Before answering the question posed, I'd first like to observe that childproof bottles may be a good idea, but present quite a challenge to seniors like me. I had that struggle earlier this morning.
But never fear, we will now discuss the question posed by today's blog title.
Because my late former husband of 24 years, Tom Joe, was totally blind, I've always had friends who are either blind or who possess very limited vision. I've really wanted to know how the world seems to them. So look at the previous posting to see what my late ex-husband had told our daughter Stephanie as a child.
Here now is a message from my blind friend Denise, describing her perceptions without sight, also about what she sees in her dreams.
Barbara: As for your question, you are right, I lost my vision at age 12.
As a little girl I did tap, ballet, gymnastics, etc. We would put on shows and I had a fancy for fun colorful costumes with bright bold colors in satin with sequins. Also I loved playing with Barbies and dressing them up, matching their clothes. I remember looking in the mirror at myself and my outfits. My dad used to take us up to the Oakland hills to watch the sunset. So, I have very vivid memories of seeing things that were important to me at the time. My family, my friends, colors, sunsets, the house that I grew up in and my Grandmother’s house, trees, flowers, etc. Of course, I remember the cars that my parents had and the colors and sizes, but since cars were not that important to me, I have less of a memory of them. Yet, just like Helen Keller remembered how to speak through hearing as a baby and touching items etc., I remember how the sky looks, rainbows and their shine, or like an oil spill, and flowers, costumes, birthday cakes, candy wrappers, and I hold those memories dearly. I think having had sight even though it was for a short time and not perfect sight either, still makes such a difference in a person’s life. Things just make more sense. Between touching or feeling items, and my sighted background point of reference, I still feel like I can see sometimes. Of course, I would love to see fine details like sunlight on my daughter's hair, or her eyes sparkling from across a room, and my son’s grin and expressions, watch the birds and butterflies soar or glide gently in the air. There are things that I truly miss, like being able to drive my kids when they were small to their different adventures and seeing their baby faces etc. Yes, I am very grateful to have seen before and it makes such a difference in life for me now. I even sometimes see in my dreams, although I am still a blind person in my dreams. It isn’t exactly clear, but there is some degree of seeing-hearing images. I hope this helps! Denise
When I [Barbara here now] was in Honduras as a Peace Corps health volunteer, not only did I meet with blind visitors like Denise, but I worked with blind Hondurans whenever I could. Rarely, but occasionally, I met folks born without eyes. How to explain vision to them when they even lacked eyes? Did they even have a visual cortex? Apparently the visual cortex in the brains of blind people can become converted to uses other than vision. I assume the brains of these eyeless folks were intact, as they seemed to function quite normally, at least for someone totally lacking vision. As for Helen Keller, who had lost both sight and hearing early in life, her tactile sensitivity was the main pathway left to explore the environment, but she still learned to communicate and even wrote books.
Here's what Google says about blind people:
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Judge blocks rule implementing Trump plan to restrict mail-in voting
As the vote approaches, the fight still goes on.
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