[Blindtlk] Making our home comfortable for sighted folks

[Mark J. Cadigan]

There is nothing wrong with making your house visually appealing, however, 
most bachelors have a sort of eclectic collection of random stuff in there 
house. You see, that's the job of a girlfriend, to impose some sort of 
fashion since and order on our lives. LOL.



I personally would fix the viewing angle to your TV so that it is visible 
when sitting on the couch. The LCD or LED TVs on the market are remarkably 
thin and drastically coming down in Pryce from ware they were a few years 
ago. Perhaps, you could get a nice one of those for under $200 that is if 
you have the money. You will find that it has better sound, and a smaller 
footprint than what you currently have.



Regarding labeling appliances, I say my guest just got to deal with it. I 
label things so that I can use it in my house, and if someone doesn't like 
it, well that's too bad.



I will make small changes so that things are more visually appealing, but if 
it's going to be expensive, or make my life more difficult, I won't change 
things.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Portillo" <portillo.jim at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 4:37 AM
Subject: [Blindtlk] Making our home comfortable for sighted folks


> Hi there,
>
>
>
> Here's a question that I guess could also be somewhat philosophical.  As
> blind folks, do you think we have a responsibility to not only make our
> homes comfortable and accessible for us and the folks with whom we live, 
> but
> also to sighted folks?
>
> I've heard comments in the past that basically say that since it's a blind
> person's home, then the only thing that should be of concern is that 
> things
> are comfortable and accessible for the blind person.
>
>
>
> I've been thinking a lot about this over a long period of time.  I have 
> some
> friends that come over, and one in particular who stays in my guest room
> when he's in town, and when all of that happens, I'm the only blind person
> around.  All of a sudden, I begin to think about lights and the amount of
> light in a room.  I begin thinking of making sure that appliances that are
> labeled in Braille are done using clear tape so that they can also use 
> them.
> I even began thinking of the layout of my living room and how one of my
> friends finally said that it was uncomfortable to do things like watch TV 
> or
> watch movies, because of how my furniture and TV are placed.  People have 
> to
> face sideways to be able to watch TV.  And, my TV is so old that it 
> doesn't
> support or have HD capabilities.
>
>
>
> I began wondering about the importance of a blind person having an
> aesthetically or visually appealing house, not only for himself but also 
> for
> the sighted friends and family that come to visit.  Are we being selfish 
> by
> not considering these things, or should sighted company learn to live with
> how we have things and deal with them?
>
>
>
> I'm beginning to think that if I care about my friends and family, then I
> should do something to make them feel comfortable in a place where they
> spend quite a bit of time.  But then, where does one draw the line?
>
>
>
> Anyway, hope you don't mind the question.  Just curious what other blind
> folks (especially those who are totally blind) think.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
>
>
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