# "blind" people and lights in their homes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-lights-in-their-homes/275080>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 16, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-lights-in-their-homes/275080 "2004-11-16T17:32:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-lights-in-their-homes/275080/21 "2004-11-17T19:11:20Z")

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> [@Angua](#):
>
> IIRC, the term ‘legally blind’ refers to a level of visual impairment at which the state classes you as ‘blind’. You may have some visual perception, such as motion, or light, but for legal purposes, eg, driving a car, disability benefits, you are classed as blind.

But even the deaf can hear the “whooshing” sound.

😃

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**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-lights-in-their-homes/275080/22 "2004-11-17T19:29:46Z")

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> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> Because no one could find a flashlight, and the fusebox was in the back of a closet, we wound up sending “Eric” in to fix the problem under the theory he was the guy least like to hurt himself finding his way through the pitch dark back there.

I had a blind friend in high school who got to lord it over the rest of us one day when there was a power outage. In most of the classrooms this wasn’t a big deal, since there were large windows to let in sunlight, but we had one class in the basement. Down a long, steep flight of stairs in what had suddenly become a pitch-black stairwell.

The rest of us were inching our way up and down them with extreme care, but my friend was taking them two at a time the way she always did. And when something needed to be fetched from upstairs during class, we sent her to do it!

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**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blind-people-and-lights-in-their-homes/275080/23 "2004-11-17T20:30:30Z")

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> [@Steve MB](#):
>
> I don’t recall that from any of Asimov’s mysteries – are you thinking of somebody else?

I’m pretty sure it’s from one of the _Lucky Starr_ series, I don’t recall which one.

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