If there is one I could not find it, but I do have some questions, and I apologize at the outset if they sound incorrect, because I do not mean them that way. This will just be the first time for me to be actually asking these question of someone who is blind, and I may sound a bit awkward… Okay here goes…
In Stephen King’s and Peter Straub’s new novel Black House one of the characters is a blind deejay who claims to have ridden in a car driven by Ray Charles, who he says did a fine job of driving, and that the only reason blind people are not allowed to drive is that sighted people will not let them. Is there any truth in this Ray Charles anecdote , or was it just totally made up? I ask because I have always thought that even blind persons could discern shadows, and could this make it possible for them to drive. It is also possible that I do not recognize “tongue in cheek” humor when I read it!
I told y’all this would be awkward! I am cringing even now!
My second question: If one is blind from birth, can he or she “imagine” a person’s looks from description? If they cannot then I somehow have got it into my brain that they would be the ultimate judge of character since they would
not have the prejudice of deciding if looks mattered.
I thank y’all for any answers to this question and hope that I have not stumbled too badly!
IANB (I Am Not Blind), but one of my best friends in high school was.
Some blind people can see light in shadows – in fact, it is possible to be legally blind but still able to distinguish shapes and colors, and even read with the help of a magnifying device. Other blind people are completely blind and can see nothing at all.
I don’t know if Ray Charles ever drove, but my friend did (with her brother, in an empty parking lot). She liked it a lot and wished she could do it more, but good vision is a necessity for safe driving. Even being able to see shadows is not enough. You need to be able to read signs, see other cars, and any little kids darting out into the street.
My friend did imagine how people looked in her head, but she did not become completely blind until she was 19 or 20. She could still see well enough into her early teens that she could recognize people on sight. Most blind people tend to think of people in terms of what their voices sound like.
Thank you! Thank you so much for your reply, Lamia!
After posting, I thought to myself, “You airhead! You were supposed to say visually challenged!”, but I wonder now, after reading what you wrote, if blind people really care about political correctness. I try to be, and in my job (I work in a hospital) sometimes I have to be, but then I have to wonder if it really matters or if what matters the most is that we accept them as our brothers and sisters?
Before y’all think me completely naive, let me say that I have offered my elbow to more than one blind person rossing the street and it has always been appreciated. Guess what I am trying to say is that I am enchanted and want to know more.
I do have a problem with calling someone deaf and
dumb. I have a severe problem with that one
because “dumb” indicates something other than not being
able to speak and I prefer deaf and mute instead.
Anyway, thanks again for your answer, and I would appreciate any other thoughts on this question.
Well, deaf people prefere the term “deaf”. Simple, straighforward. Most deaf people are NOT mute…they can talk, but many cannot use their voices well enough to be understood by the average person. The key factor is if you became deaf before or after you learned to speak.
Some people are mute, and some mute people are deaf, but the vast majority of deaf people are not mute.
About that blind deejay, and his comment on Ray Charles’ driving.
So how would he know if it was good driving or not? The only way I know how bad of a driver my grandmother is, is that I’ve seen her go down the street the wrong way and pull out in front of people. If I were riding with her and blind, the only way I’d ever know how bad she was is to roll down the window and listen for the faint sounds of cursing in her wake. She’s very slow and cautious (just not cautious enough).
About that blind deejay, and his comment on Ray Charles’ driving.
So how would he know if it was good driving or not? The only way I know how bad of a driver my grandmother is, is that I’ve seen her go down the street the wrong way and pull out in front of people. If I were riding with her and blind, the only way I’d ever know how bad she was is to roll down the window and listen for the faint sounds of cursing in her wake. She’s very slow and cautious (just not cautious enough).
Thank you! Thank you so much for your reply, Lamia!
You’re welcome.
I’ve told this story before, but once at a school assembly the school social worker used the term “differently abled”. My friend interrupted to ask what the term meant. After explaining it, the social worker asked her what term she preferred. She said, “Blind. I’m just blind.”
Of course, my friend was at this point almost completely blind. I have been acquainted with other people who were legally blind but who could still perform many vison-orientated tasks (either unaided or with help from corrective lenses and magnifying devices). Were I a legally blind person who could read with a magnifyer, recognize people on sight, and match colors, I would probably prefer the term “visually impaired” to “blind” simply because the latter would seem misleading.
Quasi, most blind people I have ever known have simply referred to themselves as “blind.” They also use common idiomatic terms like “good to see you” or “I saw a good movie yesterday.” I have never known a blind person who is over-sensitive abut terminology.
I agree with Lamia in that “visually impaired” would really only be used to describe someone who has significant visual impairment, but who also can still see to some significant extent. (Example: A physics teacher in my HS had some sort of degenerative eye disease. The students had to hand in their labs written in big black magic marker so that he could read them–but he could read them. I would call him “visually impaired.”)
As to whether the blind-from-birth can imagine colors and sights? I really don’t know how they put things together in their heads. But speaking only of my one friend: If you say “Mary showed up to the funeral in a red dress,” she knows exactly what you mean. She knows that people wear dark colors to funerals, and that red is most assuredly not a dark color.
Cecil has an article about the dreams of the blind, and whether they have images in them. The article is at http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_310.html it might help with what you’re trying to understand.
My question is, for those people who have guide dogs and who are going to university (or any school?), does the dog eventually learn your class schedule? The only person I’ve noticed on campus with a dog goes around the campus with another student or an aide (I don’t know what that person’s status is - it could just be a friend for all I know ). So the dog isn’t really “working”, since there is a person guiding the student. But still, are the dogs intelligent enough to figure out which class they are going to, and when? Or do they simply learn that in a certain building, they go to a certain place? I suppose this is more a question about dogs than about the blind, but if there’s anyone who can answer, it would be appreciated !
I have a friend who is legally blind, but I’m sure she could drive with little trouble if she was wearing her glasses - she wouldn’t be able to read most of the signs, but she reads large print up-close easily and has no problem navigating in unfamiliar territory by sight alone.
