Questions and debates about blindness:

Nika said:
All the time. One of the reasons I hate asking for help should I need it is because people don't know when to just leave me alone again. Some people go into this Good Samaritan Mode where they are determined to help the "poor blind person" and usually end up doing things they imagine would be helpful but are usually just annoying to me. Examples are insisting on helping me across the street when I don't need it (I can hear the traffic patterns) and telling me the bathrooms are "over there" (what does "over there" mean? Left? Right? Straight ahead?). I know these folks are well-intentioned and only want to be helpful, and I appreciate their intentions. They just don't always execute their intentions very well.
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I can only imagine someone grabbing your arm and practically dragging you across the street. :eek3:
 
i had the same thing happen to me after i lost my hearing and crossed against traffic. i walked directly into traffic when a driver stopped his car to help get me to safety.
 
i had someone call the police on me for veering from side to side while walking down the street using my cane. i had just lost my hearing and wasn't used to following the grassline to keep a straight line of travel. someone in my neighborhood called the police because they thought i was drunk.
 
Hear Again said:
i had someone call the police on me for veering from side to side while walking down the street using my cane. i had just lost my hearing and wasn't used to following the grassline to keep a straight line of travel. someone in my neighborhood called the police because they thought i was drunk.
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That's insane.
 
Hear Again said:
i had someone call the police on me for veering from side to side while walking down the street using my cane. i had just lost my hearing and wasn't used to following the grassline to keep a straight line of travel. someone in my neighborhood called the police because they thought i was drunk.
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Nice. :doh:
 
Blind folks of AD, do you ever get people giving back your money to a sighted friend? I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a restaurant or somewhere with a sighted friend. I hand them my money to pay, and they give the money back to my sighted friend. "Um...that's my money..."
 
nika and society's_child,

what that person did was ridiculous especially since they knew i couldn't hear.
 
Nika said:
Blind folks of AD, do you ever get people giving back your money to a sighted friend? I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a restaurant or somewhere with a sighted friend. I hand them my money to pay, and they give the money back to my sighted friend. "Um...that's my money..."
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Yes, or direct questions at the person with me instead of me <mad>
 
Hear Again said:
i guess what i don't understand is why someone couldn't place their hands over the signer's to know what is being signed instead of using a passive hand.
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I don't know. I guess it's just the way it's done over here.
 
typeingtornado19 said:
Yes, i have had people call the cops to find out why i was waiting for the bus, and had people stop the car in the middle of the street to ask if i needed help.
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I've had people call the police on me as well. I kept getting lost. It's really embarrassing.
 
Hear Again said:
i had someone call the police on me for veering from side to side while walking down the street using my cane. i had just lost my hearing and wasn't used to following the grassline to keep a straight line of travel. someone in my neighborhood called the police because they thought i was drunk.
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I had that problem the first time I needed sleepers when going out. I was taking a pottery class at this college. People contacted the college and the college insisted that my dad brought me and took me back. I never got my dad to understand that I did not really need that help.

Before you lost your hearing how did you manage to keep in a straight line? I'm curious as I've never relied on my hearing to get about. Even when I was hard of hearing.
 
Nika said:
Blind folks of AD, do you ever get people giving back your money to a sighted friend? I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a restaurant or somewhere with a sighted friend. I hand them my money to pay, and they give the money back to my sighted friend. "Um...that's my money..."
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I wouldn't really know since if I've got a hearing sighted person with me they would usually communicate with people for me.

If I'm on my own they are hardly likely to give Jilli the money.

Although when I did go to a shop on my own once this lady asked me who my minder was.
 
dreama,

i have people asking me who my caretaker is all the time too. mostly from cab drvers.
 
dreama said:
Before you lost your hearing how did you manage to keep in a straight line? I'm curious as I've never relied on my hearing to get about. Even when I was hard of hearing.
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dreama,

i did this by listening to the sound of parallel traffic alongside me. i could also tell that i was approaching a street corner by hearing perpendicular traffic passing in front of me or cars turning in front of me.
 
okay, instead of complaining about sighted people, let's talk about some of the good things they have done. i'll start:

1. as i mentioned, i had a sighted-hearing person get out of his car and help me across the street after i walked directly into oncoming traffic.

2. when i visited my gp's office for the very first time, i had a great deal of difficulty finding the reception desk. i aimed around aimlessly because i couldn't hear where other patients were (which is the sound cue i usually use to tell where a counter in a store or clinic is). i trailed the wall hoping i could find the reception desk that way, but all i kept doing was walking alongside a very long wall. as it turned out, my gp's office space was an open design meaning that the reception desk was located on the opposite side of where i was as well as the waiting room seating area. someone finally noticed me walking around and guided me to the reception desk.

there are plenty of other examples, but i will leave it at that for now.
 
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