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| Thread ID: 151025 | 2022-12-09 19:16:00 | Why do they say "visually impaired" when they mean "blind"? | Roscoe (6288) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1489596 | 2022-12-09 19:16:00 | Is this another example of PC gone mad? I know two blind men and they both say "blind." One of them, Allen, says emphatically, "I'm not blind! People who are visually impaired usually have some sight and I can distinguish shapes and the difference between night and day. So I am visually impaired, but not blind. I still need a stick and help in some situations, but most of the time I can get around on my own." Allen started a radio station about 20 years ago in Levin called the Radio Reading Service. It was specifically aimed at people with little or no sight. It broadcast newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. It was very successful and was even listened to by sighted people and ran 24 hours until NZ On Air decided to withdraw funding. They said that they wanted to fund video rather than radio. So I just related that to show the difference between visually impaired and blind and also to show that if you have the right attitude a disability is not a handicap. |
Roscoe (6288) | ||
| 1489597 | 2022-12-09 20:17:00 | Because it sounds nicer, without the stigma :) | Zippity (58) | ||
| 1489598 | 2022-12-09 22:42:00 | Is this another example of PC gone mad? I know two blind men and they both say "blind." One of them, Allen, says emphatically, "I'm not blind!" Not sure what you mean ... The third (last) sentence contradicts the second (middle) sentence. I'm not trolling, I just want to understand what you're getting at. For the record I have a great nephew who is visually impaired. I was active for many years as a volunteer for the Blind so I am familiar with both terms. There has never been an issue I'm aware of in that community. |
WalOne (4202) | ||
| 1489599 | 2022-12-09 23:24:00 | A man with one eye can see twice as much as a man with two eyes. How? |
Zippity (58) | ||
| 1489600 | 2022-12-10 02:57:00 | Not sure what you mean ... The third (last) sentence contradicts the second (middle) sentence. I'm not trolling, I just want to understand what you're getting at. For the record I have a great nephew who is visually impaired. I was active for many years as a volunteer for the Blind so I am familiar with both terms. There has never been an issue I'm aware of in that community. What I was getting at is the people at TVNZ in particular think it nicer to say visually impaired than blind. What I am trying to say is let's not bugger about! Blind is blind. Visually impaired does not necessarily mean blind as I said with my example with my partially sighted friend Allen. He has limited vision and as long as he sees you in plenty of time he can avoid walking into you, so as he says, he is not blind but visually impaired. There's a world of difference. |
Roscoe (6288) | ||
| 1489601 | 2022-12-10 06:17:00 | Same concept that people who have died haven't died. They've "passed away", "passed on", "gone to glory", "deceased",whatever. Anything to avoid saying they're dead. Although I know a few people who are partially dead, generally in the top six inches. | Blue Druid (4480) | ||
| 1489602 | 2022-12-10 07:02:00 | I passed wind today. Does that count? Ken :) |
kenj (9738) | ||
| 1489603 | 2022-12-10 07:40:00 | Yeah, most 'blind' people have some degree of light perception. Depending on circumstances, it's possible to be 'blind' from a lack of central clarity but still retaining full peripheral function, and also 'blind' from the opposite scenario, with normal central vision (ie able to see fine detail) but serious loss of peripheral vision making it very hard to orient/find stuff/move about. From my days in the industry I found the most grating use of the 'blind' word to come from Maori, who would regularly ask at the conclusion of a routine eye exam "So am I blind". In common Maori vernacular 'blind' simply means 'would benefit from glasses'. To anybody else 'blind' means 'would benefit from a dog and a cane, a magnifier and a good reading light'. |
Paul.Cov (425) | ||
| 1489604 | 2022-12-10 07:49:00 | I passed wind today. Does that count? Ken :) Only if you passed it *partially* |
Blue Druid (4480) | ||
| 1489605 | 2022-12-10 19:58:00 | I know two blind men and they both say "blind." One of them, Allen, says emphatically, "I'm not blind! People who are visually impaired usually have some sight and I can distinguish shapes and the difference between night and day. So I am visually impaired, but not blind. I still need a stick and help in some situations, but most of the time I can get around on my own." . You say he says blind and then explain how he says he is not blind. My brother is visually impaired. Or has low vision is the other term. he is not blind, just nearly. |
piroska (17583) | ||
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