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

Fri Apr 29 00:06:50 UTC 2011

Hi again,
Hmmm... maybe for the experience? Could that be why sighted people
would want to become disabled? But it's weird because, if that *is*
why, I know I'd want to stay perfectly healthy, if I were to become...
shall I say... that way.  OK, as for if blindness should be removed
from the world... I think so. Because everything is based on
visualization in today's society, which blind people cannot benefit
from at all.  On the other hand though, as others have stated, it
would be quite difficult to be completely removed. Anyway, This is
quite an interesting conversation.
Josh

On 4/28/11, josh gregory <joshkart12 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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>>> > www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere.
>>> >
>>> >
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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
>

-- 
The Ever-curious Master Yoda
Email: joshkart12 at gmail.com