I've actually been considdering this issue as part of my phd.
I think to some extent it's due simply to people not recognizing that those
with a visual imparement are, as you said yourself, people with their own
lives. A few months ago, a new member of my light opera group was absolutely
stunned because I contributed to a communal joke, and after that his atitude
to me completely changed. You could almost here the gears click into place
as he moved me from "weerd unknown blind man" catagory to "usual reasonable
chap" catagory.
These days I tend to actually ask people to think about things.
If I'm out with a friend and get the "what does he want?" type response, I
tend to ask why my friend would be likely to know, or answer myself. Usually
though, sinse I'm actually the person who ends up talking to weighters etc
this doesn't come up sinse they have no choice but to deal with me.
It rather reminds me of a friend of mine who has a mental illness who
repeatedly tells people "I'm crazy! ----- not stupid"
Also though, there are indeed blind people who really don't help this idea
by the way they interact with others.
For instance in one book I read, a sociologist, who's husband was
blind,decided to pose as a blind person, ie mock guide dog harnice her dog
and wear dark glasses and wander about with her husband.
The thing that shocked me though, was her atitude sinse she took no account
of other's reactions or make any effort to behave reasonably.
On one occasion for instance she related an episode where she and her
husband went into a large electronics shop, walked past the busy counter to
an unoccupied one further in, waited to be served, simply demanded what they
wanted without a hello or by your leave, and then complained the sales
assistant was unreasonable.
There was no hello, no attempt to be personable, and above all, no
recognition that they were asking the assistant to perform a service for
them which would not usually be part of his job.
They simply expected him to function as a utility then complained when he
didn't.
Yes, he "should!" help them access the stor contents, ----- but there was no
attempt to treat him as a human being while doing so.
In an ideal world, all packits in shops would be braille labled, but as it
is it's necessary to interact with others, and such interactions must! at
least involve social graces otherwise disabled people are just selfishly
demanding things.
To bring this back to access, I do wonder if the suing of sony fell into
this catagory.
Beware the Grue!
Dark.
---
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