In talking to new friends in the blind community, I've come across some funny questions asked by the uninformed. These are just some of the few that I thought would make you smile.
1. How do you eat?
2. How do you have sex?
3. How do you go to the bathroom?
4. More specifically, how do you wipe your butt?
5. Are you just faking for attention?
6. How do you parent your child if you're blind?
7. Where are your sunglasses?
8. Do you know Steevie Wonder?
9. How do you walk?
10. How many fingers am I holding up?
11. What color is my hand?
12. Can you see me?
13. How do you read?
Though I could pick apart all of these for a million paragraphs, diagraming exactly why they are rediculous... I won't, at least not right now. That would be for another post on another day. For now, just join me and laugh at some of the silly things that blind people have been asked.
PS... please keep in mind that these questions were mostly asked by full grown adults... and then laugh a little harder
PLAYING THE BLIND CARD... Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those cards you hold well. And always remember when life's got you down, keep your head up... you can't see the ground anyway.
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Moments That Leave You Speachless
1. When a child innocently asks you "did you just see that?" You want to be polite so you just smile and say yes. Without hesitation they utter their confused responce, "But you can't see."
2. When you tell the store clerk you need help with your debit card because your blind. Instead of acting normal, they panic and start yelling "OF ... COURSE... I... CAN... HELP... YOU!!!" They speak loud, slow and with far two much lip action because of course you are blind, so you must be deaf too.
3. When you five year olds draws a picture of you and makes sure to draw you with glasses so that you will be able to see.
4. That moment when your sitting in an appointment, realize you have to pee something fierce, excuse yourself, then jump up and rush out of the room forgetting you're blind. By the way, this is usally followed by a trip and stumble over a chair or other object. Not to mention the all too mortifying slam into the wall.
5. When driving with your Gram, someone jumps out of their car to charge at beloved Gram on a road raging rampage. Again for getting your blind, you in turn jump out of the car to rush at him and handle the situation. (This actually happened to me and will be explained in a future "Did That Really Just Happen?" post)
These are of course just a few speachless rendering little moments. I have tons and will continue to share them with you. I would love to hear yours. Please leave them in the comment section or shoot me a private email. I will collect responces and add them into future lists.
2. When you tell the store clerk you need help with your debit card because your blind. Instead of acting normal, they panic and start yelling "OF ... COURSE... I... CAN... HELP... YOU!!!" They speak loud, slow and with far two much lip action because of course you are blind, so you must be deaf too.
3. When you five year olds draws a picture of you and makes sure to draw you with glasses so that you will be able to see.
4. That moment when your sitting in an appointment, realize you have to pee something fierce, excuse yourself, then jump up and rush out of the room forgetting you're blind. By the way, this is usally followed by a trip and stumble over a chair or other object. Not to mention the all too mortifying slam into the wall.
5. When driving with your Gram, someone jumps out of their car to charge at beloved Gram on a road raging rampage. Again for getting your blind, you in turn jump out of the car to rush at him and handle the situation. (This actually happened to me and will be explained in a future "Did That Really Just Happen?" post)
These are of course just a few speachless rendering little moments. I have tons and will continue to share them with you. I would love to hear yours. Please leave them in the comment section or shoot me a private email. I will collect responces and add them into future lists.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I Want To Talk To You!
I am interested in interviewing people for Playing The Blind Card. The beauty of it is you don’t even have to be blind or even visually impaired.
Do you have a blind friend or family member? If so I’d like to talk to you. Sighted people who interact regularly with the blind community have an interesting perspective on the subject of blindness. It is also possible that you have a funny story to share. Maybe you have a message you would like to share.
If you have never met a blind or visually impaired person I’d also like to talk to you. Just because you’ve never met one of us doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable thoughts or opinions to share with readers. We can have a conversation that might inform readers about preconceived notions or stereotypes you may have learned in your lifetime. Don’t worry! This is a learning exercise only! It is not to make a person feel bad for something that they do not know. After all, no question is a dumb question. And no opinion is a bad one as long as it’s respectful to others.
Are you a professional working in the disability field? Do you offer a special service for the blind or visually impaired? If so, Id’ also like to talk to you. I would love to have the opportunity to tell readers about the special service you provide. If I fall in love with it, I will even put a link to your site on Playing The Blind Card.
Last but especially not least, if you are blind or visually impaired I want to talk to you. This is a call to all my fellow Blindy’s! Standing together we can make a difference. I would like you to help me inform readers about blindness. Have you accomplished something that might surprise people? Do you have an interesting job? Do you have kids? Do you have a guide dog? Do you just have something to say?
`If you fit any of the descriptions above I want to talk to you. Please either leave a comment under this post or use the contact link to the right to Email me directly. I would love to interview you for future posts. I hope to hear from you soon and remember… Together we can make a difference!
Do you have a blind friend or family member? If so I’d like to talk to you. Sighted people who interact regularly with the blind community have an interesting perspective on the subject of blindness. It is also possible that you have a funny story to share. Maybe you have a message you would like to share.
If you have never met a blind or visually impaired person I’d also like to talk to you. Just because you’ve never met one of us doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable thoughts or opinions to share with readers. We can have a conversation that might inform readers about preconceived notions or stereotypes you may have learned in your lifetime. Don’t worry! This is a learning exercise only! It is not to make a person feel bad for something that they do not know. After all, no question is a dumb question. And no opinion is a bad one as long as it’s respectful to others.
Are you a professional working in the disability field? Do you offer a special service for the blind or visually impaired? If so, Id’ also like to talk to you. I would love to have the opportunity to tell readers about the special service you provide. If I fall in love with it, I will even put a link to your site on Playing The Blind Card.
Last but especially not least, if you are blind or visually impaired I want to talk to you. This is a call to all my fellow Blindy’s! Standing together we can make a difference. I would like you to help me inform readers about blindness. Have you accomplished something that might surprise people? Do you have an interesting job? Do you have kids? Do you have a guide dog? Do you just have something to say?
`If you fit any of the descriptions above I want to talk to you. Please either leave a comment under this post or use the contact link to the right to Email me directly. I would love to interview you for future posts. I hope to hear from you soon and remember… Together we can make a difference!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Helping To Teach Tolerance
One good aspect of being the only blind member in your family is your ability to teach tolerance. It’s the perfect way for a “normal” person to have positive interactions with a disabled person. Most of all problems start from lack of knowledge. Having a disabled person in the family is a chance to learn that different is beautiful.
Many people react strongly when face to face with someone who is different than what they are used to. For some it’s hard to even approach a disabled person. They may even give them a wide birth and simply stare from a distance. Unfortunately, there is a multitude of complications with this reaction. First, by not approaching the person you may be missing out on a meaningful interaction that could form a long lasting friendship. Second, the person you’re staring at probably is well aware of the fact that you are staring at them. Third, you’re missing out on a chance to answer your own inquiries about the type of disability the person has.
Another common reaction is to treat the disabled person as though they are not mentally capable of holding an intelegent conversation/dialogue. For example: It’s never necessary to treat a thirty year old blind man as though he has the mental capacity of a three year old. All this will cause is a negative response from the person you’re attempting to interact with. The only incidence you should talk to a person as though they are a child is if they are one.
If you see a blind person (or any other type of disabled person) don’t be afraid to approach them. They wont bite, at least not mormaly. If you like their shirt tell them. If you have a question ask it of them. If asked appropriately the question will more than likely receive a positive reaction and maybe you will learn something about the person in the process. The only dumb question is the one you didn’t ask. I myself would much rather have someone ask me a question about my blindness then have them sit there and stare at me wondering silently.
When a disabled person is in your family that allows you to have normal day to day interactions with that person. It unconsciously teaches you that there’s a person behind the disability. They are not just a label from a pigeon hole stereotype. They have feelings, thoughts, opinions and knowledge that are valuable if just given the chance to express them. Instead of saying “this is my cousin Nikki and she’s blind”, maybe you’ll learn to say “this is my cousin Nikki and she’s a funny, intelegent wonderful person who just happens to be blind”. A disability is a very small part of someone. It is in no way, shape, or form the defining factor of their character.
A wonderful example of learned tolerance from my own life is that of my niece. She has grown up with a blind auntie pretty much all of her life. She has never known me with sight at least that she remembers. I lost my sight when she was far to young to have a strong recollection of me being able to see her.
When she was barely in grade school she was faced with a blind classmate that was in her grade. None of her other classmates played with the blind girl and she was always alone at recess other than her helper. A lot of the kids stared and whispered about her and rarely talked to her directly.
This of course changed with my niece. She was used to being around me, so she knew the right way to interact and assist a blind person. She took it apon herself to talk to the girl and get to know her. She assisted her when needed without doing so in a mocking way. They became good friends both at school and outside of it. My niece didn’t allow a small difference to influence her decision to make a knew friend. I am very proud of her for taking the chance and going against the grain.
If more people took this stand in life it would be a much more tolerant place for all. Difference IS beautiful and knowledge IS power. I challenge my readers to make an effort to connect with a person they would otherwise not interact with. I promise the result will be worth it and will have a meaningful impact on your life.
PS… I apologize for referring to the girl in my example as “the blind girl”. This was in no way intended to go against my advice and place a label on her. I don’t like to name names in my stories and it was simply a method of differentiating her in the story for clarification purposes only.
Many people react strongly when face to face with someone who is different than what they are used to. For some it’s hard to even approach a disabled person. They may even give them a wide birth and simply stare from a distance. Unfortunately, there is a multitude of complications with this reaction. First, by not approaching the person you may be missing out on a meaningful interaction that could form a long lasting friendship. Second, the person you’re staring at probably is well aware of the fact that you are staring at them. Third, you’re missing out on a chance to answer your own inquiries about the type of disability the person has.
Another common reaction is to treat the disabled person as though they are not mentally capable of holding an intelegent conversation/dialogue. For example: It’s never necessary to treat a thirty year old blind man as though he has the mental capacity of a three year old. All this will cause is a negative response from the person you’re attempting to interact with. The only incidence you should talk to a person as though they are a child is if they are one.
If you see a blind person (or any other type of disabled person) don’t be afraid to approach them. They wont bite, at least not mormaly. If you like their shirt tell them. If you have a question ask it of them. If asked appropriately the question will more than likely receive a positive reaction and maybe you will learn something about the person in the process. The only dumb question is the one you didn’t ask. I myself would much rather have someone ask me a question about my blindness then have them sit there and stare at me wondering silently.
When a disabled person is in your family that allows you to have normal day to day interactions with that person. It unconsciously teaches you that there’s a person behind the disability. They are not just a label from a pigeon hole stereotype. They have feelings, thoughts, opinions and knowledge that are valuable if just given the chance to express them. Instead of saying “this is my cousin Nikki and she’s blind”, maybe you’ll learn to say “this is my cousin Nikki and she’s a funny, intelegent wonderful person who just happens to be blind”. A disability is a very small part of someone. It is in no way, shape, or form the defining factor of their character.
A wonderful example of learned tolerance from my own life is that of my niece. She has grown up with a blind auntie pretty much all of her life. She has never known me with sight at least that she remembers. I lost my sight when she was far to young to have a strong recollection of me being able to see her.
When she was barely in grade school she was faced with a blind classmate that was in her grade. None of her other classmates played with the blind girl and she was always alone at recess other than her helper. A lot of the kids stared and whispered about her and rarely talked to her directly.
This of course changed with my niece. She was used to being around me, so she knew the right way to interact and assist a blind person. She took it apon herself to talk to the girl and get to know her. She assisted her when needed without doing so in a mocking way. They became good friends both at school and outside of it. My niece didn’t allow a small difference to influence her decision to make a knew friend. I am very proud of her for taking the chance and going against the grain.
If more people took this stand in life it would be a much more tolerant place for all. Difference IS beautiful and knowledge IS power. I challenge my readers to make an effort to connect with a person they would otherwise not interact with. I promise the result will be worth it and will have a meaningful impact on your life.
PS… I apologize for referring to the girl in my example as “the blind girl”. This was in no way intended to go against my advice and place a label on her. I don’t like to name names in my stories and it was simply a method of differentiating her in the story for clarification purposes only.
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