[nabs-l] Blind Verses Legally Blind

[Elizabeth Mohnke]

Hello All,

Recently it seems as though I have been getting a lot of questions from 
people who ask me if I am blind or legally blind as if there is some huge 
difference between these two things. Since I see these two things as being 
two sides of the same coin, I have started to respond by saying that anyone 
who is blind is legally blind and anyone who is legally Blind is blind as 
there are really no distinctions between these two things.

it just seems to me like people who ask this question somehow believe the 
more eyesight a person has the better off they are as a person even though 
they may be blind. Hence, it feels as though what the person is really 
asking about is how much I can still see even though I am blind. Personally, 
I feel as though I should not be obligated to share such personal 
information with a mere stranger I will most likely never see again.

I guess I just feel as though I am at a point in my life where I no longer 
wish to describe what I can and cannot see to other people. however, I am 
also not quite sure what to say when people ask me this question. I feel as 
though what I can and cannot see should not really matter all that much. But 
it seems as though I never really know what to say to those who believe that 
it does really matter.

Do you have any thoughts or ideas about how to deal with these kinds of 
questions without revealing any personal information about yourself? how do 
you go about answering these kinds of questions in your own life? Any 
thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Elizabeth