Hi Yohandy, Speaking from experience both as someone who has had sight and someone who went blind later in life I think allot of it boils down to misunderstanding and confusion on what both parties expect. For example, when I first started losing my vision and I went to a blind school allot of the other students who were blind from birth wouldn't look at my face, into my eyes, etc when I was speaking and that drove me nuts. Sighted people like to have good eye contact when speaking, and when a blind person fails to look directly at a sighted person when they are speaking they think the blind person isn't paying attention or can't hear them. As a result the sighted person raises his/her voice or something to attempt to get the blind person's attention not thinking or understanding the blind person was never taught to try and look at the face of the person speaking. As for the blind person's point of view I haven't had this problem myself since I try and face the person talking to me, but allot of blind persons fail to do this. In my experience allot of them look off in another direction, don't look directly at a person, etc and they think so what. I have a cane, I have my guide dog here, and the other person can see I am blind. They were never told or asked to look into the other persons face as that is important to most sighted people. Some blind people never experienced sight and don't understand the suddle cues body language and eye contact express to a sighted person, and it makes a sighted person react differently when they precieve a lack of attention. As far as sighted people talking right next to you, about you, and treating you as though you are deaf or something I think two words can explain this one, "Myricle Worker." I can not tell you how many times my family has been approached by someone holy ignorant about blind people, and they will say something they had watched the movie the Myricle Worker and it is terrible to have a child who is deaf and blind. Never mind I was not deaf and I would or my parents would inform the person I wasn't deaf just blind. However, movies like the Miricle Worker, based on one persons life, sets an example, an icon, for what blind people are like and sighted people base totally eronious assumptions on what they have seen and heard on tv or through chit chat. Hey, my own in-laws had a really warped idea about blind people when I started dating my wife. They were worried I'd start taking food off of peoples plates like Hellen Keller did in the Miricle Worker, and I had to explain to them the obvious. At the time that happened Hellen was 7 years old, had never been taught anything by anyone, and if the even paid attention to the movie once Anne showed up she set to the task of teaching Hellen things like table manners etc right quick. Hellen would have never done any of those things in her adult life. As it was I went blind later on so I still have the habits of a sighted person, but am now blind.
Yohandy wrote: > Oh I know exactly what you mean. A good example that occurs often is you > walk into a classroom, and you can just feel everyone holding their breath > or something, and the noise level drops dramatically. Also they won't talk > to you unless you speak first. perhaps those that used to have sight could > explain this? Did you all of a sudden turn into a dangerous animal when you > lost your sight? gees! lol. I also had the experience with sighted people > asking others do I want this or that. I even had some people yell as loudly > as possible because for some inexplicable reason, they don't know the > difference between deaf and blind. > > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
