[nfb-talk] Is it illegal to not open your eyes while on a government-issued ID picture or passport?

[Humberto Avila]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm here with this question that maybe you can answer for me.

While many of us know, some of us cannot (or perhaps don't know how to) open
our eyes when instructed to in a picture. That applies to people who haven't
had any vision at all, are blind since birth, are currently totally blind,
or have been totally blinded at an early age. I myself, according to the
sighted, cannot open my eyes while taking a picture, especially if it is an
important picture like a state ID. I always say that I can open them, but
they always say that, while I affirm that I have them open, I indeed do not.
Recently, I have come to the conclusion that I perhaps can not control my
eyes because they are not used to seeing other things in distraction. 

 

However, I've come to the question. Do officials at DMV's need to identify
the open eyes while on a photo ID or license? Is not opening the eyes while
on these type of pictures unacceptable, or for that matter, legally
unacceptable? Are there any exceptions that can be made, or at least, should
be made, in order for, say, a totally blind person to be able to appear well
and be identified fully on the picture without having to have the eyes open
because s/he can't control them? While I'm not totally blind, I have light
perception in my left eye and hand motion on the right eye-my blindness is
indeed legitimate. I am not low vision or anything; can't even read print
except for very very large print (like 40 points).

 

Any answers are appreciated. I would like to open it up for discussion as
well.