Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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What word comes to mind when you come across the term 'visual impairment'? What about the term 'blind'? (self.Blind)
submitted by melvintwj
Just having a rather abstract thought and I was wondering what's the train of thoughts like in this community.
I think of 'lenses' when I think about visual impairment and 'sound' when I think about blindness.
I think of 'lenses' when I think about visual impairment and 'sound' when I think about blindness.
WEugeneSmith 2 points 1y ago
I think of visual impairment as meaning a moderate to severe impairment of vision (that cannot be corrected with glasses) but where some light perception exists.
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
You’re knit picking here. I use both and both very loosely and very interchangably. But I am the last person to be pc.
DrillInstructorJan 1 points 1y ago
Being as I'm about as blind as it's possible to be I never really like being called visually impaired, I mean, I'd need some vision to be impaired.
I'm not one of those crazy people who objects to the idea of it being an impairment, it absolutely is and I won't deny that for a second.
I'm not one of those crazy people who objects to the idea of it being an impairment, it absolutely is and I won't deny that for a second.
vwlsmssng 1 points 1y ago
>What word comes to mind when you come across the term 'visual impairment'?
Nuance
>What about the term 'blind'?
Absolutes
Nuance
>What about the term 'blind'?
Absolutes
retrolental_morose 3 points 1y ago
yeah, to me, blind says unseeing. I know medical, legal blindness etc don't mean that. But it really pisses me off when I tell someone I am blind and a low vision accommodation is put in place and people assume that's enough. Why have a word like blind and terms like vision-impaired, reduced vision etc if you are going to fold the latter into blind anyway?
vwlsmssng 2 points 1y ago
It had not occurred to me the confusion could go in the opposite direction. I'm used to people with low vision, sometimes very low vision, being treated as completely blind because they have a white cane or a guide dog.
People just need to look or listen and think more when it comes to difference in others.
People just need to look or listen and think more when it comes to difference in others.
retrolental_morose 2 points 1y ago
case in point ... https://reddit.com/r/Blind/comments/tsroen/any_other_legally_blind_people_drive/
vwlsmssng 1 points 1y ago
I never hear the term "legally blind" in the UK. I'm probably a bit close to the problem to be objective but my perception is that blindness is considered here to be inclusive of "can't see much" and "can't see at all." We do have "certificate of visual impairment" but this is considered to be a medical thing, not legal.
The qualifier "legally" blind makes me ask "can you be illegally blind and is this an actual problem?" I suspect this is an American hang up about the rare cases where people might fake blindness for pity or charity.
The qualifier "legally" blind makes me ask "can you be illegally blind and is this an actual problem?" I suspect this is an American hang up about the rare cases where people might fake blindness for pity or charity.
retrolental_morose 2 points 1y ago
it so does. I regularly speak to folks who identify as "blind without my glasses", nightblind etc, and they'll use the term blind as a regular, interchangeable term.
ColonelKepler 1 points 1y ago
This bugs and confuses me too. I don't presume to tell others how they should think of themselves, but people with vision using the word "blind" does not seem to accomplish anything, and just causes confusion. I wish the meanings were distinct.
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