Thread: Anybody knows a 100% blind person?

As in those that have no sense of vision at all.

I am outlining a story I want to write. The protagonist is a guy that was blind since birth, it's a story about magic but I still have many blanks to fill.

One of those blanks is the lifestyle of my protagonist. I'm doing some research but I've had a hard time finding anything useful. Do you guys know someone who's completely blind? how is his or her lifestyle? What can he or she do with ease or struggle with?

This will probably be of no use whatsoever. I just throw it in, because that’s what people do, in forums. But is your story going to be deadly serious, or is there a chance for humour in any form? Only back in my days as a cabdriver I knew a lady who was legally blind – legally, as in certified blind by an ophthalmologist for pension purposes - yet she worked as a seamstress.

Hmm... Not really dead serious, but very light in humor. His blindness won't last long, either. As soon as the story kicks starts he gains a slightly different kind of vision, but I want to get the the reactions and adjustments right.

And that's a really amazing story, Ox.

I've spoken to a blind chap once. Know what really gave me the willies? When he described what it was like to be blind (he gradually lost his sight due to diabetes).

You know that feeling you get when you imagine the appearance of your back? As if you were a person walking behind yourself, looking at you; your back.

Yeah, he said that's what it's like. It really gave me the creeps at the time.

I do that 50% of the time, in my dreams.

Hmmm.

Aldous Huxley experimented with hallucinogens (peyote, I think) for The Doors of Perception, so why not try a half pint of Absinthe for the effects of blindness. Don't drink too much of the stuff though, there's a fine line between blindness and death.

I'm not blind, but I was born visually impaired and I can give you a few pointers on blind mannerisms, since I've met a few fully blind people in my lifetime. I can also probably talk your ear off about what it's like to be disabled in general. And believe me, any problems your protagonist faces as a result of his disability have a lot more to do with the ignorance of others than actual physical challenges. Just lay some questions and I'll see what I can answer.

My advice to you beyond that would be to try and go to a support forum for the blind and visually impaired. Just explain, right away, that you aren't disabled but you're writing a book with a blind protagonist and you want to make sure you avoid sterotypes and accurately represent what blindness is like. Politely ask for permission to join for a little while so that you can find some people who can help you with research. I suggest getting a few people to help with this as one blind person's experience will be very different from another.

Alternatively, if this sounds like it might imposing, I could always be able to get in contact with some blind people or people who work with the blind and give them your email address/other contact information. I can't guarantee they'll agree to talk you, but I know enough visually impaired people that I can talk to them and send your details to quite a few potiential blind sources.