On last Thursday’s In the Dark premiere, an exchange took place between Murphy, the main character, and her coworker’s date.
“Why don’t you look blind?”
“Probably the same reason you don’t look stupid.”
It’s a question that many in the blindness community have been asked, countless times over countless decades.
So, what does it mean to “look blind?” Is it dark sunglasses and a cane; a guide dog’s leash and harness in your hand; holding your empty arms out as you walk cautiously forward?
No.
It’s 2019. People who are blind have, for the most part, been on an equal playing field with their sighted peers for quite a while. We’re taught various skills starting at a young age, ranging from independent travel, daily living such as cooking and cleaning, and how to use the tools and technologies available to us. From realtime, peer-to-peer experiences like Be My Eyes (free) and Aira (offers paid subscriptions), to artificial intelligence apps such as Seeing AI, people who are blind or visually impaired are able to use their smart phone (or, in Aira’s case, a pair of glasses if applicable) to see the world around them with assistance. But all the technology and independent living/travel training in the world doesn’t change the fact that we can’t see as well as our sighted peers, and there are a small handful of things we’re unable to do because of that. Such as, driving a car.
We’re not here to be inspirational. We’re not here to live up to whatever your average sighted person’s expectation of a blind person is. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 1.3 billion people in the world living with some form of blindness or visual impairment; it is estimated that 1 million of those are Americans. Why should we be pitied just because we can’t see that well, or at all? I’ve encountered people who said they’d pray for me, and once someone I’d just met had grabbed my hand so I could better “see” the child they were holding (which made me very uncomfortable — if you don’t want someone touching you without consent, you shouldn’t do it to others).
I’m sure I speak for a lot of people in my request to just be treated like a normal, living, human being. We’re not fragile and we’re not here to be idolized just because of a disability. We go to school, get degrees, find employment, get married, start families, and own homes, just like a sighted person would. Sure, we might do things a little differently, but it’s what we feel works best for us — such as, using a device to measure hot water, or creating tactile/high-contrast labels for flat-top appliances.
So, tell me: What does a blind person look like?
Comments? Questions? Shoot me an email at shesaysciao@gmail.com, or leave a reply down below.