[nabs-l] Blind Verses Legally Blind

Nathan Clark troubleclark at gmail.com
Fri Dec 6 20:56:03 UTC 2013


Dear All,

Arielle is correct about the 20/200 definition of blindness. I found
this information listed below online.


Legal blindness occurs when a person has central visual acuity (vision
that allows a person to see straight ahead of them) of 20/200 or less
in his or her better eye with correction. With 20/200 visual acuity, a
person can see at 20 feet, what a person with 20/20 vision sees at 200
feet.

In determining legal blindness, visual field (the part of a person's
vision that enables them to see what is happening to the side of them)
is also considered. A visual field of 20 degrees or less is considered
to be legally blind.

Sincerely,
Nathan


On 12/6/13, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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