Congenital or acquired disabilities are not uncommon among people, and blindness is one of the worst types of disabilities. Blindness is an extreme form of visual impairment in which a person does not see anything; about 39 million people in the world are completely blind, and their lives are very different from those of healthy people. Find out some facts about this amazing group of people in this post!
15. Their other feelings may not be aggravated
In popular culture, blind people are often described as especially keen hearing or tactile objects, but this may not be the case; many blind people rely only on their memory or specific sound sequences to navigate the world. However, some of them develop something similar to the ability to echolocate.
14. They can and should be asked questions about their illness
We often feel uncomfortable with people with disabilities, and at the same time, few of us are not interested in what it is like to be blind. More often than not, people who are blind from birth or those who have lost their eyesight for a long time and have already resigned themselves to trauma will be happy to answer your questions - after all, they no longer perceive blindness as a limiting factor.
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13. They do not always need the help of the sighted
A blind person can be met with an accompanying person or alone; when the latter happens, many of us wonder why no one will help him. However, most often blind people are well aware of what is happening around them, and are quite capable of coping with everyday situations on their own. They are not helpless at all!
12. Not all of them use a cane
We are used to identifying the blind by the white cane. There are several types of blindness - and the color and shape of the cane varies according to them (for example, there is a completely white cane, and sometimes with a red tip). But not all blind people need a cane - some get by with the help of a specially trained guide dog.
11. They like being spoken to normally
If you have a friend who is blind, you may find this point helpful. You may have thought that the use of some words (mainly related to vision - "look", "see" or even "point of view") should be taboo in conversation with him, but this is not so - you can use them freely. people who are blind should be treated in the same way as everyone else, so speak naturally.
10. They are offended by help they did not expect
The desire to help others is part of human nature, and this is why so many people volunteer or donate their money to special funds. We may think that blind people need special treatment and help, such as being moved across the street or carried home for their purchases, but many of them do a great job with their daily tasks themselves, and help they did not ask for may even humiliate them.
9. They imagine numbers in reverse
Although people who are blind from birth have never seen numbers or objects that can be counted, like sighted people, they are able to imagine a number series - but in the form of a "countdown": we see numbers from left to right (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 …), they are from right to left (5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …).
8. They fit into society just like everyone else
There is a stereotype that blind people are not socially active and that the only reason they leave home is to shop, pay bills and go to work. Some blind people behave this way, but others are the complete opposite of the stereotype! They love to learn new things, visit concerts, restaurants and even cinemas, and also play sports (including extreme sports). It all depends on the personality, on the interests and preferences of the person himself.
7. Their success depends on us
The types of education and employment that the blind manage to fit in, psychologists argue, are directly related to what "bar" of expectations we set for them and how much "positive reinforcement" they receive from us. Support programs for the blind are created by the sighted, and the more we believe that they are capable of something, the more real little feats they do.
6. They perceive colors differently
People who are blind from birth do not have a full color palette in front of their eyes, but they understand what color means, associate colors with objects (for example, they can realize that roses are red and the sea is blue) and can associate colors with other phenomena (for example, are able to remember that "red" is "hot" and "blue" is "cold"). Those who are not born blind, of course, imagine colors in the same way as sighted people, based on memory and visual knowledge.
5. They are not ashamed of their blindness
Some blind people, perhaps, may be ashamed of this due to their personality traits, but, as a rule, this does not happen: most of the blind perceive their blindness as a difficult task, and not as a limitation. This is no reason for them not to enjoy life! In addition, research results show that people who are blind from birth experience less anxiety than those who can see.
4. Not all people with visual impairments are blind
Of all people with serious visual impairments in the world, according to WHO statistics, only 15.88% are completely blind. Others lose their sight partially and can perceive color, light or shape, and sometimes even blurry outlines of certain objects.
3. They have dreams
Yes, yes, the blind are able to see very different dreams - even if they do not see them, they can feel them in other ways. 18% of them feel a taste in a dream, 30% - a smell, 70% feel something, 86% - hear a variety of sounds.
2. Gradually in dreams they also lose the ability to see
Those who have become blind during their life remember what it is like to see, and therefore it is natural that they first have dreams with real pictures. But, unfortunately, these dreams are based on memories, and memories have a peculiarity - they fade if they are not updated from time to time.
1. They have more nightmares
Nightmares for blind people are associated with the reality that is built around them, therefore, as a rule, they are associated with the fear of getting lost, falling, losing a guide dog or being hit by a car. They have more nightmares than other people, because their stressors cannot be completely eliminated from life.