an Alien species that is Blind (and invisible). Please give me any and all tips. (self.Blind)
submitted by maidenchynna
Hello, I am creating an advanced, and intelligence alien species for a story. Their Placeholder name is Void People. They are blind and Invisible. I'm trying to get all the information I can possibly get my hands on to make their culture.
Does anyone know of books written by people who were BORN blind, or blinded at an age they couldn't remember? Helen Keller is obviously one of them, but I also want to know if there are any works of fiction from people blinded by birth. I want to get insight of how they go about describing things they've never seen or have only been told of.
Tommy Edison is a YouTube born blind, do you guys know of any others?
What are some major DOs and DO NOTS of writing blind characters / species?
There isn't really anything that I'm not looking for so please lay everything on me.
Does anyone know of books written by people who were BORN blind, or blinded at an age they couldn't remember? Helen Keller is obviously one of them, but I also want to know if there are any works of fiction from people blinded by birth. I want to get insight of how they go about describing things they've never seen or have only been told of.
Tommy Edison is a YouTube born blind, do you guys know of any others?
What are some major DOs and DO NOTS of writing blind characters / species?
There isn't really anything that I'm not looking for so please lay everything on me.
CloudsOfMagellan 3 points 1y ago
Just why invisible?
Go read the Hail Mary project for how it's done well.
Go read the Hail Mary project for how it's done well.
codeplaysleep 1 points 1y ago
Haha I just came here to make the same recommendation.
retrolental_morose 1 points 1y ago
such an epic novel.
maidenchynna [OP] 0 points 1y ago
At first I was just creating this species as invisible people. And I always heard People say that if you could actually turn invisible you'd be blind cause light can't reflect off of your eyes or something like that, rendering you blind. So later thought it would be interesting to add the Blind aspect to them, but I first need to learn more about being blind.
And thanks for the recommendation! Is this book written by someone blind? Or about blind people?
And thanks for the recommendation! Is this book written by someone blind? Or about blind people?
Tarnagona 1 points 1y ago
Happily, because you’re writing aliens, my suggestions for do/do nots of writing blind people don’t really apply. They could have a culture where getting to know someone involves feeling their face, or they have super hearing/touch/smell. Star Wars has a race of blind aliens who “see” using the Force.
What I would suggest is blindfold yourself and describe your surroundings. What do you notice? What don’t you notice? Pick up an object while blindfolded and describe it. What details can you figure out about without seeing it?
You can hear sounds, feel shapes and textures, but can’t see colours or text/pictures. You can tell roughly where someone is in a room by hearing the noises they make. And you can use this as your baseline for what things to describe and what not to.
This might also give you culture ideas. For example, if they can’t see colours or 2D images, maybe painting isn’t a thing, but instead their highest art form is sculpture. Maybe they have a tactile writing system, or they never developed writing at all, instead having amazing memories and an oral tradition. Maybe they developed ways to make voice recordings early in their history. If they can echolocate, maybe they have a kind of musical sculpture, that doesn’t look like much, but has a pleasing sound/feel when echolocation clicks are bounced off of it. They probably have no concept of colours, and where we say “the sky is blue, the sun is yellow and grass is green” they might say “the sky is big/open/empty, the sun is warm, and grass smells like health/growth” Also, they probably didn’t know they were invisible until they met other, sighted people.
What I would suggest is blindfold yourself and describe your surroundings. What do you notice? What don’t you notice? Pick up an object while blindfolded and describe it. What details can you figure out about without seeing it?
You can hear sounds, feel shapes and textures, but can’t see colours or text/pictures. You can tell roughly where someone is in a room by hearing the noises they make. And you can use this as your baseline for what things to describe and what not to.
This might also give you culture ideas. For example, if they can’t see colours or 2D images, maybe painting isn’t a thing, but instead their highest art form is sculpture. Maybe they have a tactile writing system, or they never developed writing at all, instead having amazing memories and an oral tradition. Maybe they developed ways to make voice recordings early in their history. If they can echolocate, maybe they have a kind of musical sculpture, that doesn’t look like much, but has a pleasing sound/feel when echolocation clicks are bounced off of it. They probably have no concept of colours, and where we say “the sky is blue, the sun is yellow and grass is green” they might say “the sky is big/open/empty, the sun is warm, and grass smells like health/growth” Also, they probably didn’t know they were invisible until they met other, sighted people.
maidenchynna [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Oh I didn't think of the sculpture part, thank you for all of the neat ideas!
bradley22 1 points 1y ago
Since they're different to humans; that should give you the license to do things blind people might not like as they're not "blind people."
Want them to have enhanced hearing, go for it, communicate in clicks, why not? Touching someone and instently getting a reading of their mind and hopes/fears, sure.
Basicly I'm saying go for whatever you like :) They're your characters and world ;)
Want them to have enhanced hearing, go for it, communicate in clicks, why not? Touching someone and instently getting a reading of their mind and hopes/fears, sure.
Basicly I'm saying go for whatever you like :) They're your characters and world ;)
retrolental_morose 1 points 1y ago
also James White's federation world has a segment with a blind species
maidenchynna [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thank you!
thatawkwardcosplayer 1 points 1y ago
Tbh ask your local library? They probably have a program that works w the blind or know of books!
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