#blindthings

I swear, every time I say I’m blind on social media, there’s about a 50% chance that someone is going to reply, if you’re blind, how are you typing this? Now, I understand that most people don’t know what a screen reader is, why would they? It’s not like they teach about them in school. Kind of wish they did, but that’s neither here nor there. The thing that really makes me shake my head here is, do you really think that blind people are just sitting in a basement not doing anything? With all the technology we have right now, do you seriously think that there isn’t a way for blind people to access the Internet? I’m always polite to them, though, at least now that’s one more person who knows what a screen reader is, and a little bit more added onto the chance that more things will be accessible overall. 

I have never been able to understand why people seem to think that they have to tiptoe around my blindness in conversation. I’ve had people ask me what the “ politically correct” term for it is more than I would like to admit. It’s just blind. I understand that they’re trying not to offend me or make me feel bad, but I’ve honestly never met a blind person who is offended by that. I think most of us are happy to talk about our condition, so that we can spread awareness and hopefully encourage more accessibility overall. We don’t bite!

I swear, every time I try to say the word thoughts, my speech to text translator, just the one that comes with all Apple products, inevitably turns it into farts. Seriously every time! I’m dreading the day I try to say, my  thoughts and prayers go out to you or something like that and you know what happens. I’ve already had some pretty close calls. 

Here’s another unpopular opinion from me. I know no one asked, but I really don’t think all AI is inherently bad. Yes, it’s being horribly overused and miss used, and yes, it poses quite a bit of danger to our society, but it’s worth mentioning that as a blind person, AI has made my life much easier. I can actually view memes using voiceover’s built in image  description feature, which while it doesn’t sound like much, being able to understand and laugh along with funny memes makes me feel much more connected to my communities than I did before.  I also use meta glasses to get around my neighborhood by myself. The whole thing is super empowering, and makes me feel like just another young adult dealing with young adult stuff, not an outsider looking at life through window. 

I’m just now realizing how little most sided people think we can do. I know most people rely heavily on their vision, and can’t imagine not having it, but what they failed to take into account is that for those of us who can’t see, our other senses are stronger to compensate. Of course, that is generally common knowledge, but it’s hard to imagine what you don’t know. I’m amazed at how many things I do that people are shocked by. Yes, I can feel the difference between similarly shaped and sized pills. Yes, I can feel the difference between different chargers; and Yes, I can navigate most areas by myself using smell and hearing.  I may stumble around a bit at first, and it does often take a little while  to get my bearings, but I am resourceful, and always find my way eventually.