[nabs-l] Philosophical Terminology

[Bruce Sexton]

Dear Harry,

You're question is not irritating.  To me blindness describes me as a whole 
person.  When I described myself as "Visually Impaired" or "Legally Blind" I 
described a person who lived in two worlds, the world of the blind and the 
world of the sighted, but didn't fit in either.  I was taught to use 
ineffective methods that I have affectionately come to term "forced seeing." 
Most low vision methods of core value such as reading, writing, traveling, 
cooking, cleaning and computer use are almost always more cumbersome then 
their sister alternative technique for the blind.  There is no substitute 
for Braille, sleep shade  cane travel, or speech reading software, and the 
many techniques one uses when cooking.  The bottom line is, if you are 
legally blind, your vision is unreliable.  Conversely, blindness techniques 
are reliable in the rain, the dark, when a shadow approaches, in a buffet 
line, stepping down or up a curb, or in any other situation one's vision 
might fail.  This reliance on non-visual techniques allows a visually 
impaired person to be secure in his surroundings unlike any other.  thus 
calling one's self blind, gives them the freedom to take advantage of these 
non-visual techniques without guilt.  It brings power to the word and to the 
person's life who uses it!


Thanks for the question!

Sincerely,
B.J. Sexton