Blindness

First off, blindfolding yourself for short periods of time just doesn't get it. You need to cross streets blind, and try eating in restuarants blind. You would need to go for a whole week minimum.

What types of things do you want to know. A blind person is just like other people in their personalities. Some are nice, others are nasty. The cane is a give away, or a dog that would be used to get around. In fact, using a dog might be better for your story.

I am very low vision and blind at times, so if I can help, please let me know. I'll help in any way I can.
Midge

Well, exactly how blind is your character?

I've got a friend who is legally blind. Sometimes he can make out vague shadows while other times he can't see anything. However he does have one spot where he can see relatively well. If you sit on his right side and he looks out the corner of his eye, he can make out a few more details than normal. Because of that he always sits so that if anyone sits next to him (I saw him mostly at the resturaunt where I worked) they end up sitting on his right side.

He's very out-going, though a little pushy at times. He does have a seeing eye dog, but only brings him out when he goes out by himself. Usually his friends help him out. My friend does own/run a resturaunt of his own, quite successfully I might add.

Inability to see does limit some things, but mostly they just make up for it in other ways.

I am not blind, but I know a little. I am assuming that he is totally blind. He may or may not use Braille, but it would probably be easier for you if he did since there is some Braille signage in some places, as well as Braille menus in a few resturants. I can help you better if you decide he uses a cane to get around. I'm incredably light sensitive, and I actually used a long (black) cane to get around for about ten months last year (I found a pair of sunglasses that work, so I don't use it now).

Here's a few links you might want to look at:

http://thoughtprovoker.info/thought.htm It's a website made by a blind man for people with visual impairments. It discusses a lot of issues they have to deal with.

www.nfb.org This is also another interesting website. Go to the publications and read the Braille Monitor- it also deals with issues the blind have to face, and more focus on the government side of the spectrum (the organization is does some lobbying).

http://www.afb.org/ Here's another website about blindness. There's a forum on there if you want to ask questions.

www.aph.org A company in the US that produces only products for the visually impaired. There's a database of alternative techniques VIs use in place of sight.

http://www.independentliving.com/ A site that sells devices for the blind.

"Footsteps in the snow suggest where you have been, point where you were going: but where they suddenly vanish, never dismiss the possibility of flight..." - Diane Duane, A Wizard Alone

Moderator: Nano Soundtracks

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I guess the main question is, exactly how blind is Sylvyrr? While most sighted people assume that blind is blind, you can't see anything and that's it, that's not the case.

I'm considered blind, though I am fairly sighted for a blind person. I also went to a school for the blind, and everyone's eye condition was different in some way. Also, unless your character literally has no eyes, he'll probably at least be able to tell the difference between light and dark, or see things as shadows.

There are all sorts of devices to help blind people function in a sighted world, though many things are just a matter of learning a method of doing things that work, for example, when cleaning, doing things in a systematic way so that you can remember where you've mopped, and actually clean the whole floor. I know you've alreday tried it, but the only way I can think of for you to really get a feel for things is, yes, to blindfold yourself, and do /everything/ blindfolded.

A white cane, or guide dog is good for getting around, and especially if your character is totally blind, he'll probably have to have had lessons to learn how to get places, basically walking the route with another person who can describe things like how many streets you pass before turning, and whether the streets you cross have traffic lights or stop signs so the blind person knows what to expect from the traffic.

Maybe if you can be more specific in the sort of information you're looking for, I can help more? Blindness is quite a broad topic, really.

NaNo 2006: Beneath the Surface -- won!
NaNo 2007: A Conspiracy of Ravens -- ???

I have a specific question. I'm doing a story of a blind kid in a sighted high school. It's a semi-private school, but requires students to do athletics to graduate. Due to his blindness, he's exempted, until his senior year. A regime change makes it necessary for him to join the Swim Team. I've got all that worked out.

But it's not just about swimming. He also goes to classes. For example, Calculus. I was thinking of all the great parallels I could make in a Coming of Age novel with "The Study of Change". But how on earth would a blind person-even one who can differentiate between light and dark-deal with graphs and equations? Integrals? Limits? I have no idea. Help?

I had a friend called Steve who was blind through diabetes. He was a hairdresser, and very creative. He described his blindness as seeing completely green, and like stated above, he could detect shadow, with one side better than the other. Some extremely bright cvolours could stand out, but of course this is because he had a concept of colour as he was sighted.

All of Steve´s friends were sighted. We used to go to the cinema and we would describe quiet bits or exceptional cinematography. He would come clubbing, dance, do everything as normal. just in case this helps...the question "are your other sense better?" would really annoy him and he would reply "yeah, especially my sense of humour to put up with idiots like you" only less polite. In answer, not really.

i think the main difference will be whether the character was blind from birth or previously sighted. In many ways, having been previously sighted would be easier for you to write in some ways. any further advice required? let me know. and good luck :)

I need help building my main character through her blog. Please help me at tastingfreedom.blogspot.com/

But it's not just about swimming. He also goes to classes. For example, Calculus. I was thinking of all the great parallels I could make in a Coming of Age novel with "The Study of Change". But how on earth would a blind person-even one who can differentiate between light and dark-deal with graphs and equations? Integrals? Limits? I have no idea. Help?
For maths, there is a different kind of Braille called Nemith code, which along with numbers includes a way to write things like all the giant fractions. But everything is written on a single line, and yeah, some equations can take up a line or more. There are signs for things like the start and end of fractions, powers, roots, &c. I'm sure there's an integral sign and ways to write limits and things, too, but I don't actually know Nemith code, just that it exists.

Graphs are more difficult. It's quite possible to make tactile graphs. The Braille maths text books that I've seen had a book of graphs that went with them instead of including the graphs in the main book, I think because the graphs had to be embossed on a special sort of plastic paper stuff. But conceptually, even if the person can feel the graph, it's often hard for a blind person to make sense of what's under their fingers, not that they can't learn, and if they had sight and later went blind, it'll probably be easier for them.

NaNo 2006: Beneath the Surface -- won!
NaNo 2007: A Conspiracy of Ravens -- ???

All these replies reminded me to get back to talking about my character, Sylvyrr, here...

Sylvyrr is totally blind, although I'm toying with the idea that he has not been blind all his life--although I've not yet landed on a reason for this. I am fairly certain he can see shadows. He does know Braille, and I'm thinking he will use a cane to get around--so any information about navigating with a cane would be greatly appreciated. As far as blindfolding myself goes, I'm planning a day in the near future where I will go the entire day blindfolded and not allow myself to "cheat" at all. I'm looking forward to the opportunity.

So... information about life with a cane and possibly something about navigating around a large city would be particularly useful as of right now--when I flesh out more about my story's setting, I'll likely have more specific questions.

Thanks to everyone who replied about my initial question, and I hope the other people posting here can find help with theirs too. :3

--------
2006: Dream Hoppers (success!)
2007: No title, no plot, but here I am again~

Well, my topic is a little more conceptual; I am writing about a blind, teenage fairy. She has trouble flying, so she uses a horse to get around. If you know the area well enough, you can get around pretty well without seeing. Would the same be true for horseback riding? Is it unrealistic for her to be riding around a town, blind?

Unfortunately, I do not have a horse that I could try this out with. XD

EditAddict

The difference between "try" and "triumph" is just a little umph!

Just a note: blindfolding yourself won't give you a true experiance because you can take off the blindfold, but it can somewhat help with description. I wish you the best of luck with it, though.

As for navigating with a cane, since I used one, I can help with a fair amount. I don't know much about navigating around a large city, since I rarely left my college campus, and even then it was just across a street to a grocery store. But the basics of it I can help with. I'd just prefer for you to PM me so I don't make a hugely long post. Specific questions are helpful as well.

Unfortunately, Editaddict, I can't really help you. I think it's really not possible, because horses themselves have fairly large blind spots and tend to spook easily. They also tend not to pay attention to things that could knock their riders off them. But I'm not an expert, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

"Footsteps in the snow suggest where you have been, point where you were going: but where they suddenly vanish, never dismiss the possibility of flight..." - Diane Duane, A Wizard Alone

Moderator: Nano Soundtracks

Going for 75k- FINISHED!

HI - I teach the visually impaired and have done so for the last 16 years. I have friends who are completely blind, partially blind, and everything inbetween. I have worked with adults as old as 72 and children as young as 2 months. I am also a certified Orientation and Mobility Instructor (the person that teaches how to travel with a cane). Some answers to questions that have been posted:
1. horses and the blind: miniature horses have actually been used as "guide - horses" for the blind. I think the state was New Hampshire but I'll have to look that up. Some down sides to this arrangement are that horses usually need to be toileted about every four hours. They are also grazing animals so they need to eat more than a dog. They are extremely intelligent so they actually learn routes quickly which was a main reason for the "idea" of a guide-horse. On a side note, Hellen Keller had a horse and was known to go riding in fields surrounding her home with no fear of getting lost. The horse returned home on its own.
2. Nemeth is a true code all it's own. Literary Braille is what reading books are written in. Math books and formulas in science books are written in Nemeth. Music is written in Music Braille. Each is a different code using the same set of symbols. When used in different books the symbols stand for different things. For example: if I write the symbol for "ing" in a math book it would mean "+". A number 1 in a literary book does NOT look/feel like a number 1 in a Nemeth book. I make tactual graphs and charts all the time so that my students can have the same information as other students with sight. I have raised line graph paper, I use something called WikiStix to make the x and y axis and I used a hot glue gun to make the 'dots'. I label with self-stick laminating sheets that I roll into a BrailleWriter to make the letters. Most math books in Braille have pages that use Thermaform. These pages are plastic placed over a created diagram/graph/chart. They are put into an 'iron' type machine and it is pressed together with heat. When it cools the plastic page retains the design and more can be made (helps when making 20 or 30 books).
3. Traveling in a city - thank goodness you are in a populated area! I currently live in a rural area and there is NO public transportation and very few sidewalks which make independent travel very difficult. The city offers much in the way of transportation. Subway, bus, taxi - all are easily accessable to the blind. A guide-dog, by the way, only knows a few commands: left, right, forward, stop, and phoee (bad dog). They do not know 'go home' or 'go to work' and have their own handicaps at times.
Ok - I've rattled on. Feel free to email me any questions. If I don't know it I'll ask some of my friends. I would love to read any of the stories written about the blind - I feel they help my students realize that they really can do anything. Having their 'teacher' tell them sometimes feels fake.

Good luck!

Nano 2005: Story, 10,000 words
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"If I don't know it I'll ask some of my friends. I would love to read any of the stories written about the blind - I feel they help my students realize that they really can do anything. Having their 'teacher' tell them sometimes feels fake."

I'm blinding my MC halfway through his university degree, and I came across this story while researching:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7318398

Your students really *can* do anything.

Wow, this is a very informative thread.

My character is also going to be blind. I've read the thread, and while it has answered many of my concerns, there's one I hope you can answer.

What could be a cause of blindness during childhood? So far, my character would have been born in the US, so most diseases could've been treated right away. I think an accident would be a bit cliché (Daredevil, anyone?), but I haven't ruled it out. Any suggestions?

Off the top of my head: glaucoma, rentinitis pigmentosa, cataracts, severe nearsightedness that can't be corrected with normal glasses, retinopathy of prematurity, detached retinas. There's a lot of eye diseases out there that can't be treated, or can't do much with if they aren't caught in time and the damage has alreay been done. And many of them aren't age exclusive.

"Footsteps in the snow suggest where you have been, point where you were going: but where they suddenly vanish, never dismiss the possibility of flight..." - Diane Duane, A Wizard Alone

Moderator: Nano Soundtracks

Going for 75k- FINISHED!

Here's a random blind-person story that I found interesting:

I knew a dude who was blind. He was okay in the personality department. But he was great at making oragami cranes.
I thought it was sad that he could make them but not enjoy seeing them.

Okay, I'm bumping this topic because I have a blind character and I was just wondering how possible it would be for him to become blind through this method.

He got some chemicals in the eyes several years ago during science class and they had to replace his eyes with glass. Does that seem logical? I've already talked to someone who has a glass eye, so he explained to me how he has to take it out and clean it and that he can't really cry but it does ooze a little.

Thanks.

Have you heard the news that you're dead?
No one ever had much nice to say.
I think they never liked you anyway.

If you're wondering about how people get along, etc., you could check out the pretty good wikipedia article on "blindness". If you want a fuller picture of what could happen for you if you were blind, you could take a glance at the American Foundation for the Blind's page on "Living with Vision Loss": http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=40

There are some great first-hand stories out there. There's a scientist, Geerat Vermeij, who is blind & has a book out about being blind & doing science (http://www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/books/kernel1/kern0610.htm).

There's part of a book on Lewis Jernigan, who led the blind civil-rights movement (http://books.google.com/books?id=WLWA0nQ9Jn0C&pg=PA333&lpg=PA333&dq=blin...).

I have a very close friend who's blind. I might know something helpful, if you have a specific question.

Alice Walker became blind in one eye after being hit in the eye by a BB shot by her brother.
Just in case you're thinking of accidents still.

Thanks guys. :P

Actually, I was looking more specifically for confirmation about whether or not blindness/having eye removed due to chemical contact is reasonable.

If not, does anyone know of a way an eighth grade boy could blind himself. >_> <_<

Have you heard the news that you're dead?
No one ever had much nice to say.
I think they never liked you anyway.

I don't see why that wouldn't be logical.

Sorry, I guess I was answering the previous question, the one you bumped up!

My chemistry teacher in high school warned us that a certain chemical (which I can't remember the name of) will cause instant cataracts on contact with the eye. I have the feeling that other chemicals can do similar things, especially acids.

My own question (yes, I may know a little, but I'm far from an expert): My MC in my new story is legally blind. She can read regular print if she holds it within a few inches from her face. She uses a cane to get around, mostly to check for depth perception, and to let people know she's visually impaired. What kind of things would she do at home? At work (generic cubical farm)? How would people react to her, having some sight but still carrying a cane? Anything else?

"Footsteps in the snow suggest where you have been, point where you were going: but where they suddenly vanish, never dismiss the possibility of flight..." - Diane Duane, A Wizard Alone

Moderator: Nano Soundtracks

Going for 75k- FINISHED!

Okay, so another question. I heard a rumor that people build men's bathrooms on the left and women's bathrooms on the right. Is this true? Can someone confirm or crush this rumor?

Have you heard the news that you're dead?
No one ever had much nice to say.
I think they never liked you anyway.

Well, I have a few friends who are visually imparied, so I might be able to offer a bit if assistance.

If someone says "How much can you see?" one will reply "I can't answer that because I don't know how much /you/ can see." They call sighted people "sightlings" to tease us. Also, they will say "let me see" or "see you later" just like anyone else would.

Independence1776, in partial answer to your question, my friend who uses a cane does not need it in her home. She will still use it at school, however. And she can braille the alphabet in about three seconds flat.

Sorry if this contradicts anything that anyone else knows, I'm not extremely familiar in this area.

my grandfather lost an eye to a fire cracker when he was young

KDawson
http://karendawson.com/