[nabs-l] If the World Went Sighted..

Thu Apr 28 23:57:09 UTC 2011

I find it interesting that some people actually *want* to become
disabled. Why is this? But, it always goes back to what I always say:
Be grateful for what you have, because someday, when you least expect
it, you might not have it.
Josh

On 4/28/11, Jamie Principato <blackbyrdfly at gmail.com> wrote:
> I can actually see quite a bit, but I would still love to know what it's
> like to have full vision. Even with the vision I have, it's something I
> can't imagine, but I wouldn't turn down a minimal-risk opportunity to
> experience it for the sake of preserving some characteristic of myself that
> isn't really a significant part of my identity anyway. I wouldn't lose any
> of the skills I acquired through blindness because I can always close my
> eyes if I find that full vision some how prevents me from using non-visual
> skills when I want or need to. It is my understanding based on my own
> research and study of neuroscience that our brains are plastic enough to
> adapt to sight as readily as we can adapt to blindness. Recent studies have
> demonstrated that the "re-training" time after one regains sight is not that
> long, and while the visual cortex of a blind person does re-wire itself to
> perform other functions (not always auditory, more often spatial), neural
> plasticity is rather remarkable in that the brain can re-wire itself again.
> If you've been sighted from birth, and go blind in adulthood, your visual
> cortex still re-wires itself to compensate. And if you were blind al lyour
> life and go sighted in adulthood, the brain would likewise re-wire itself
> and adapt to the new sensory input. So as long as no one is being hurt in
> the process and the risk is minimal or nonexistant, I'm all for a orld where
> blindness never  HAS to occur.
>
> In such a world, if you wanted to become or remain blind to preserve the
> virtues of being blind, why not wear a blindfold or opaque contact lenses?
> Some might think that having sight and then choosing blindness is silly, but
> is it really any sillier than refusing sight in a circumstance where you can
> have it, benefit from it, and do so without risk? There are people who, for
> some reason, want to be disabled. It isn't unheard of at all, though it is
> considered deviant. Is it really any more deviant than this?
>
> On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 6:52 PM, josh gregory <joshkart12 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> I'd like to put out a thought here, which is this. I have always
>> wondered what it would be like to see, even though I myself have been
>> blind from birth. Similarly, as I am in a wheelchair myself, (although
>> I can walk in a walker) I have always wondered what it'd be like to
>> walk without needing any support at all.
>>  I can also agree with the statement that technology is quite
>> expensive for us blind people. I know this because I will be getting
>> my BrailleNote Apex monday :) and it's six thousand bucks.
>>  I guess my question is: Have people ever felt the way I felt either
>> about seeing, (in my case) walking, or both?
>> Josh
>>
>> On 4/28/11, Bernadetta Pracon <bernadetta_pracon at samobile.net> wrote:
>> > Chris,
>> > First of all, I'd like to join in applauding you for your  well thought
>> > out, clearly written,and in general great posts. It's refreshing to see
>> > a seventh-grader this mature and this socially conscious. Regardless of
>> > whether you're right or wrong, you always send us posts that are
>> > thought through and make sense.
>> >
>> > That being said, I have to disagree with you that blindness is the most
>> > adaptable disability. Don't worry though--I used to think that myself.
>> > I've been totally blind since birth too, so it's natural for those of
>> > us born blind to automatically come to that conclusion. If you think
>> > about it a little further though, deaf people can communicate via sign
>> > language. Maybe it's not auditory, but it's effective for them. And
>> > likewise, sighted people believe that communication via eye contact is
>> > just as important, perhaps even more so,than auditory communication.
>> > Also, a person in a wheelchair could argue that a powerchair to him is
>> > as useful and effective as a cane or a dog is to us. We have to pay for
>> > expensive equipment as well; Our technology is in the thousands if you
>> > consider the specialized blindness products that many of us can't do
>> > without.
>> > I have a theory: I think we may believe that other disabilities are
>> > tougher to live with than being blind because we're not familiar with a
>> > daily life in the shoes of those who have them. Just like sighted
>> > people are afraid of blindness and can't imagine how we live "in the
>> > dark"as they tend to say, so we can't imagine being deaf or unable to
>> walk.
>> > I would bet a lot that a deafperson could easily challenge one of us
>> > that his or her disability is easier to live with than blindness is.
>> > My point is, almost everyone is comfortable in their own skin, with
>> > their own disability, or at least they are comfortable to the point
>> > where the thought of a different disability is daunting.
>> > So it's not necessarily accurate  for us to jump to the conclusion that
>> > blindness is the most adaptable disability, but at the same time, it's
>> > good that you feel that way. I think it's healthy to be confident about
>> > a disability any of us happen to have, whether it be blindness or some
>> > other disability, because the more comfortable we are in our own skin,
>> > the smoother our lives will likely be in that aspect.
>> >
>> > Cheers
>> >
>> > Bernadetta
>> >
>> > --
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>> >
>> >
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>>
>> --
>> The Ever-curious Master Yoda
>> Email: joshkart12 at gmail.com
>>
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-- 
The Ever-curious Master Yoda
Email: joshkart12 at gmail.com