[nabs-l] Blind vs. Visually Impaired

[Sophie Trist]

Arielle, you make some very good points that I agree with. I have
met someone who fits the description. I was on a school trip last 
summer, and my group merged with a group from Tenessee. In this 
group, there was a blind guy who still had a good bit of division 
left. When we were introduced, I made some reference to him being 
blind. He almost bit my head off and told me that he was, in 
fact, visually impaired. This guy did not use a cane or any 
nonvisual techniques I noticed. I also noticed that his parents, 
who were also on the trip, pandered to him and did not encourage 
him to learn any independence skills. In my opinion, there are 
the kids we need to reach out to.
Best,
Sophie
 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:45:04 -0600
Subject: [nabs-l] Blind vs. Visually Impaired

Hi all,
Brandon-undoubtedly you've stumbled upon an issue that has been
contentious in the blind community at times, because labels have
meaning and words have power. The terms "blind" and "visually
impaired" have many different connotations, some desirable and 
some
not so much. I want to present my personal views and reactions to
these two terms, and explain why I now use "blind" to describe 
any
person who uses nonvisual techniques to observe and interact with
their world.
I was born with only light perception, so I am essentially 
totally
blind (if people ask, I sometimes say I am "99% blind" and my 
tiny bit
of usable vision is only functional in a few select situations).
Because of this, I grew up referring to myself as blind and never 
gave
it a second thought. However, I had some friends growing up who 
were
in that grey area where they had enough vision to get by without
blindness techniques but who still qualified for blindness 
services
(TVI's etc.) My friends referred to themselves as visually 
impaired
and I thought that label was totally harmless and legitimate as a 
way
of differentiating between totally blind folks like me and folks 
who
had usable vision.
Over the past few years I have stopped using "visually impaired" 
for
two main reasons. First, the term "visually impaired" includes 
the
word "impaired" which literally means defective or inferior. The 
word
blind, while it has some bad historical connotations, does not
literally mean inferiority or defect. It simply means unable to 
see,
but it can be interpreted in many different ways. I choose to use 
the
word "blind" and to interpret it in a positive way rather than 
using a
term that focuses attention on what is broken. My friends who 
have
usable vision are not broken or "impaired" any more or less than 
I am;
they are people who, like me, happen to observe and interact with
their world, at least somewhat, in nonvisual ways. Given the 
chance, I
would rather not think of myself as broken or defective either, 
which
is why I continue to call myself blind. I know that in some 
sighted
people's eyes (not all, but some) the word "blind" still means
"broken" but I feel that these people would see me as broken even 
if I
called myself visually impaired instead. Words have power, and I 
would
rather create my own definition for the word "blind".
Second, over the years I have talked with several people who have
usable vision about their experiences with negotiating their
identities. I have heard over and over again from people who 
found
peace, resolution, and even joy when they began to refer to 
themselves
as blind, use blindness techniques and become full members of the
blind community. Before calling themselves blind, these folks 
(and
some of you on this list have experienced this too, and can 
elaborate)
often tried to pass as sighted, but became frustrated or 
depressed
when this attempt to pass wasn't completely effective. Hiding
blindness has its advantages, but when one's vision is simply not 
good
enough to make it possible without sacrificing competence (i.e.
running into things, falling, not being able to read, etc.) 
passing
can become more of a burden than a privilege. Calling oneself 
blind
and developing an identity as blind can be very liberating, as 
again,
it pulls focus away from the broken vision and toward the 
effective
nonvisual methods of observing and interacting. So I call my 
friends
blind rather than visually impaired because I want to respect 
their
blind identities and the peace and resolve that comes with them.
Again, while I have not done a study on this (I might, sometime!) 
I
don't think sighted people really understand the nuances between 
blind
and visually impaired. Some sighted folks think of beggars, 
depression
and darkness when you say blind; however, I'd bet they'd still 
think
of those things if you used the term visually impaired,
sight-impaired, sightless, optically challenged or any other term 
that
really means "blind" in fancier language. And there are other 
sighted
folks who have no mental associations, good or bad, with the word
blind. These folks can learn from our example that "blind" is 
neither
good nor bad, but simply means you observe and interact with your
world using means other than vision. My sighted boyfriend, who 
had no
experience with blindness before me, sometimes teases me by 
calling me
"blindie" and that is not meant as an insult. In fact, he knows 
that I
have several dear friends I jokingly refer to as "blindies" and 
so the
word has mildly positive connotations for me, and for him.
The issue of whether or not to tell an employer you are blind,
visually impaired or whatever is a whole separate thing. But I 
would
argue that if using a blindness technique like Braille, JAWS or a
cane/dog would allow you to perform the job better, it's worth 
the
risk to tell your employer you are blind and use these techniques 
on
the job. It's much better than floundering around without 
blindness
techniques and eventually getting fired for poor performance.
Arielle

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