[nfb-talk] What To Do When you Meet A Sighted Person

[Michael D. Barber]

A little light  humor.

 

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET A SIGHTED PERSON 

Author unknown

People who use their eyes to receive information about the world are called
sighted people or "people who are sighted." Legal "sight" means any visual
acuity greater than 0/200 in the better eye without correction or an angle
of vision wider than 20 degrees.





Sighted people enjoy rich full lives, working, playing and raising families.
They run businesses, hold public office and teach YOUR children!





HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE GET AROUND?





People who are sighted may walk or ride public transportation, but most
choose to travel long distances by operating their own motor vehicles. They
have gone through many hours of training, at great expense, to learn the
"rules of the road" to further their independence. Once that road to freedom
has been mastered, sighted people earn a legal classification and a
"Driver's License" that allows them to operate a private vehicle safely and
independently.





Sighted people cannot function well in low lighting conditions and are
generally completely helpless in total darkness. Their homes are usually
very brightly lit at great expense, as are businesses that cater to the
sighted consumer.





HOW CAN I BEST COMMUNICATE WITH SIGHTED PEOPLE?





Sighted people are accustomed to viewing the world in visual terms. This
means that in many situations, they will not be able to communicate orally
and may resort to pointing or other gesturing. They may also use subtle
facial expressions to convey feelings in social situations. Calmly alert the
sighted person to his or her surroundings by speaking slowly, in a normal
tone of voice. There is no need to raise your voice when addressing a
sighted person. Questions directed to the sighted person help them focus on
verbal rather than visual and gestural communication.





Some sighted people have dogs that accompany them. these dogs really serve
no purpose other than to help the sighted people walk more often, meet
people of the opposite sex and leave undesired presents on annoying
neighbor's lawns. Ignoring these dogs is highly offensive to the sighted
people. They rely on these dogs to generate conversation and gain acceptance
from others. the normal rules about behavior around dogs must be waved when
encountering a sighted person with one of these dogs. Sighted people spend
large amounts of money feeding their dogs and dressing them in various
outfits. Please do not laugh or scoff at the sighted person based on what
type of sweater his or her dog is wearing or that he or she chooses to feed
that dog table scraps. Remember, the social well-being and public acceptance
of sighted people depends on their indulgence of their dogs.





HOW CAN I ASSIST A SIGHTED PERSON?





At times, sighted people may need help finding things, especially when
operating a motor vehicle. Your advance knowledge of routes and landmarks,
particularly bumps in the road, turns and traffic lights, will assist the
"driver" in finding the way quickly and easily. Your knowledge of building
layouts can also assist the sighted person in navigating complex shopping
malls and offices. Sighted people tend to be very proud and will not ask
directly for assistance. Be gentle, yet firm.





HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE READ?





Sighted people read through a system called "Print." Print is a series of
images drawn in a two dimensional plane. Because the person who is sighted
relies exclusively on visual information, his or her attention span tends to
fade quickly when reading long texts. People who are sighted generally have
a poorly developed sense of touch. Braille is completely foreign to the
sighted person and he or she will take longer to learn the code and be
severely limited by his or her existing visual senses.





HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE USE COMPUTERS?





Computer information is presented to sighted people in a "Graphical User
Interface" or GUI. Sighted people often suffer from hand-eye coordination
problems and poor memories. To accommodate these difficulties, people who
are sighted use a "mouse," a handy device that slides along the desk top to
save confusing keystrokes. With one button, the sighted person can move
around his or her computer screen quickly and easily. People who are sighted
are not accustomed to synthetic speech and may have great difficulty
understanding even the clearest synthesizer. Be patient and prepared to
explain many times how YOUR computer equipment works.





HOW CAN I SUPPORT A SIGHTED PERSON?





People who are sighted do not want your charity. They want to live, work and
play along with you. The best thing you can do to support sighted people in
your community is to open yourself to their world. These citizens are vital,
contributing members of society. Take a sighted person to lunch today!!!