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

Mon Dec 19 03:03:18 UTC 2011

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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