[nabs-l] Blind vs. Visually Impaired

Chris Nusbaum dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Wed Jun 13 16:13:25 UTC 2012


Hi Arielle,

A great post!! I couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't say any
more! <Smile!> I agree completely with what you have said.

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Arielle Silverman
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:45 AM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
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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