Earlier this year, blind author and illustrator Paul Castle was turned away from a Seattle restaurant when he entered the establishment with his guide dog. As Castle told CBS News, a restaurant employee didn’t believe he was blind since he appeared to be “making eye contact.” Therefore, the employee assumed that the guide dog was a fake.
Castle’s experience was one example of the misconceptions that many people have about blindness. “Blindness is a spectrum,” said Castle, who has retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that causes a gradual loss of sight.
According to blind journalist David W. Wannop who writes for the Lighthouse, the idea that most people who are blind are completely blind is a misconception.
“Actually, the definition of legal blindness covers a range of conditions,” says Wannop. “Some have tunnel vision, others peripheral. Some can read large print. Others have focusing difficulties. Most blind people are not completely without sight.”
There are many other misconceptions about blindness. For example, the belief that blind people are not capable of living independently is simply false.
According to the Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, “People who are blind can do almost anything. They just do it differently. Not only can people who are blind live independently, they can raise a family, have a meaningful career, play sports, travel and more. Vision-loss rehabilitation and other training teaches skills and strategies so a person who has lost vision can live the life they want to. Eye2Eye [the university’s free, phone-based, peer support program, designed to assist adults who are blind or visually impaired and their families] exists to provide the emotional support that rehabilitative services often do not include.”
Likewise, some assume that blind people can’t use technology. Nothing could be further from the truth, says Rutgers. “Technology is a way of life for people who are blind. People who are blind use computers, mobile phones, apps and other tech to enhance their independence and make the world more accessible. Many people who are blind say technology has revolutionized their lives.”
Enabling Devices offers products designed to help children and adults with blindness in a variety of ways. These include:
- The Tactile Communicator Say It Play It (#4210) is a new product in our VI line. Press any of the four plates to play a pre-recorded message and simultaneously activate a toy or device.
- The Bright Switch for the Visually Impaired (#2045) has a bright blinking light that makes it easy for blind or visually impaired users to find. When activated, the switch’s textured yellow light shines, music plays and the switch vibrates.
- The Cheap Talk 6 for VI (#6056) is a popular six level communicator with six bright yellow and red switches outlined in black that make it easier for blind or visually impaired users to see and operate.
- The Tactile Symbol Communicator (#4040) is another communicator especially designed for blind or visually impaired individuals. This this six-level device has room for 36 six-second messages.
To discover more of Enabling Devices’ products for blind and visually impaired users, visit our website.
