ID this movie: prisoner fakes being blind

In the early 80s, I saw a bit of a movie on cable. The part I remember is that a prisoner was faking being blind, I think so he would get transferred. His friends described movies to him, and he went as far as to trip over something like a wheelbarrow in the yard and get furious about his situation, and throw the thing around.

This is all I can remember. Does anyone have a clue what this might be?