[nabs-l] knowing what someone looks like

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi, Chris.

In high school I had this problem occasionally too.  I have some
vision so I was usually fine in a classroom or when I was in an area
where a bunch of people all knew each other and I could just ask
anyone to steer me in the direction of who I was looking for, but in
cafeteria or other large open spaces I had this challenge too.  One
thing that really helped me was knowing something unique about the
person's appearance that was always consistent.  For example, I knew a
girl with red hair who always wore a ponytail, and I knew another
person who usually wore a denim jacket at least in the cold months.
It may sound silly, but it's these random things which really help
visual people spot a particular person.  Sometimes asking for
identifying information helps too; I've asked friends what they were
planning to wear so that when we met for school functions I could ask
someone to find them for me too.  Try to pick out conspicuous details
and use those as your identifyers more than "brown hair," or "tall,"
which are more general.  And, if something is either always the same
or is nearly always the same it saves you the trouble of looking for
new identifying information every day.

HTH.

On 2/26/13, Jedi Moerke <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
> It's probably a good idea to know what your significant others and good
> friends look like for this sort of reason. I would just ask them. Your blind
>  friends will also know what they look like, so feel free to ask. For
> example, I am blind and know that I have short brown hair. That's just an
> example. If you're expecting to be in a crowd of people with a friend or
> family member, you may want to find out what that individual's  wearing that
> day. That way, you can say I'm looking for the blind lady with  dark
> glasses, a long cane,   short brown spiky hair, and a green T-shirt.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 26, 2013, at 3:53 PM, "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>>
>>
>> Some situations I have recently been in at school and in other places
>> have
>> caused me to think about a question which I would like to get your
>> thoughts
>> on. I have noticed that when identifying other people, sighted people
>> often
>> use information about their visual appearance. For example, they might
>> say
>> "He's the tall guy with dark hair." Sometimes, I have tried to refer to
>> another person when talking with a sighted person and found it difficult
>> for
>> them to know who I'm talking about without information about how the
>> person
>> I'm referring to looks. For example, I have sometimes asked either
>> another
>> student or one of the adult supervisors in our school's cafeteria if they
>> see a friend who I would like to sit with. I can tell them the name of my
>> friend, but unless they know him/her, they can't tell me if they see them
>> without asking somebody else who does. So, I'm wondering how important
>> you
>> have found knowing what someone looks like to be. If you have found it
>> important at all, are there specific people you want or need to know this
>> information about? Where do you get information about the visual
>> appearance
>> of someone; the person you want to know about, another friend, etc? I
>> look
>> forward to hearing your thoughts on this!
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
>>
>> Chris Nusbaum, Co-Chair
>>
>> Public Relations Committee
>>
>> Maryland Association of Blind Students: a division of the National
>> Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>>
>> Phone: (443) 547-2409
>>
>> Email: dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
>>
>> Personal Twitter: @Chrisn98
>>
>> MDABS Twitter: @MDMdabs
>>
>> Personal Facebook: www.facebook.com/dotkid
>>
>> Join the MDABS Facebook Group: search for Maryland Association of Blind
>> Students
>>
>> Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum
>>
>>
>>
>> "Together, we are changing what it means to be blind." - Motto of the
>> Louisiana Center for the Blind
>>
>>
>>
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-- 
Kaiti