Blind person connecting with a for sale sign

A sighted perspective on visual impairment or blindness

It has been illuminating to join a group of visually impaired and blind people on a Community Reporting course and discover the difficulties of everyday life that they encounter but overcome with technology, ingenuity (mind maps) and determination.

The consequences of sight loss seldom warrant consideration by the majority of sighted people.  Many, including myself, take the sense of sight for granted without considering how its loss would affect the performance of the simplest of everyday activities.

For instance, the use of mind maps to aid location of household objects (kettles) or routes (a trip to the shops).  Nonetheless, accompanying members of the group on a recent outing illustrated how an everyday activity such as a short walk can become an at best inconvenient or at the worst, a hazardous obstacle course.  For example, shrubs that overhang a footpath can scratch facial skin whilst an overhanging for sale sign risks a banged head and loss of orientation.

I am ashamed to conclude that if I lost my sight, not only would I struggle to make a hot drink, I would definitely be frightened to venture beyond my front door, which illustrates the importance of local support groups, such as Blind Life.

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