[nabs-l] Blind Verses Legally Blind

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all,

I think legally blind is a legal or technical definition whereas blind
is more of a sociocultural or functional definition. Anyone with
vision worse than 20/200 is legally blind regardless of the techniques
they use to accomplish tasks. Anyone who uses blindness techniques to
do things either by choice or necessity is blind. So two people with
partial sight could both be legally blind, but if one uses Braille and
the other uses print, the one who uses Braille is more likely to meet
the "blind" definition.

Arielle

On 12/6/13, Suzanne Germano <sgermano at asu.edu> wrote:
> I think there is a distinction. If I tell a professor I am legally blind
> and here is what I see my accommodations are completely different than
> someone who is totally blind.
>
>  I don't think it has anything to do with being better off but just so the
> person has a better understanding.
>
> If I am trying to arrange close seats for an event and I say I am blind
> then they ask why do I need close seats then. I I say I am low vision or
> legally blind then they understand my need to be close.
>
> I also find I get less shit if I say legally blind. If I say I am blind
> then I get the "You're not blind" snotty comment. becasue it is quite
> obvious I have a lot of useful vision.
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 1:17 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke
> <lizmohnke at hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
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