PS: I’m Blind

For those who are blind, sighted, and everything in between.

[ps-im-blind]

For anyone who may be new here…

First of all, welcome! Whether you’re a fellow blind/visually impaired person, or you’re a sighted person that’s curious about what it’s like to be “livin’ the blind life,” you are more than welcome here. That being said, there are a few things you may want to know, or that may be helpful to you that I’d like to address.

1. I’d like to add a little disclaimer: I have something called Oculocutaneous Albinism. That being said, it does mean I have a severe visual impairment, but I am not completely blind, nor am I claiming to be. About 80-90% of “blind people” have some functional vision, so please before you try to accuse me of “faking” I encourage you to educate yourself on the VIP community (which is what this blog is for, anyway).

3. If you haven’t already noticed, I like to write in large print and bold. I do this because it’s easier on the eyes, whether or not you’re visually impaired. It’s part of my way to make Tumblr accessible! Feel free to “steal” my formats, I don’t mind. If it helps someone, then that’s great!

4. I use a lot of abbreviations, such as BVI (blind or visually impaired, VIP (visually impaired person), and stuff like that. I’ll usually clarify if it’s one I don’t use often, but these are the main ones I use.

5. Oh, and I am a devout Catholic. It comes up in practically every aspect of my life (@blindandblessed is where I post Catholic stuff) but don’t be surprised if I mention it here and there.

6. Even though this blog was created to spread awareness about the VIP community, I believe that being truly accessible means working to cater to all disabilities and needs. That being said, I do not have much experience or knowledge in these areas (though I am actively learning) so feel free to message me if there’s something I have missed (transcriptions, trigger warnings, etc.)

Here are a few of the resource tags you may find here.

#know your blind terms: educate yourself on parts of the eye, different eye diseases, vision terminology, etc.

#blind problems: I’m sure many VIPs will find these relatable

#blind tech: cool apps and tools for VIPs

#blind jokes: for those who can appreciate some humor (I only add/reblog positive jokes, never anything condescending or belittling).

#dear sighted world and #sincerely a blind girl: just me ranting, mainly about ableism.

Oh, and for my fellow VIPs…

1. Header is a pastel purple to rose gradient.

2. Avatar is a generic picture of a braille page.

3. I try to make all my content large print, but I can’t change other content, like captions or reblogs, so all that will be labeled #small print.

And with that, enjoy the blog!

[what-even-is-thiss]

I never used to understand what “making connections” looked like but it turns out it’s standing at a party and saying “I’ve been thinking about getting into the film industry” and someone saying “Oh, Sarah works in the film industry” and Sarah yelling from accross the room “Did someone say my name?!?!?!”

[what-even-is-thiss]

You casually mention that you’ve been thinking about such and such and your professor overhears and is like “oh I know someone who works there. Do you want me to email them for you?” And you go “Sure.”

[what-even-is-thiss]

It’s the six layers of separation thing. Everyone is only so many layers away from everyone else. So if you stand in the correct rooms and say the correct things out loud once in a while eventually someone will say “Oh, I know a guy.”

[what-even-is-thiss]

And then eventually you turn into the guy that someone knows. I think. It’s hard to tell.

[ps-im-blind]

Dude. This is literally how I got so much accessibility shit pushed through at my university. On day one it frustrated me that there were no adequate braille signs in several buildings I went to (some were incorrect, others were either formatted or placed incorrectly, and some were just flat out not there at all).

Anyways, so I go to a student org for students in my major, and I apologized for being late and mentioned that it was because the braille sign on their door had the braille above the print instead of under, so I couldn’t find it and passed by the room several times.

Well someone brought it up to the student council for my department, and they brought it up at a university-wife meeting and… well, now we’re getting decent braille signs made!

[ps-im-blind]

Oh how I wish I could get my favorite Barbie movies with audio description…

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Just for once I’d like to tell the gate agents and flight attendants that my folding wheelchair is going into the onboard closet and not have them tell me there’s “no room”. Bitch that’s a wheelchair closet, not a “your bags” closet. Move your damn bags where they belong.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Ok, so according to my friendly aviation expert, this is a Big Fucking Deal. In fact, if an airline argues with you about putting your wheelchair in the wheelchair closet or even suggests there may not be room, unless there is already another passenger’s wheelchair in that closet, they have violated federal law.

CFR Title 14, Chapter II, Subchapter D, Part 382, Subpart E, Section 382.67, Subsection (e)

“As a carrier, you must never request or suggest that a passenger not stow his or her wheelchair in the cabin to accommodate other passengers (e.g., informing a passenger that stowing his or her wheelchair in the cabin will require other passengers to be removed from the flight), or for any other non-safety related reason (e.g., that it is easier for the carrier if the wheelchair is stowed in the cargo compartment).”

Source

This is hugely important because it means that if this happens to you, you should report their asses to the DOT. Why? Because these statistics are published every year for every airline, and the airline gets a huge ass fine for every violation. If we want to see change, we need to make airlines literally pay every time they treat us this way.

[thefreakhasgreeneyes]

@annieelainey you should share this with your followers! This is important info!!

[coolmanfromthepast]

To my mutuals on wheels, print out the law before you fly and whip it out at the gate if they don’t accomodate your wheels.

[typical-atheist-scumbag]

Thanks a lot for posting this, bro! Flying while crippled is already difficult enough without people pulling this kind of shit. Also, make sure that if there is a piece of your wheelchair or something important missing off of it, that you make a big fucking deal out of it! I’ve had pieces fall off of my wheelchair and nearly lost a decoration I had on it that meant a lot to me because people were careless with my chair. Don’t let them mistreat your wheelchair.

[prismatic-bell]

Non-wheelchair folks:

Now that you know, speak up.

You never know when you’re going to see someone who needs an ally.

[the-haiku-bot]

You never know when

you’re going to see someone

who needs an ally.

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[ps-im-blind]

Gotta love it when Tumblr ads try to tell me I can naturally reverse the macular degeneration that I don’t even have.

[lionsonjupiter]

when i move out i'll have access to mobility aids. wondering how difficult it would be to operate a manual wheelchair while using a white cane.

[ps-im-blind]

I have some BVI friends who use manual wheelchairs, and most find that guide dogs are actually much more helpful than white canes (please don’t let this discourage you from using one though. Cane skills are still very important.)

[thespoonisvictory]

people misunderstand what ‘gifted kid’ actually means but it’s ok it’s fine it’s cool it’s good

[thespoonisvictory]

it’s not about actually being gifted, it’s about an initial higher scoring on standardized testing that means little to nothing or being good at learning in the way elementary and middle school wants you to, so you get marked as ‘advanced’. in reality, maybe you had faster development in certain areas, but the issue with being a gifted kid isn’t that “everyone told me I was so cool and special for reading and then I actually wasn’t :(” it’s “I wasn’t properly taught to handle things not coming easily to me, but the adults around me were counting on me not being a ‘difficult’ child in school.”

people who use it as some weird bragging method or interpret it that way are ignoring the way a lot of school systems force certain roles on students to simplify the learning process. If your kid doesn’t need to take notes to understand a science concept bc they get it naturally, well that’s good, but now you’re not teaching them how to take notes and they’re not learning that important soft skill. but because ‘gifted’ kids are easy and don’t show that they’re falling behind in learning in other categories that are harder to quantify, they eventually fall behind after that catches up to them. It’s about the failures of a one size fits all school system trying to compensate in the worst way possible.

[jabberwockypie]

And also the thing where ‘gifted’ kids are super likely to also be neuroatypical, which they don’t get screened for because they appear to be doing well in school. Or “You can’t be ADHD/autistic/etc, because you’re doing so well in school!”. Or being shamed for developing mental health issues/generally not being able to keep up with school work later, because you USED TO BE able to do it just fine.

Or the assumption that just because you can read well or you like math class, you’re somehow more EMOTIONALLY mature than your little kid brain is actually capable of being.

Or gifted kids whose parents and teachers put immense pressure on them to Do Great Things and Save The World and you’re like. “I’m 10 and I have no idea how to do that, but everyone is saying that’s my job?”.

[ps-im-blind]

If I may add. Also, those of us that do have a disability and are labeled as a gifted kid due to inspiration porn.

There were kids I went to school with that were so intelligent and creative (many were much more “gifted” than I was), and most of them got overlooked because everyone was too busy gawking at a blind girl who managed to pass her classes and was called “inspirational”

Not to mention, there was an extreme amount of pressure on me to live up to sighted peoples’ expectations. I was expected to work twice as hard, and if a course was inaccessible or too fast paced for me? Switching classes was never really an option. Because in my mind, if I couldn’t at least be good at academics, or “overcome” my disability—if I wasn’t a “smart blind girl” and was just a “blind girl”— then what good was I? It wasn’t enough for me to just exist. Or to have friends and make okay grades and do what I liked and have a normal childhood. If I wasn’t wicked smart, there was just no hope for me having a life worth living.

Not to mention, this also gave me the mentality that I had to “earn” accommodations and accessibility by being “smart.” I’ve had teachers before tell me when I miss several homeworks or make bad grades, “I can’t keep making all these enlarged/braille copies if you’re not going to use them right.” And like, I get it. Teachers have a huge workload, and it can be frustrating to make all these extra materials, only to see no progress. But getting accommodations isn’t about “rewarding me” for being “gifted,” it’s about offering a free and equal education to a blind student. And if the able-bodied kid that never does any work still gets made a copy of class handouts, has a seat in the classroom, and gets treated normally, then a disabled student should get the same treatment.

[colealexmain]

say what you want about naughty dog and the last of us 2, but they’ve really set the bar when it comes to accessibility options. other game devs should take note. (link to thread)

[alexseanchai]

irony is a thread about accessibility for low- or no-vision users, presented as a series of screenshots with barely a summary and no transcripts.

[image 1: Reddit post by SightlessKombat entitled “As A Gamer Without Sight, I’ve completed The Last Of Us Part II entirely without sighted assistance.” post text below:]

Just for context and to answer the first questions that normally comes into people’s heads, I have no sight whatsoever and use the term gamer without sight as “legal blindness”, often just shortened to being “blind”, can and often does include usable and or residual vision, which I’ve never had.

I started playing the game a couple of days before it launched thanks to an early review copy from Sony. Since then I’ve put so many hours into the game and finally finished my first playthrough today at around 22:30. Thanks to the accessibility options in this landmark title, I’ve not needed any sighted assistance whatsoever and this is the first time I’m able to say this for any videogame.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I may even expand this post, but just wanted to start it off and leave it here to recognise my first completion of this phenomenal title.

[image 2, two comments, transcribed below:]

WelcomeToOuterHeaven replies:

Congrats! That’s really awesome. Which accessibility options are you referring to and how do they work? I think i’ve heard something about this.

SightlessKombat replies:

This is not an exhaustive list, but it should give you some idea

• TTS (for the narration of the UI)

• Navigational Assistance (to aid me in traversing the environment)

• Enhanced Listen Mode (to allow me to scan for items and enemies with audio cues and track them with navigational assistance)

• Target Lock/auto-aim to allow me to line up my shots via audio cues and allow me to more quickly take down enemies

• Unlimited invisibility whilst prone (to better allow me to strategise in stealth scenarios, stealth attack unaware enemies and account for my inability to see cover.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask and I hope this information was useful.

[image 3: two comments, transcribed below:]

smiteymcsmiteface replies:

That’s super cool, congrats dude glad you got to enjoy it. Are there other games with this level of accessibility or is this new in your experience?

SightlessKombat replies:

This level? This is the first. Other games that could potentially be this accessible? There are at least a few. Some games have had these features in various forms, but not everything in one package like this. That’s why it’s such a landmark moment for the industry.

[alfredo-zauce]

Thank you for transcribing it. Everyone who shares, make sure you get this version!

[dissociativedoe]

sending love out tonight to everyone who is progressively losing their abilities, whether that's movement, ability to walk, eyesight, or hearing.

it's hard to come to terms with the fact that you can't do things that you used to be able to do. I'll be honest, it feels like you're losing control of your life. it can feel very isolating and hopeless. its scary and overwhelming, and it's so hard to deal with.

you are not less than just because you can do less. im proud of you for still being here, and i wish you ease with adjusting to new ways of life. please take care of yourself, i love you.

[deaf-bakugou]

It is a true process of grief. Remember to be kind to yourselves.

[ps-im-blind]

[ID: Screenshot of a Tumblr ad that reads, “One odd trick restores your eyes to perfect 20/20 vision”]

[can-of-pringles]

I don't know who needs to hear this but

Disabled minors/minors with chronic conditions,

you're not a financial drain on your family. You are not a financial burden to your family. You deserve the care you need without needing to feel guilty for it.

[tikkety-tok]

"Love taking an 8 minute route that takes an abled 2 minutes"

[tonka-bean]

Able-bodied people, this is what your world is like. In a new situation it's also usually impossible to even know an alternate route, so the options are like enduring the painful and dangerous illegal barriers or...going home. And for the people suggesting the op report these things- that's a great suggestion but you should also be aware of how often businesses, governments, schools flat out ignore concerns like this.

If it troubles you, I highly suggest making your own complaints every time you see something like this.

Do not shop at businesses that break the law. Do not let governments who deny disabled rights go unchallenged. Don't do nothing when your world is dangerous to us.

[ps-im-blind]

Sometimes, the worst thing you can say to someone who is visually impaired is “just use your eyes.”

[bookofmirth]

I’m a simple being. I see a book, I want to read it.

[ameliaadriannabooks]

I buy the book. I do not read it.

[ps-im-blind]

I do not see the book. I cannot read it. I have the urge to buy it anyway.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Newborn babies all have terrible eyesight so that their brains don’t have to process as much information. Which I think is a little bit funny.

Nature was like “Look, we get it. There’s a lot of stuff out here. A lot of pores on your dad’s face. You have no idea what a hand is. Don’t worry about the pores for now. Just figure out, in general, what a hand is and then maybe we”ll pump it up to high res.”

[fivemanwaltz]

I only got a decade or so of hi-res life before my eyes were like "actually thats enough, pack it in"

[owlet]

man like. i’d really like people to spread this information because i think there’s a lot of very well-meaning people out there who need to learn this:

pushing someone’s wheelchair without first getting their consent is a violation of that person’s autonomy.

sometimes when i’m going up ramps i’ll struggle a bit, and VERY frequently people will just take the handles and start to push, thinking they’re doing me a favor.

and maybe they would have been doing me a favor… if they had taken the time to get permission. please try to have some sympathy with us: think about how alarming it would be if a complete stranger took control of your body without asking. that is what is going on! when you do that to a person in a wheelchair that is quite literally what you’re doing! 

do not do this, and don’t be surprised if people get angry if you do. a simple “do you need help?” (AND ACTUALLY WAIT FOR THEM TO RESPOND AND LEAVE THEM BE IF THEY DECLINE) will suffice. 

[owlet]

non-wheelchair users keep reblogging this and being like “this is common sense but ok”

wheelchair users reblogging this are like “yeah i had to get a custom banner installed that reads ‘dont fucking touch me’ which people just ignore more often than not”

[serialoddities-blog]

autumnal asks

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?

frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?

maple - is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?

cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?

spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.

crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?

bonfire - describe your dream house.

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?

cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?

cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.

quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee)?

pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?

moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?

flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date? 

cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have?

ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life?