blindlover
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Post by blindlover on Jun 14, 2019 0:12:28 GMT -5
Thank you for being so open and helping us all to gain a little more understanding of life with your disability x It's my pleasure, I quite enjoy doing this, actually
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Post by feelsunshine on Jun 14, 2019 1:44:12 GMT -5
Thanks blindlover for you description on how you travel. It’s funny that you mentioned Couchsurfing. I’m also planning on doing Couchsurfing on my trip to the US. It’s indeed more interesting to spend time with locals than just going to a hotel. Locals will fill you in on the secret stuff, things that you wouldn’t encounter without their input.
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blindlover
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Post by blindlover on Jun 14, 2019 2:50:47 GMT -5
Thanks blindlover for you description on how you travel. It’s funny that you mentioned Couchsurfing. I’m also planning on doing Couchsurfing on my trip to the US. It’s indeed more interesting to spend time with locals than just going to a hotel. Locals will fill you in on the secret stuff, things that you wouldn’t encounter without their input. Completely aggree, however, on my trip to new york, _i didn't rely on these people for accomodation. I do want to try that out as well, but preferably with one of my blind friends, it still feels a bit safer that way...
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Post by LaMara on Jun 14, 2019 5:18:37 GMT -5
Hi and thank you for the awesome thread! I read somewhere that blind people experience more issues than sighted people with the sleep/wake cicle, is it true for you? Also, what’s your biggest pet peeve in relation to the way people approach you? What’s the one thing you hate that people assume because of blindness?
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blindlover
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Post by blindlover on Jun 14, 2019 10:08:19 GMT -5
This is a great thread, thank you for starting it! Nice profile picture too. So is blindness something you think about often? Or is it more that other people are more conscious of? Is it in the front of your mind, or the background in daily life?
You're welcome, it's great to see so many people have questions actually.
My blindness is most of the time in the background really. For me, it is so normal that I don't think about it that much. In fact I think I thought about it more since I discovered this site than ever before .
The only times my blindness is really present in my mind is when society makes it difficult for me to do something. For example one time, I wanted to go to a club night around here and there was a group of people going from my student residence. Even though they met me on smaller nights out before, they felt uncomfortable taking me with them since they felt they didn't want to "take the responsibility that comes with going out with a blind guy". All that while I probably have more raving experience than all of them together. That's when being blind suddenly comes to the forefront.
Still, my blindness is a static given that I have completely accepted. I can also deal with my hearing that is slowly fading, but with every change , I still need time to accept and adapt to the new situation, which is why this part of my condition is much more on my mind.
Oh and btw, thank you for the compliment about my picture
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blindlover
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Post by blindlover on Jun 14, 2019 10:51:11 GMT -5
Hi and thank you for the awesome thread! I read somewhere that blind people experience more issues than sighted people with the sleep/wake cicle, is it true for you? Also, what’s your biggest pet peeve in relation to the way people approach you? What’s the one thing you hate that people assume because of blindness?
I'm just glad you all seem to like it , so you're welcome.
In regards to sleeping cycle , yes I do have some difficulties with that and I may be classified as a night awl. This is something that happens mostly to blind people without light perception, as their melatonin production is disturbed. This hormone and neurotransmitter floods your brains at times of sunset, mostly based on the decrease of light that is perceived by your eyes. Obviously , this mechanism doesn't really work for us. For me , supplementing melatonin helps to keep it under control , but also that doesn't do the job for everyone as some people complain about very vivid dreams when they do. My dreams are always like that anyway, so it doesn't change much. If you want to learn more about melatonin and its function, there is a nice article here:
When it comes to pet peeves, there are so many, I honestly think they almost deserve a tread on their own, but here are a few of the top of my mind. Most people consequently assume that blind people can't walk stairs, and think we need elevators all the time ...grr ... Some people also think we're deaf, as they start speaking to us in a very laud , slow tone,, but no, I'm not deaf ...yet .. Some of these people make it even worse by adding cognitive difficulties to the list and doing their speaking to kids voice ... Another one is that some people think they know where we need to go , even when they don't. It happened to me several times already that I was grabbed and dragged across a street I didn't want to cross at all without being asked anything. The only thing these people achieved off course was making me lose my bearings. I really don't mind people helping, but ask please ffs ...
I think the worst one however , and I have not that much hard evidence to prove it , is that many people immediately exclude us as potential lovers or partners. Off course , this is mostly done on an unconscious level. One time though a blind friend of mine was in a train , just after a hard goodbye with a girl. A passenger asked him what was going on. After telling his story, the reaction of the passenger was: "well but you shouldn't be that amazed I think. Someone like you , you can't really make a woman happy in the end".
Enough for now I think, enjoy ... I'm totally not frustrated
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Post by LaMara on Jun 14, 2019 11:59:44 GMT -5
Hi and thank you for the awesome thread! I read somewhere that blind people experience more issues than sighted people with the sleep/wake cicle, is it true for you? Also, what’s your biggest pet peeve in relation to the way people approach you? What’s the one thing you hate that people assume because of blindness?
I'm just glad you all seem to like it , so you're welcome.
In regards to sleeping cycle , yes I do have some difficulties with that and I may be classified as a night awl. This is something that happens mostly to blind people without light perception, as their melatonin production is disturbed. This hormone and neurotransmitter floods your brains at times of sunset, mostly based on the decrease of light that is perceived by your eyes. Obviously , this mechanism doesn't really work for us. For me , supplementing melatonin helps to keep it under control , but also that doesn't do the job for everyone as some people complain about very vivid dreams when they do. My dreams are always like that anyway, so it doesn't change much. If you want to learn more about melatonin and its function, there is a nice article here:
When it comes to pet peeves, there are so many, I honestly think they almost deserve a tread on their own, but here are a few of the top of my mind. Most people consequently assume that blind people can't walk stairs, and think we need elevators all the time ...grr ... Some people also think we're deaf, as they start speaking to us in a very laud , slow tone,, but no, I'm not deaf ...yet .. Some of these people make it even worse by adding cognitive difficulties to the list and doing their speaking to kids voice ... Another one is that some people think they know where we need to go , even when they don't. It happened to me several times already that I was grabbed and dragged across a street I didn't want to cross at all without being asked anything. The only thing these people achieved off course was making me lose my bearings. I really don't mind people helping, but ask please ffs ...
I think the worst one however , and I have not that much hard evidence to prove it , is that many people immediately exclude us as potential lovers or partners. Off course , this is mostly done on an unconscious level. One time though a blind friend of mine was in a train , just after a hard goodbye with a girl. A passenger asked him what was going on. After telling his story, the reaction of the passenger was: "well but you shouldn't be that amazed I think. Someone like you , you can't really make a woman happy in the end".
Enough for now I think, enjoy ... I'm totally not frustrated Oh man, I’m the biggest fan of melatonin you’ll ever meet! Changed my anxiety induced insomnia to a decent night’s sleep! Didn’t know it was related to light exposure to be honest... now all that advice about not using my phone before sleeping makes so much sense. I never understood people who think they can comment on a stranger’s life like that. That guy your friend met was such a d*head... Also what exactly does he think is necessary to make a woman happy and where did he acquire such knowledge, that encompasses 50% of humanity?
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Post by mona on Jun 14, 2019 13:15:35 GMT -5
Thanks a lot blindlover for all these interesting insights!! I have a rather banal question: Do you sign contracts with a signature? And as I suppose you do, how did you learn it?
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loulou
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Post by loulou on Jun 14, 2019 16:32:38 GMT -5
Hello blindlover. The majority of us feel an attraction for someone based on their physical appearance. Obviously this has to develop when we interact with them & learn about their personality. What would you say attracts you to someone? Is it their voice or manner of speaking or perhaps something else?
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Post by pam on Jun 15, 2019 22:13:28 GMT -5
If you are out in a city, or wherever, do you ever get turned around or lose your sense of direction? If you do, how do you get back on track? How do you know exactly where a doorway, or a bus stop, or a stairway is?
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Post by robbb on Jun 16, 2019 5:00:31 GMT -5
I don't have a question blindlover but I wanted to say this is one of the most interesting threads we've had in a long time. I always find the idea funny that as a matter of fact we never know to which extent the way we perceive the world around us is the same as others. Maybe what I see as black, another person sees as white I've often had the same thought linda. R.
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Post by feelsunshine on Jun 16, 2019 9:03:22 GMT -5
I don't have a question blindlover but I wanted to say this is one of the most interesting threads we've had in a long time. I always find the idea funny that as a matter of fact we never know to which extent the way we perceive the world around us is the same as others. Maybe what I see as black, another person sees as white I've often had the same thought linda. R. Me too!!
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blindlover
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Post by blindlover on Jun 16, 2019 18:45:56 GMT -5
I'm just glad you all seem to like it , so you're welcome.
In regards to sleeping cycle , yes I do have some difficulties with that and I may be classified as a night awl. This is something that happens mostly to blind people without light perception, as their melatonin production is disturbed. This hormone and neurotransmitter floods your brains at times of sunset, mostly based on the decrease of light that is perceived by your eyes. Obviously , this mechanism doesn't really work for us. For me , supplementing melatonin helps to keep it under control , but also that doesn't do the job for everyone as some people complain about very vivid dreams when they do. My dreams are always like that anyway, so it doesn't change much. If you want to learn more about melatonin and its function, there is a nice article here:
When it comes to pet peeves, there are so many, I honestly think they almost deserve a tread on their own, but here are a few of the top of my mind. Most people consequently assume that blind people can't walk stairs, and think we need elevators all the time ...grr ... Some people also think we're deaf, as they start speaking to us in a very laud , slow tone,, but no, I'm not deaf ...yet .. Some of these people make it even worse by adding cognitive difficulties to the list and doing their speaking to kids voice ... Another one is that some people think they know where we need to go , even when they don't. It happened to me several times already that I was grabbed and dragged across a street I didn't want to cross at all without being asked anything. The only thing these people achieved off course was making me lose my bearings. I really don't mind people helping, but ask please ffs ...
I think the worst one however , and I have not that much hard evidence to prove it , is that many people immediately exclude us as potential lovers or partners. Off course , this is mostly done on an unconscious level. One time though a blind friend of mine was in a train , just after a hard goodbye with a girl. A passenger asked him what was going on. After telling his story, the reaction of the passenger was: "well but you shouldn't be that amazed I think. Someone like you , you can't really make a woman happy in the end".
Enough for now I think, enjoy ... I'm totally not frustrated Oh man, I’m the biggest fan of melatonin you’ll ever meet! Changed my anxiety induced insomnia to a decent night’s sleep! Didn’t know it was related to light exposure to be honest... now all that advice about not using my phone before sleeping makes so much sense. I never understood people who think they can comment on a stranger’s life like that. That guy your friend met was such a d*head... Also what exactly does he think is necessary to make a woman happy and where did he acquire such knowledge, that encompasses 50% of humanity?
In regards to Melatonin, I'm happy you found it and intrigued it can have such a powerful effect on sighted people as well, well on you anyway.
About the guy in the train, while I couldn't agree with you more, I still think he at least had the guts to say what my gut feeling has been telling me that many think for over 15 years, I'll give him that much ...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2019 18:53:50 GMT -5
Really interested in the melatonin being mentioned. I have terrible insomnia and no one has ever mentioned it. Im going to look into it, thanks
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blindlover
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Post by blindlover on Jun 16, 2019 18:56:42 GMT -5
Thanks a lot blindlover for all these interesting insights!! I have a rather banal question: Do you sign contracts with a signature? And as I suppose you do, how did you learn it??
Yes, in fact I do. It is a rather artie signature based on simplyfied forms of my initials. Someone, presumably an occupational therapist, resisted my laud protests during primary school and crammed it into my head. I do have to admit though that even for a born blind guy I have a very limited knowledge of the sighted alphabet.
Fun fact , juridically speaking there are arguments I could use to make pretty much any document I ever signed be declared void. In normal circumstances every signature of a document I can't read is not valid. Even when I received a digital copy of it, or when someone read it out , there is no prove that what I thought I signed is actually what I signed . The only ways to circumvent that are to print every document in Braille or use digital signatures. None of both are today a reality.
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