Category: Let's talk
Would you honestly class yourself as being disabled when there are actually no limits to what a blind.vi person can achieve.
I think disability is like a situation a person must strive to get out of. There's a point in every person's life when the sense of being disabled is very present, and it's seems as though we need to feel this way in order to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally. Being blind wasn't something I was born with; I have had to adapt, I have had to ask for help with learning how to use the technology that has allowed me to move ahead in my life and studies. I've noticed that people who were born blind don't have it as hard though. So maybe disability can be looked at in this way, it's a situation which can be temporary for some but permanent for others. If you don't struggle to eliminate the things that keep you from reaching your goals, then yes you're disabled. Everybody has a disability.
This question has reminded me of a guy I once knew who was paralyzed; he was quadraplegic, I think that's how you say it. But he had just enough movement in his arms to habitually shoot up drugs. It was amazing because he didn't need help from anybody; he adjusted his arm at a certain angle, he wiggled his torso so that he wouldn't have to lift his other arm too much, and let me just say, this guy managed to get his fix one way or another. I remember thinking while seeing him doing this: "This guy isn't disabled!"
Hmmm. I don't agree that blindness/vision impairment doesn't limit us, at least in a practical sense, because lets face it, with enough money and technology and support crew, there's nothing a blindy can't do, but isn't it really a bit of pointless indulgence past a certain point?
Then again, I've never been able to think of myself as disabled. There's a mental barrier in my mind somewhere, that classes disabled people as those with a physical disability, wheelies and paraplegics and those with some sort of limit of physical movement. It doesn't include blindness, deafness, dislexia, etc. When I hear, disability services, that's what I think of. I know intelectually that it's a lot more complicated than that, that the disabled community must include me as well, but it takes some concious rethinking. I'd be interested to know where other zoners stand on this one actually, since we tend to be a pretty diverse mob.
It is society that makes me feel disabled. When I am with people who know me well there is no difference between us, other than the fact that I can not see. It frustrates me how in the UK we have to take Disability benefits in order to live until the time we find a job. Then in the same day we fight tooth and nail to be seen as not disabled and more than capable of doing any tasks set us. While we need to fight societies views of us, we also have to take what help is available, and if that means being classed as disabled, as long as you are strong in your own mind, you can put up with it.
There are no limits to what we can achieve, but we do need help to reach out for those oppotunities. Be that financial, to buy computer equipment, emotional, to help be strong when faced with discrimination and ignorance. Or physical support, in order to adapt to the new ways of doing everyday task, or actually getting around in our worlds. It is important to remember that we each recieve different support and more to the point, we need different support!
Hmm, I never got that "blind people can do anything they want to" propaganda. It's all nice and makes-you-feell-good kind of cheer leader talk, but it's just clearly not true, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Just yesterday I was preparing a powerpoint presentation with my MBA group, all fancy graphics, spinning globes and detailed maps and charts, could I have generated them, no, if I were sighted could I have, well, surely, I have a programming degree, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard. Can I take good photo graphs on my trips to send home to my family, not really, I can take some rather interestingly abstract shots, probably of my own thumb, but they wouldn't exactly hold together well as a photo album. I come acorss blindness related limitations every day at work, with 6 Windows open, trying to debug in two different languages and realizing my sighted co workers can do that 3 times faster, since Jaws Virtual Viewer keeps obscuring my Visual Studio debugging Window, especially in c#.
I think people who feel obligated to say "I can do anything" feel very strongly they have something to prove and in their hearts know they're not right (I just mean in general, not specifically the poster of this topic). After I've said all that, you can do fine with your disability, you can be happy, you can be pretty independent, find a good job, you can even be lucky, when you go study at university you get social security payments, let's face it, it's nice, it is a perk and I don't feel the least bit ashamed to say that.
You can even post to a Zone board topic making only about 10 typos .. I call that pretty good. <grin>
Disability is a limitation. That being said everyone has a limitation or other, lack of money, addiction to drugs, difficulty learning, physical disability .. there's always something and you just have to make the best of the cards that you're dealt. I'm pretty happy I have to say and I don't feel terribly depressed but I'd be the first one to admit my life would be considerably easier with full sight.
Well said B, typos and all. There are limitations indeed, but it's what we do about them or don't do that matters.
Isn't he a positive one? "I'm pretty happy and I don't feel terribly depressed..." As the pregnant fiancee I'm wondering if I should be offended! *grin*
I echo WB's post. When I saw this topic earlier, my first thought was that it's ridiculous to say that there is nothing a blind person can't do, and that we have no limitations placed on us as a result of our blindness. I have no problem with the term disability, although I understand why some people do. As has already been said, everyone is limited in some way or another, and it's all in what you do with what you've got.
Is the question so ridiculous, when as much as I can't stand the guy, a blind climber scaled Everest.That proved above all that physically there are no limits. They only exist inside your mind. I have to agree with the others here and Resonant that is exactly what I thought of when hearing the word disabled.
So if I, as a totally blind person, wanted to drive taxi cabs or buses or trucks for a living, should be able to do so? Come on Goblin, of course there are things we can't do.
Well, if a blind guy climbs Everest, without sighted guide or any sighted assistance, above what a sighted climber does, then I will be more open minded to see the point althoug, being blind, I won't see the point, it's one of the things I can't do you see, well, some of you, at least those who can do anything a sighted person does. <grin>
Anyways, my point is, sure, it's impressive that someone can climb Everest, all themore impressive in a way if the person can't see or is missing an arm or has some type of additional hindrances, but it really has nothing to do with that person not having limitations, it's impressive because he overcame the limitations and also I don't hesitate a second to say he got a heck of a lot of assistance on the tour, at least of suided guiding and such.
I agree with most of what's been said here, especially Wildebrew and BuckEye Fan.
Certainly there are things that we can't do like see the sunset or watch a moth. Then, there are other things which we can do with lots of support, like climb a mountain or fly a plane, but these things are usually impractical.
Then, there are the things we can't do in the same way, like use a computer sans mouse, cook a meal, etc. etc. But we can do these things in a different way. I think that's what makes us different but not disabled.
I dislike the word disabled because of it's negative conotations, but don't know of another word that fits as well. Handicapped... no, that makes me feel like a golf ball. Otherly-abled?... please give me a real word.
Anyway, you get my point.
Bob
Bob it's hardly so cut and dried and I wouldn't see climbing as impractical. Learning that it can be done, gives a huge boost to a blind/vi child's self esteem. I agree the terminolgy is awful and demeaning.
so a blind guy scaled everest. Did he do it on his own? with no sighted assistance? because only if you can say yes to those two questions, can you really say that being blind does not limit his possibilities. The only way he would have been able to scale everest was with sighted assistance, thus, although he has achieved something, he has done it in a different way to the majority of people who strive to achieve the same.
I don't actually consider myself to be disabled. I do most things that sighted people do. I have no adaptations in my kitchen, I go swimming at the local healthclub, and I go there alone. I am bringing up my 4 year old son in the same way that others with sight do. but ...
I need a voice synthesiser to allow me to use a computer/mobile phone. I need a guide dog to go out with me, and the swines won't give me a driving licence. So whether I am prepared to admit it or not, the fact I have no sight does place limitations on me. I can't get in my car and go to the shops, I either have to walk or take public transport, that's not going to change. ten years ago jaws was non existant, and the ability to use a computer was far more limited than it is today. And if I go shopping I can't just walk around the shops and pick up the things I want, I need someone to read the labels of the products I want.
So while I do think I live as independently as anyone who doesn't have a disability, I have had to adapt slightly because of the fact I can't see. I can't go and live out in the country because there's no public transport. Ideally I need to live within walking distance to schools because we have to walk there because we would have to leave that much earlier to catch a buss and I don't drive.
All the little things don't really make a huge difference to my life, but yes, there are limits.
I agree with the last post.
no i dont consider myself disabled....
I'm just totally blind, not disabled, as I'm constantly telling my 29+ mother when we're out in public and she thinks I need the disabled changing rooms in the clothes, department or a chair to sit on in some other shop when she's having a look round. I don't use a wheelchair, walking stick, grab bar, zimmer frame or a stair/bath lift, I can bathe, dress, prepare a simple meal/snack, feed myself, move round the house on my own and move around outside on my own with the aid of a white cane so I can feel my way along paths, pavements, up and down steps/stairs and across roads.
Blind/visually impaired people are not disabled. Just their eyes don't work properly, so we need speech synthesizers to use laptops, PCs, video recorders, mobile phones and various other everyday technical gadgets.
Jen.
it really depends here. my strong NFBness is coming in here. They say that blindness is just a charicteristic, but it really isn't. it causes difficultys more so than having brown hair or blue eyes. It prevents you from doing some things. so, in a way, yes. but I really think that I could argue both sides.
It is possible to virtually overcome blindness. you can do anything you set your mind to, just with more effort. We do not need as many accomidations as people with other disabilities may require. we can make it in regular society without to mutch trouble.
so that's my thought's on that. sorry for all the typoes my jaws isn't reading eddit boxes right now so... yeah.
Sylvia
Even though I have been blind since I was born, I don't think of myself as being disableed. I can do most of the things a sighted person can do apart from the obvious things like drive a car, so It doesn't make blind or partially sighted people any different from sighted people. (Or it shouldn't do, anyway.)