[nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and Accessible to Blind Folks

Mon Dec 19 06:22:43 UTC 2011

A couple of years after we moved into our house, we had been friends 
with next-door neighbors who have since moved out.  He asked us when 
we planned on replacing our old roof.  I asked him if he wanted to 
pay for it and that shut him up in a hurry.  I was kidding of course 
and we did replace the roof about a year later when we were able to 
pay for it.  We painted once and when it needed it again, we decided 
to get vinyl siding, so never again will we have to 
paint...YIPPEE!!!  It was expensive and well worth it.
At 09:03 PM 12/18/2011, you wrote:
>I, too, had a similar situation when buying my house.  When I bought it
>eighteen years ago, several neighbors came buy to say, "Oh, you bought crazy
>Mary's house.  That's great.  When will you repaint the outside?"  Finally,
>I said that I needed time to get used to paying the mortgage, which was
>higher than the rent I had been used to paying, and then I would repaint the
>outside--for them!(LOL)  I did repaint later that summer to some very
>neutral colors, and I have repainted since that time with the same
>neutrality--all to make the neighbors happy.(smile)
>
>Karen
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Steven Johnson
>Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 6:58 PM
>To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and Accessible to Blind
>Folks
>
>William,
>
>I couldn't agreemore.  I had the same situation occur with me as I purchased
>my home 11 years ago, and have done a lot to make it one of the nicest homes
>on the street including major landscaping done all by myself.  I have a huge
>flowerbed in the front and on both sides, while the inside is done in a
>contemporary outdoors with all of my rooms done in a theme.  It is very
>attractive, very eye-pleasing if you will and very inviting to anyone who
>enters.  However, I do on occasion have problems with either forgetting to
>turn the lights or in some cases, forget to turn them off!  This is one way
>the neighbors know I am still alive!
>
>Thanksf or sharing everyone, this has been an interesting thread.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Wm. Ritchhart
>Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 10:28 AM
>To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and Accessible to Blind
>Folks
>
>This carries over to the outside of your home too.  I bought my home in
>2006.  I did not even think about the color of the trim.  The house is
>stone.  Last spring my lady informed me that it had six different colors of
>trim.  The former owners had seriously poor taste.  It did not even occur to
>me to ask.
>
>Long story short... the trim is all one color now and (I am told), that
>color really pulls out the colors in the stone.  My house went from looking
>stupid to looking like one of the best on the street.
>
>Thanks, William
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of David Andrews
>Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 4:50 PM
>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and Accessible to Blind
>Folks
>
>I think you answered your own question.  If you have sighted persons
>over regularly then you should do things to make them
>comfortable.  To do otherwise would be making yourself a bad
>host.  Where you draw the line is a personal decision though.  For
>example, if you have a working, and adequate TV, you may feel that it
>is not necessary to go out and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars
>on a HD model, or you may!
>
>Dave
>
>At 03:43 AM 12/17/2011, you wrote:
> >Hi there,
> >
> >
> >
> >Here's a question that I guess could also be somewhat philosophical in that
> >it will make us think about how we deal with and interact with sighted
> >people.
> >
> >
> >
> >As blind folks, do you think we have a responsibility to not only make our
> >homes comfortable and accessible for us and the folks with whom we live,
>but
> >also to sighted folks?
> >
> >I've heard comments in the past that basically say that since it's a blind
> >person's home, then the only thing that should be of concern is that things
> >are comfortable and accessible for the blind person.
> >
> >
> >
> >I've been thinking a lot about this over a long period of time.  I have
>some
> >friends that come over, and one in particular who stays in my guest room
> >when he's in town, and when all of that happens, I'm the only blind person
> >around.  All of a sudden, I begin to think about lights and the amount of
> >light in a room.  I begin thinking of making sure that appliances that are
> >labeled in Braille are done using clear tape so that they can also use
>them.
> >I even began thinking of the layout of my living room and how one of my
> >friends finally said that it was uncomfortable to do things like watch TV
>or
> >watch movies, because of how my furniture and TV are placed.  People have
>to
> >face sideways to be able to watch TV.  And, my TV is so old that it doesn't
> >support or have HD capabilities.
> >
> >
> >
> >I began wondering about the importance of a blind person having an
> >aesthetically or visually appealing house, not only for himself but also
>for
> >the sighted friends and family that come to visit.  Are we being selfish by
> >not considering these things, or should sighted company learn to live with
> >how we have things and deal with them?
> >
> >
> >
> >I'm beginning to think that if I care about my friends and family, then I
> >should do something to make them feel comfortable in a place where they
> >spend quite a bit of time.  But then, where does one draw the line?
> >
> >
> >
> >Anyway, hope you don't mind the question.  Just curious what other blind
> >folks (especially those who are totally blind) think.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Jim
>
>
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