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

[Ignasi Cambra]

I've also been blind from birth, and I guess I would be curious to know how it feels to be sighted. But in the end, I just think of it in simpler terms: It would allow me to understand many things around me without having to listen for them or to physically interact with them. I've also heard blind people sometimes saying that they would just love to be able to see their significant other or whatever, but for some reason I don't feel that way. I've been dating someone for four years and as much as it would be fun to see her, I don't think that's the primary reason why I would want to become sighted.
On Apr 28, 2011, at 6:52 PM, josh gregory 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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> 
> 
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> The Ever-curious Master Yoda
> Email: joshkart12 at gmail.com
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