Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Sighted Gatekeepers judging VI YouTubers (self.Blind)
submitted by Mamamagpie
There are a few VI/Blind YouTubers out there. Some of them have to deal with comments that they are not blind for whatever reason, like having light perception.
How would you deal with these ill informed gatekeepers?
I ask because I think these gatekeepers have loud voices, their message slips into the general subconscious of society and then the blind community has people asking if they are blind enough for a cane.
How would you deal with these ill informed gatekeepers?
I ask because I think these gatekeepers have loud voices, their message slips into the general subconscious of society and then the blind community has people asking if they are blind enough for a cane.
blazblu82 10 points 1y ago
I've seen plenty of flak against Stevie Wonder. There is a picture circulating showing him using a digital camera to take a picture with. Folks honestly believe he's faking the blindness.
niamhweking 8 points 1y ago
Really, my god, do they think he's been faking since the 50s in case he ever got famous or something?
You see it even on general reddit posts about, no way your VI how did you get your clothes to match, or how can you be looking at the camera of you're blind, how are you reading post if you're blind etc
I feel a charity or government needs to run public ad campaigns showing what a VI person sees etc.
I'm involved in a group relating VI and this education of parents, teachers etc is important to us
A northern Irish charity have just created visualeyes which is a VR simulation of whatever condition you have, and it can be adjusted for glare, tiredness etc
You see it even on general reddit posts about, no way your VI how did you get your clothes to match, or how can you be looking at the camera of you're blind, how are you reading post if you're blind etc
I feel a charity or government needs to run public ad campaigns showing what a VI person sees etc.
I'm involved in a group relating VI and this education of parents, teachers etc is important to us
A northern Irish charity have just created visualeyes which is a VR simulation of whatever condition you have, and it can be adjusted for glare, tiredness etc
blazblu82 9 points 1y ago
Not being able to prove I'm VI is the hardest part of VI. Most people "need" tangible proof and that's near impossible. And I do agree, there definitely needs to be more awareness, especially letting people experience what we go through on a daily basis.
Many of those idiots you read about on reddit are just that, idiots. They have nothing better to do than stir the pot and talk about something they don't give 2 sh!ts about just to get a rise out of someone, AKA trolls.
Many of those idiots you read about on reddit are just that, idiots. They have nothing better to do than stir the pot and talk about something they don't give 2 sh!ts about just to get a rise out of someone, AKA trolls.
No-Satisfaction7842 3 points 1y ago
It makes me not want to open up about my blindness on any sort of public Internet forum like YouTube or reddit outside of this sub, but then I feel like the trolls are winning. They are silencing our voices, and we haven’t exactly had a seat at the table before, so maybe we should fight back by making more content
keepitgoingtoday 1 points 1y ago
>visualeyes
Do you know if that's free?
Do you know if that's free?
niamhweking 5 points 1y ago
Angel eyes is the charity, I think their plan is to bring it to conferences, hospitals, schools, training centres to show professionals what their clients/patients are dealing with
OddRedd 2 points 1y ago
That sounds really interesting! I wonder if they'd be open to share their software with other organisations, I'm sure ours (and orhers in Switzerland) would be interested.
For others who are interested, I found this website for the project:
https://www.angeleyesni.org/visualeyes-project
For others who are interested, I found this website for the project:
https://www.angeleyesni.org/visualeyes-project
rumster 5 points 1y ago
People are idiots. I mean are you really shocked?
No-Satisfaction7842 2 points 1y ago
Considering there is a sizable number of people who believe the earth is flat, I’m afraid this problem of widespread ignorance is only going to get worse
rumster 2 points 1y ago
I've only met one flat earther and I thought he was joking and he wasn't.
No-Satisfaction7842 1 points 1y ago
I’ve never encountered any of them in person but they are certainly all over the Internet LOL
skylor26 6 points 1y ago
While it’s true I have some usable vision, I don’t see things the same way as someone who is fully sighted. It’s really nobody’s business how much I can or cannot see
rumster 8 points 1y ago
I'm fully sighted and you will never ever see me state anything on "knowing what you mean" or "I understand" in regards to any posts on here. I don't EVER include myself on any posts on here related to psychological, emotional, stress, and mobility. You can ask /u/oldmanonfire who is one of our mods and a great new friend of mine whos been on here for awhile. I am very hands off when it comes to this subject outside of the "accessibility" and the general visually impairment discussions that go on. Years ago a friend who passed away from Ewing Sarcoma (bone cancer) hated when someone would tell him "I know what you're going through", and it stuck to me to never ever say this unless I know. Gatekeepers are usually asshole trolls and should just be ignored.
OldManOnFire 4 points 1y ago
Yeah, you can ask me, but I'm still crying about the Green Bay Packers losing yesterday so I might not answer until Tampa Bay beats the Rams and cheers me up again.
OldManOnFire 6 points 1y ago
Tampa Bay just lost, too. There is no God.
u/rumster, I'm gonna push back a little on what you're saying. Shared trauma is the basis of empathy and you obviously empathize with us. You even created r/Blind and ran it for free for years.
Do you understand my retinitus pigmentosa? No. You can't. But you don't need to to understand my sense of loss, grief, and frustration. You've been frustrated. You've grieved. You've lost things important to you. You haven't gone through what I have but you've gone through similar emotions, similar enough for you to be able to recognize and sympathize.
I respect your decision to avoid saying "I know what you're going through" but everyone is handicapped in one way or another. Everybody struggles. Some of us struggle with our weight, some with our past, some with our relationships, some with our finances, some with addiction. My struggle is different than yours but I'm not going to say mine's so unique that you can't relate.
In fact, considering how many of our stories you've read and how many hours you've put into administering this sub, I'd say you understand the blind experience very well.
u/rumster, I'm gonna push back a little on what you're saying. Shared trauma is the basis of empathy and you obviously empathize with us. You even created r/Blind and ran it for free for years.
Do you understand my retinitus pigmentosa? No. You can't. But you don't need to to understand my sense of loss, grief, and frustration. You've been frustrated. You've grieved. You've lost things important to you. You haven't gone through what I have but you've gone through similar emotions, similar enough for you to be able to recognize and sympathize.
I respect your decision to avoid saying "I know what you're going through" but everyone is handicapped in one way or another. Everybody struggles. Some of us struggle with our weight, some with our past, some with our relationships, some with our finances, some with addiction. My struggle is different than yours but I'm not going to say mine's so unique that you can't relate.
In fact, considering how many of our stories you've read and how many hours you've put into administering this sub, I'd say you understand the blind experience very well.
rumster 1 points 1y ago
thanks brother I really appreciate it. Trust me.
BenandGracie 3 points 1y ago
just ignore them. They aren’t worth responding to.
Tarnagona 3 points 1y ago
Well, "you're not really blind" and other unhelpful opinions were a thing long before YouTube.
How I deal with people like that really depends on a few things:
First, is it my job? I work in advocacy so public education about blindness is part of my job. So if I get this kind of thing when I'm doing work things, it's literally my job to explain and educate. Luckily, I haven't actually run into this accusation while at work, but it's always a possibility when I'm doing something public-facing.
If I'm not at work, it's really going to depend on my mood (how well I feel like I can be nice and patient), how much time I have (I'm not stopping to explain blindness to the ignorant if I have places to be), and how much do they appear to be genuine (do they seem like they're just trying to get a rise out of me).
If I've got time, and I feel in a good place to have a conversation about what blindness actually is, I will. I actually enjoy educating people, and hope that if I have the time to explain, it'll save someone else the hassle. However, if someone seems like they're just being a troll, they're not worth my time. If I respond, it's because I'm amused at the idiocy, and curious to see how far it'll go.
I figure that, while I'm under no obligation to educate people, if I can do so, maybe that'll have a kind of trickle effect where that person will be able to educate other sighted people in turn, and eventually, slowly, maybe we'll see attitudes shift. Which might be way too optimistic, but there you go.
If you're someone putting yourself out there, making YouTube videos meant to educate the public, then I think you've got to be prepared for the ignorance, attempted gatekeeping, and outright trolling. Exactly how you want to respond is up to you, but you've got to expect it, and try not get too upset about it (otherwise, you're just going to be unhappy).
How I deal with people like that really depends on a few things:
First, is it my job? I work in advocacy so public education about blindness is part of my job. So if I get this kind of thing when I'm doing work things, it's literally my job to explain and educate. Luckily, I haven't actually run into this accusation while at work, but it's always a possibility when I'm doing something public-facing.
If I'm not at work, it's really going to depend on my mood (how well I feel like I can be nice and patient), how much time I have (I'm not stopping to explain blindness to the ignorant if I have places to be), and how much do they appear to be genuine (do they seem like they're just trying to get a rise out of me).
If I've got time, and I feel in a good place to have a conversation about what blindness actually is, I will. I actually enjoy educating people, and hope that if I have the time to explain, it'll save someone else the hassle. However, if someone seems like they're just being a troll, they're not worth my time. If I respond, it's because I'm amused at the idiocy, and curious to see how far it'll go.
I figure that, while I'm under no obligation to educate people, if I can do so, maybe that'll have a kind of trickle effect where that person will be able to educate other sighted people in turn, and eventually, slowly, maybe we'll see attitudes shift. Which might be way too optimistic, but there you go.
If you're someone putting yourself out there, making YouTube videos meant to educate the public, then I think you've got to be prepared for the ignorance, attempted gatekeeping, and outright trolling. Exactly how you want to respond is up to you, but you've got to expect it, and try not get too upset about it (otherwise, you're just going to be unhappy).
r_1235 2 points 1y ago
I have some really genius cuss words coming up after reading that, but, will not type it out since I am not sure if putting that on internet thread is worth it. Yeah, really angry about this.
Let me just say this: if a sighted person thinks that he knows blindness better, let's have a showdown. Wear a blindfold, or something like that, and we will see who can do everything better. You can't judge a person's lifetime worth of experience by watching just 1 or 2 videos. If they are saying they identify themselves as blind, and they have the documents to prove so, what the hell is your problem.
I think 1 of the reasons why I get angry about this is because I've suffered this in my life allot. Everywhere I go, everyone doubts if I am really blind. Hell, even an eye doctor doubts me when they see me for first time. Therefore, every time I need to update my certificate or something, I have to go through all of those tests and checkups all over. Same thing when I am in a cue at an airport or somewhere like that, if I avail the facility of skipping the line, entire line starts asking why and what.
Let me just say this: if a sighted person thinks that he knows blindness better, let's have a showdown. Wear a blindfold, or something like that, and we will see who can do everything better. You can't judge a person's lifetime worth of experience by watching just 1 or 2 videos. If they are saying they identify themselves as blind, and they have the documents to prove so, what the hell is your problem.
I think 1 of the reasons why I get angry about this is because I've suffered this in my life allot. Everywhere I go, everyone doubts if I am really blind. Hell, even an eye doctor doubts me when they see me for first time. Therefore, every time I need to update my certificate or something, I have to go through all of those tests and checkups all over. Same thing when I am in a cue at an airport or somewhere like that, if I avail the facility of skipping the line, entire line starts asking why and what.
No-Satisfaction7842 2 points 1y ago
Yeah, I’ve seen those types of comments on blind YouTube channels and honestly it’s one of the reasons I’m hesitant to start my own channel. Those Youtubers go out of their way to educate people, making videos specifically addressing those types of questions, but there seems to be no shortage of ignorant people and malicious trolls, so I don’t know what the answer is. Some people either can’t understand it or choose not to
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
They need no response. Ignore them is the best medicine.
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