Do you ever feel tempted to stop someone in the street just because they have a white cane or a guide dog? I do. I realise how inappropriate this is but I am still tempted to introduce myself to this one particular man whom I see at least once a week. He has a daughter at a local school and I see him frequently on the school run. But what to say? "Hi! You're severly sight impaired! So is my daughter! I don't know any real-life blind adults. Can we get together for coffee so that I can ask you lots of personal questions about your life?". Yeah, right.
Do blind people acknowledge each other when they meet, compare conditions and commiserate? Someone did tell me that he can always spot a visually impaired person even though he is blind. But I guess I should just mind my own business (this is London, after all) and wait for a time when our paths might actually cross or when Charlotte is not in her pram and he might notice her and introduce himself. That would be nice. In the meantime, it is nice to witness an essentially normal Dad, walking his kid to school, taking her and her friend home again, going to the gym, talking to people in the street, talking on the phone and looking for all the world like any other person in the neighbourhood. (I did say I see him a lot - I swear I am not a stalker!)
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Oh we to struggle with that same thing. Mostly we never say anything to anyone and I later regret it. I love when people come up to me and talk. Well, that's not always true. We have a lot of religious zealots that are for some reason drawn to Rocco. we have actually had people ask if they could pray for him (which is completely fine), but they want to lay hands on him. It's part of the born again Christians. we are very respectful of these people, but sometimes I feel like they are pretty misguided. No one will be able to give Rocco sight, not even Jesus. We prefer not to get other people's pity.
ReplyDeleteI digress. I wish we lived in a big city where we may encounter more visually impaired people. My husband travels for work and when he recently went to Portland, Oregon he was amazed by the number of blind people he saw. He didn't say anything to any of them. I wonder if they would find it rude?
We are just so curious aren't we? It's our children and their future and we want to be best prepared.
I think being achromat and being blind is very different. However, speaking to this blind man, why not ?
ReplyDeleteI also want to say that I think it is really easier for an achromat to live in a big city that in the country, because achromats cannot drive, and cycling may be dangerous.