Well, saying we’d do it and actually doing it are two different things.
No.
Whether have a mill or a full mill, it’s still no.
I am profoundly hearing-impaired, and it’s just a matter of time until my hearing is completely gone. Take away my vision, and Life would be incredibly lonely.
More lonely than it already is to a hearing-impaired person.
Make the offer to my husband…not in my lifetime. Instead of looking at it as an opportunity to adapt, he would become incredibly frustrated, angry, and probably destructive. I certainly wouldn’t want to spend the next year of my life with him under those conditions, no matter what the price.
No, thanks.
~VOW
I’d go deaf for a year for that amount of money, but I’d never ever give up my eyesight. I am also amazed that people are saying yes. That essentially means I give up all of my autonomy and independence for that amount of time.
That means no reading.
No driving.
No swimming, at least not alone.
No biking.
No playing video games.
No watching movies or TV.
No admiring sexy guys.
No putting nailpolish on, unless someone else does it, and then I can’t enjoy it.
No putting mehndi (henna) tattoos on.
No making jewelry - I do beading at least 3-4x a week.
No admiring artfully arranged food before I eat it.
No sunrises or sunsets.
No Internet.
No window shopping.
No youtube videos.
NO SUNSHINE.
I’m not saying blind people don’t enjoy some or all of this stuff. I do know it’s a major lifestyle change, and not something I am willing to take on just for some money.
I’m with Anaamika on this. Not just no, but a hell no.
In sixth grade we studied Helen Keller. As part of our study, we spent one day blind-folded (couldn’t see) and with ear muffs (couldn’t hear at all, so they were more than just ear muffs, but I don’t know what else to call them). We were excused from all subjects for that day while we participated.
One day was all it took for me to realize just how remarkable a woman she really was. After 4 hours, over half the class had given up and gone back to their regular classes. Maybe it was because we were all 10-11 years old, but I still remember that day.
There is just no way on Earth I would ever voluntarily give up my sight again, and certainly not for one year.
I’d give it a shot. Being retired, I don’t have to worry about work being affected. It would be interesting to do my pottery work sightlessly. Knitting and crocheting would be a challenge. I can knit by feel, but only doing basic stitches and patterns - complex items might be out of the question. I don’t know if I could crochet by feel - again, I’d probably have to limit myself to really simple patterns.
Cooking would be tough - I expect it would require more tasting to identify ingredients - I’d definitely need an assist in the kitchen. Laundry I could probably manage, tho measuring the detergent and softener could be messy. Gardening is probably out of the question, but I could deal for a year. Same with mowing the grass - blind on a riding mower is a bad idea.
Yep, I would require some assistance, but overall, I think it would be an interesting personal experiment.
My aunty can knit beautiful things in the dark, with her eyes closed. :eek: 
I would do it, since its not permanent. Sure I have a business that I would no longer be able to participate in effectively, but I could either shut down and rebuild with the $500K (I originally started it with $20K, $500K would be born again badass, nice shop, nice location) or just hire a couple folks to cover for me.
Sure it would be a hardship, but people do it every day. For 20K a month I could hire help. $500,000 would make a huge difference in my life and there was no stipulation that you finish the year or forfeit all of the money, so why wouldn’t you give it a try? Maybe it’s because I see nothing but colored blur without my glasses or contacts, but I don’t see (ha) that it would be so bad.
Can I wait till after next summer when Breaking Bad finishes?
Very close, but not quite. Bid me 5 million, and you’re on. Half a million just isn’t enough.
Skald’s Eccentric Billionaire (EB) didn’t mention anything about covering expenses, did he? So you have to pay your own way, out of that $10K (or $20K) a month. People who go blind IRL may be eligible for all sorts of disability benefits, including training and assistance. I’m going to guess here that anyone who takes up EB’s dare won’t qualify for any of that.
So, need an in-home assistant to help you with a lot of things? Need all sorts of assistive technology? Need training in blind living? Pay out of your own pocket. (Well, meaning, pay out of that monthly stipend. But, absent an advance from EB, you’d have to pay the first month’s expenses yourself.)
Then, what will you have left at the end of the year?
Now, at first glance, if you just get $1mil bequeathed on you, it might be possible to retire and live comfortably forever after (if you can invest it well). But, upon closer reading, it’s only a half-mil. Before taxes. So after taxes and expenses, there probably isn’t enough left to be worth it.
If I could come out of this with enough to retire on (and believe me, that needn’t be all that much – I’m already near retirement age (although with no savings much to speak of) and in the habit of living moderately cheaply), then this would be a very attractive offer. I could come out of it in MUCH better finincial shape, even for the long term, than I am now.
More that I acknowledged my carelessness. 
:eek:
Seriously? I thought about going all Helen Keller for this game, but was too lazy. And while I myself might give the temporary blindness a try, the deafness is just not happening.
I understand your position, but are you sure your husband would feel the same way? Pretend blindness you can get out of by removing a pair of goggles wouldn’t be nearly as stressful as the real thing.
I’d do it. I think I’d even enjoy the challenge!
But while people in wheelchairs get special accomodation, those who insist in tying their ankles together get a referral to the psychiatrical service.
In my case: hell NO!
What happens if I don’t quite make it a month? Am I still paid for time served? For example, if I quit after 24 hours, do I get $666? If so, I’d definitely try for as long as I could. My big worry would be that I couldn’t take it and I’d quit halfway through the first month and get nothing.
I’d do it, but only in 5 years or so, when my newborn’s a little older.
And I’d be doing it for the experiment as much as the money, I think.
also, $500 000 is real money these parts. That’s 2 or 3 times my house’s value.
No way. That’s not even enough to buy a decent family home in Melbourne.
I would seriously consider being made permanently deaf for a one-off payment of US$500, 000. 500K for a years blindness? No Way.