How Do We Encourage People to talk about Vision Impairment?

1. 69

   Bretsukiposted 12 years ago

   Looking at the vision impaired section of the Topics area I see that I am one of about three people in the group.
   That is a little sad. How can we encourage more people to come to our area of Hubpages? It would be a wonderful place to create a vibrant community.
   
   Let's see if we can brainstorm and grow our membership on Hubpages.

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2. 75

   Katharellaposted 12 years ago

   Hi Bretsuki, You make a great point. I was blind up until last month. So it is sad people not posting there. I think with me, I'm so happy to have my eyesight restored (with glasses), it's not that I don't want to offer support to others, I think being blind made me very depressed and not up with the world. Now going back there, and understanding how it feels, makes me depressed all over again. I'd love to help people, but don't want them to feel like I'm giving them a pity party either, as that's just not nice. I didn't like it when people did it to me. But some people think if you can move around, you should see what they see and it's not the case. I became unsociable because people expected too much, and I grew tired of saying "I'm blind" and they say "well you're walking around".. that's because I can see an opening, and I know shapes and colors. I withdrew a lot and am just learning to come out of that phase. It's hard. People don't understand.

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3. 69

   Bretsukiposted 12 years ago

   Hello katharella,
   Thank you for your comment. I can appreciate what you are saying.  I have come across the same attitudes too. I even discussed a similar thing with a colleague at work.
   They seemed quite amazed when I told them how liitle I can actually see, No color, just shades of grey at best and contrasting light and dark. Their reply was "but you get around ok."
   
   For me keeping busy is a way of keeping the dogs of self pity at bay. I know everyone is different so won't preach on that.
   
   I am happy for you that you have been able to gain some sight recently and wish you all the best for the future.

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4. 80

   earnestshubposted 12 years ago

   Hi folks!
   My eyesight is good, but I am almost alone in my household. All the rest of the family have poor eyesight.
   
   We manage OK, as the new glasses the little ones have seems to allow them reasonable sight, although my 14 year old granddaughter has very little sight without her glasses and just sees enough to know where the furniture is.
   
   I am hoping that some new invention will come along soon to help those with low vision. Happy days!

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   1. 69

      Bretsukiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hello earnestshub,
      Thanks for taking the time to post. I can empathize with your grand daughter, that is about the level of my vision too.
      I am eccited about the times we live in though. Even where there is no improvement in actual vision, there is an overflow of technologies which are basically to help sighted people, but have possible impacts for the visually impaired. For instance on the latesst iPhones there are apps that can be adapted by the visually impaired such as text reading software for e-mail and translators where one can upload text for the phone to read.
      Also exciting, if I'll ever be able to afford it is the advances in automobile technology, I miss the freedom of driving, maybe I will see the new cars like those which  are being designed with sensors and can operate themselves as a reality. The thing is having made the car able to drive itseld, can we next have a fuel pump which will not require the driver to press hundreds of buttons, following instructions on scratched LCD screens! Or maybe the fuelcompanies will just pay someone to fill our cars up! Nah now that is a fantasy never to happen. LOL

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