[nabs-l] Concealing eyes

Sat Nov 19 18:18:36 UTC 2011

I don't wear sunglasses to cover my eyes. I have a prosthetic eye in
my left side and the right eye is heavily scarred and has a cataract,
which a friend described as looking like cobwebs. Much of the time,
however, my eyelids are almost completely closed, so the eyes don't
show, not by choice but because of problems with my eyelids. most
people say they didn't e ven notice I was blind at first, though more
people say they knew I was blind when I wore sunglasses. Not that I
want to hide that I'm blind, but as another said, wearing sunglasses
is a steroetype of b lindness, one that I don't want to fit into.
Wearing sunglasses is something I only do on bright days or in a
bright room, and I think others should just do what feels best for
them.
~Jewel

On 11/19/11, Andi <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com> wrote:
> I believe if it is something you can not control you shouldn't have to hide
> it and I actually think when blind people where sun glasses inside it just
> looks more stereotypical and reenforces the old stigmas.  I only know one
> blind person who can pull off sun glasses all the time and he actually has
> beautiful eyes but he kind of has this rock star look when he wheres them so
> it doesn't look funny.  Some people can get away with it and actually make
> it look good, but most can not.  However on the same token I where makeup to
> cover serdury scars under my eyes, and strangers are more willing to talk to
> me when I do as aposed to when I don't.  So while society does need to be
> more excepting of people and we should strive twards that end it is not
> usually what you can expect from the world.  The world is cruel and
> judgmental.  As I said before you have to be true to you, but there is a
> degree in which you should care.  On that same token it is hard to always
> know what society will and wont expect.  Obviously behaviors and things you
> can help should be things you care about but eyes well that is a personal
> choice.  Is it silly for me to cover up my scars so I am more approachable
> or am I being overly concerned.  I suppose make up is considered normal by
> society so maybe it isn't so odd to where it for that reason.  Eyes however
> can not be covered up unless you where coloured contacts or sun glasses.  I
> personally think sun glasses are silly unless you are out doors and it is a
> sunny day or you have a sensativity.  Coloured contacts might be an option
> if you are truly concerned about the appearance of your eyes and that is
> something sighted people do to if they do not like their eye colour but I
> would imagine it gets expensive.  Usually peoples "weered" eyes are not
> usually as strange as they think,so it really is a personal choice like
> makeup.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ashley Bramlett
> Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 6:18 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Concealing eyes
>
> well, light is a factor, one reason to cover eyes. another one is
> appearance.
> If it detracts from your looks, you do what you need to do for acceptance. I
> think doing this on a job interview would help get you a job.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bridgit Pollpeter
> Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 5:36 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Concealing eyes
>
> While I understand where you're coming from, I disagree about a blind
> person covering their eyes just to make sighted people feel more at
> ease. Many of us where sunglasses for various reasons. I where mine on
> days when light is causing extra sensitivity or when I opt to not wear
> make-up, smile. I have a friend who wears sunglasses to hide scar tissue
> and another to hide a glass eye.
>
> I think it's time the world learn to accept people as they are. If glass
> eyes, or eyes with scarring, or cloudiness, cause discomfort among
> sighted people, does this mean we need start concealing missing limbs,
> birth, or accident related, deformaties, scarring on burn victims? The
> list is endless.
>
> I understand your comments, and I understand why some choose to cover up
> any "abnormality" with their eyes, but I think this is unjustly unfair.
> We, to some degree, have sway over how we act and present ourselves to
> the public, but for many, they have no control over the function, or
> lack thereof, color or clarity of their eyes. We shouldn't teach blind
> kids to conceal something they can't control, but instead we should
> educate society to accept that disability is a part of life and to be
> comfortable with people who may have a physical deformity (for lack of a
> better word at the moment) scar, missing limb, cognitive impairment or
> any other "abnormal" issue. I think it all goes back to us, the disabled
> people, having to fit into a mold in order to make others feel more
> comfortable, or taking submissive roles so society doesn't feel awkward.
> We shouldn't have to take extra measures in terms of a physical aspect
> out of our control just so others feel better. We're human and have
> feelings. What about the world taking extra measures so we feel less
> uncomfortable around those who aren't disabled or have a physical
> condition considered abnormal?
>
> I agree that people who are blind can learn how to dress and interact in
> ways that are more socially acceptable, but hiding your eyes because
> they make others uncomfortable seems like the wrong message. Perhaps
> this is a bit of a leap, but we once were relegated to dark corners and
> institutionalized just so society didn't have to literally look at us,
> causing them discomfort and guilt. Is covering eyes, limbs, scars,
> fractures, etc. just a new way of relegating us into a different kind of
> dark corner? Hide as much of us as possible so we don't frighten the
> nondisabled population? God forbid people with disabilities get to feel
> human for once.
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:55:01 -0500
> From: Tara Annis <TAnnis at afb.net>
> To: "nabs-l at nfbnet.org" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [nabs-l] Blindness versus minority groups
> Message-ID:
>
> <8FF687EB29A6AD4B8D020BAC05C85CC263A88580C9 at KOCL385270EXCH.msp.tech.int.
> digex.com>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Arielle, I do think totally blind from birth can improve on nonverbal
> communication.  I'm not sure if all could get as good as sighted, but I
> would  say like any skill, each blind person would achieve their own
> level of progress.  I do agree with stiffness--a lot of nonverbal
> communication is done very quickly and in a kind of lazy manner with the
> hands at a relaxed position.  I'm shocked at all that is communicated; I
> recently learned there is a hand movement  for so-so or all right, as in
> how was your work day and the person would use this gesture as they
> verbally say it was all right or okay or so-so.
>
> A blind person can still appear "normal" without knowing all of these
> movements.  It is more important for a blind person to get rid of
> strange movements than to learn "normal" body language.  It is
> absolutely necessary to  get rid of rocking, inappropriate facial
> expression for the  situation being experienced (smiling at a funeral),
> etc. A blind person can have stiff movements, but still  appear "normal"
>
> What is really needed   is a sighted person to evaluate each blind
> person on an individual basis, and be honest enough to tell if there are
> any totally weird movements.  According to the comments on Youtube, Ken
> Jennings the  blind guy on Jeopardy, had weird facial expressions, so
> this seems to be a common problem.
>
> I think some blind people need to learn more about manners, as in move
> to the side of the aisle in a grocery store when another person with a
> cart walks by,  do not stop at the top of stairs or escalators, and do
> not stop when entering  the doorway  of a business.  Also, some tend to
> cut people off in  crowds or push people  out of the way.  While I know
> it is  almost impossible not to fix this completely, I've met people who
> do not even try and get better at their O&M. I've been around blind
> people that will shove people  out of their way at the mall, or push a
> door open when there are people standing on the other side of it.  They
> told me, "it is sighted people's responsibility to watch out for me and
> I don't have to do anything on my part cause I'm blind."
>
> Another area that some blind people   need to improve upon is dress.  It
> is better for blind to wear sunglasses if their eyes are  deformed--it
> will help  the general public be at ease when communicating.  Also, some
> blind wear clothes that are not in fashion.  I've seen parents give
> their children "simple" haircuts, buzz cut or shaved head for their son
> and a really short bob for girls, since they feel the  child cannot
> learn to  take care of long hair.  (I hate when this  happens.)  I'd
> also like to see more blind kids dress for their peer group, such as emo
> or goth, hippie, skater, preppie, average person, etc.
>
> I'm not making fun of people with these traits, I just feel they need
> the truth.  While I think  people  should not be judged for their
> appearance, many people in the world do act this way, though sometimes
> it is subconscious.
>
>
>
>
>
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