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

ckrugman at sbcglobal.net ckrugman at sbcglobal.net
Thu Mar 29 23:21:15 UTC 2012


As usual I'm way behind with emails due to getting over computer issues but 
I had to respond as this was an interesting post. Having been born blind I 
was reminded repeatedly by my mother that you live in a sighted world and 
how you present yourself and where you live as a blind person impacts how 
the world views you. An example of this conditioning was to be told that 
people don't sit in dark rooms and it is customary to turn on a light 
whether I needed it or not. While I am not much for decorating I make sure 
that my apartment is comfortable for sighted people when they visit. I don't 
have a working TV though as I have never been very interested in it and if 
there is a news item or something I bring it up on the internet. An awkward 
situation that I have is a sighted friend that when he comes over doesn't 
seem to mind being in the dark and sometimes turns off lights. I find this a 
bit strange and don't feel comfortable with it.
Chuck
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Portillo" <portillo.jim at gmail.com>
To: "'NFB Talk Mailing List'" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 2:43 AM
Subject: [nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and Accessible to 
BlindFolks


> 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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