Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with blind

I need help retrieving a vertical blind

tellurian — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:26:04 -0800

A vertical blind slat has blown out of the window and landed on a roof below. Any ideas on retrieving it? The blind weighs 93g (3.3oz), is approx. 4.5 metres (15 ft) below the window [pic 1] and is lying in a sem-folded shape [pic 2].
I don't have access to a ladder nor do I own a fishing rod. I've tried clumping a whole bunch of tape to the heavy end of an extension cord and dropping it on the blind but it didn't stick.
Any ideas on manufacturing a retrieval device from household objects?

I need a crash course in the current best-practice website accessablity standards.

anastasiav — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:42:45 -0800

Give me a crash course in making our nonprofit website accessible. What are the best practices/standards? What's the lingo? I'm not building the site, but I have a meeting with the developers who are, today. They are doing this pro-bono for us (we're a community nonprofit with a goodly number of disabled users). Its important to our CEO that the website be accessible, but she hired me because she doesn't really understand the web.

I get the web fine, but I've never had to deal with this particular issue before. My first meeting with the developer is this afternoon. Help me talk with them about this issue and not sound like a N00b!

Do contact lenses that compensate for color blindness work?

Elmore — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:36:35 -0800

Are those contact lenses that compensate for red/green colour blindness actually any use? I had a long overdue appointment with the optician today. When I told them I was red/green colour blind, the optician then told me that there are contact lenses available that have a red dot that covers the pupil on the dominant eye. She gave me a test lens to try and it did make a difference on the test cards with all the coloured dots where you have to say (guess!) the number.

I imagine these lenses are pretty expensive, and I'm not sure that apart from getting through those test cards it would actually make any difference to my experience of the world. My level of colour blindness isn't very bad, it doesn't impact on my ability to make a living or enjoy life in any way - it's only trivial things that can be a bit frustrating (playing board games and computer games in particular). But, that said, part of me would love to see the world the way most people do.

While I know that my colour blindness is not a big deal, when I used vizcheck (website is gone it seems, but it was a photoshop plugin that converted images to how they would be seen by people with different types of colour blindness) on some photos to show my girlfriend how things look to me (sort of) she got pretty upset and explained to me that the colour red was supposed to be bright the way that yellow is bright. That was a bit of a shock, and while I'd like something as simple as a contact lens that would show this to me... I'm dubious.

Does anyone have first hand experience of using these lenses that compensate for red/green colour blindness? Do they actually make a difference to you when you use them, or is it just a scam, or a device that lets people determined to get their pilot's license pass the test?

Experiencing color without sight?

whatgorilla — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:02:43 -0800

Is there any way for a blind superhero to experience a distinction between colors? NOTE: I'm writing this trying not to accidentally give spoilers away for those who may read the first book and go "wow, I bet that question on askmefi was about a book in this series."

That said, IS there any way a blind person, with a super-power, could distinguish colors? Could the color/light spectrum be revealed or experienced in any way through touch/sound/reverberating-vibrations, etc?

I'm trying to help a friend of mine (whose most recent, very successful novel was nominated for several distinguished awards) answer a question. He/She has a character who can sense everything around him/her in the environment--animals, the plants, the ground, etc. He/she "hears" their thoughts and/or "sees" their thoughts (movements and intentions), but his/her power seems to be growing--at first he/she could just read minds and barely "feel" the presence of animals, but now he/she can sense everything about the surroundings and thereby "see" by viewing all life (I suppose even at the bacteria level) and perhaps even a "life-force" of some sort...

But could he/she use some form of echo-location or other non-sight-related extra-sensory perception?

Careers in the dim future

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:16:51 -0800

I have some long term degenerative eye problems that may result in blindness over the next 10-20 years. What are some fields in which I could prosper despite this potential handicap? I have seen a number of eye doctors about the condition and there are no current treatments likely to change the progression of the disease. I have made my peace with this eventuality and am not depressed about it.

I'm in my mid-thirties and currently do light programming and sysadmin work in the healthcare field, but am looking for a change. Possibilities include law, clinical trials work, biostatistics, or some type of software implementation work. The job needs to pay reasonably well to keep up with increasing healthcare costs as time goes on. I am not an extrovert but enjoy interacting with people.

What would someone who is blind experience when under the effects of LSD?

peregrine81 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:19:44 -0800

What would someone who is blind experience when under the effects of LSD?

What the **** happened to all the lights?!?!?!

parjanya — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:46:16 -0800

How do I rationalise the prospect of suddenly going completely (and permanently) blind? I'm trying to lessen the fear I get when I think of losing my sight - because for me, my vision is the most important sense I have. I love reading, I love watching movies, basically most of what I love originates from sight. I can't imagine what life would become if I didn't have my sight. How would one prepare themselves so that if they ever did lose their sight, it wouldn't feel like the world has ended? How do you, I guess, lessen the shock factor?

And for anyone who has lost their sight completely, how did you adjust?

help me find new awesome broadcasting software for a good cause

stenseng — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:07:17 -0800

Mefi broadcasting experts: suggest broadcast automation software for the radio station of the organization I do IT support for... Through the agency I work for, I provide IT support services for a talking book and braille library for blind and visually impaired people. They've got a radio station that provides news broadcasts, book narration, etc.

Their broadcast studio (and particularly the automation part of the booth) is based around Dalet systems 5.1, which was designed for NT4, requires expensive, proprietary soundcards, and is generally old, slow, buggy, and not well supported.

What's the new hotness, broadcasting mefites? Help me suggest a modern system that can do show scheduling, switching from multiple sources (pre recorded show, live feed, sattelite feed,) will work with most decent modern ASIO or dsound compatible audio cards, etc.

Bonus points if it's accessible via screen readers, but not a deal breaker... Thoughts?

Blind Leading the Blind?

Dr. Zira — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:06:30 -0800

Just returned from a trip to the animal shelter looking for a second dog to adopt. Found a very sweet blind Aussie Shephard and fell in love. Need help to see if this is a good match: Can anyone share experiences/special challenges with caring for a blind dog? Other relevant information:
We have a ~ 5 yr old male aussie or border collie/golden retriever mix that we adopted from the same shelter several years ago, so in addition to the challenges with a special needs dog, I have some concerns about how he'd do with another dog. Our dog is very sweet and gets along very well with other dogs, but he's a high energy herding dog.

The Blind Aussie (he was a stray, so not sure of exact age, but was marked as "young") seemed very sweet, but in the short time I was there, couldn't get him to walk when I took him out of his cage. I think this was mostly fear, as he seemed to walk around just fine in his cage/pen. He would obviously need a lot of adjustment to our home should we adopt him.

He'll be blind for 4 days! Help me entertain my friend

pinksoftsoap — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:53:32 -0800

My friend is having eye surgery which will leave him blind for ~4 days. What activities can I do with him that will keep him from being bored out of his mind?

Voice Dailing Service for Blind/Disabled (US)

blatherbob — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:23:33 -0800

Does anyone know of a voice dial service (like GOOG-411) that works in the US for residential as well as business numbers, on landline phones? It's for a blind person with limited mobility, so the service needs to actually place the call for the user, and not require any dialing or button-pushing beyond the initial call.

Conditions/disorders which cause extreme short-sightedness (not necessarily myopia).

noahdubya — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:03:17 -0800

I am searching for conditions/disorders which cause extreme short-sightedness (not necessarily myopia). I have interest in a research topic that uses computers to assist partially blind people. I am doing research into using computer interaction in ways that benefit handicapped persons. One particular area of interest is in people with partial blindness, and specifically, those who can only see at short-distances. Obviously if correction is a possibility then the technology is still useful, but more as a backup rather than a necessity.

I have been doing some database searches (google scholar, pubmed, citeseer, etc...), but I am not familiar enough with the medical terminology to find information on such disorders. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Blind guy needs a new career

AuntLisa — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:25:06 -0800

My friend needs a new career but he can't see for crap. If he had his way, he'd be a Navy SEAL or a cop. Can the hivemind come up with a new idea for what he might enjoy and succeed at ? The medical details aren't very important, but he has extremely limited vision and a bad case of ennui.

I call him a bounce-off-the-walls kind of blind guy. Even when he had a guide dog, he often didn't use him. He performs theater on rock walls, travels everywhere, and will try anything.

He's married and has health insurance through his wife's job, so thats not a requirement.

He loves and knows lots about weapons - knives, guns, self-defense. He has this amazing "no-fear" thing - he can talk to anyone about anything. An experienced public speaker and author (likes to act and perform), good with computers. Previously worked for his state's Department of Blind Services and graduated from massage school. No college degree but well-read and intelligent.

A glass darkly

Artw — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:21:38 -0800

When and why did it become the convention that blind people would wear dark glasses? Would the purpose be to hide the eyes or to act as a signifier of blindness? Is it something that is done less these days and what are the reasons why?

Balcony privacy

dead_ — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:34:14 -0800

I'm looking for an outdoor shade/blind to use on my balcony. So I'm trying to find a specific product but am just having no luck at all. Perhaps you've seen such a thing? Let me tell you exactly what I'm looking for...

My apartment has a small, 8'x8' balcony and I'd like to hang a shade or blind on one of those 8' sides to give myself a little privacy. It needs to be all-weather, and I'd like to get something that is brown or tan colored. I've seen such things on other people's balconies before, and some look to be made from bamboo or a similar type of material that still allows some light through. That would be ideal for me because it would fit with the decor of the unit.

Any idea where I can find a product like this?

Need help finding housing and transportation for my disabled sister and her family

Snoogylips — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:14:21 -0800

How can I help my sister find housing and transportation in a new town in Texas? My sister and her husband (who both have disabilities) and their small children are considering moving to a town population over 100,000. Which is a big change from the town the were living in (population about 500.) Who can I call to find resources for them? My sister does have contact with Texas commission for the Blind. Her main concern is finding an apartment, transportation for her and the kids, and possibly finding help to pay for the rent. She is unable to work and her husband is able to work maybe part time. I'm not sure where to start to help her find these things. How do I find out about transportation, and what kind of questions should we ask? Finding housing? I feel like there is probably alot of things out there to help her, I just don't know where to start looking.

Assisting the blind?

repoman — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:43:29 -0800

Are there general guidelines to helping/assisting a blind person? I got off the train today and encountered a blind person who seemed to be having a little difficulty navigating the concourse. I know 'common sense' would have me say 'excuse me, would you like some assistance', but I wasn't so sure. The place was crowded, she wasn't in danger, I did not wan't to spook her, you get the idea. She managed to get to the escalator o.k., but it would have been much easier for her if someone assisted her. Just general guidelines from people that know would be helpful as I run into this situation often enough. Thanks.

How do blind people navigate college campuses?

bmalicoat — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:26:12 -0800

I hope this question doesn't come off as crass, but I've always been curious when I see blind people on campus. It took me long enough to find out where the major buildings on campus are plus each semester my classes are generally in a new building I've never been to. How do blind people handle this? Also it generally takes a lot of focus to not get hit by bikes/mopeds/cars. Am I right in considering blind people super heroes for being able to do these things?

Any insight is appreciated. The campus in question is Michigan State, but really any large campus would be similar.

Moving a cat and dealing with her needy behavior

Happycat79 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:35:13 -0800

I am looking for tips on how to move house with a cat (I'm moving tomorrow!). It's going to be a 4 hour journey in a car, with a cat who hates traveling (she breaks out of a her secure cat-box) and gets very stressed (cries and pants). Also, I want to try to address her behaviour issue, if anyone has the time to look inside and read her background info (sorry for the lengthy notes). I have had my cat for 4 years. I think she is about 9. When I 'acquired' her she had poor eyesight but it has been slowly getting worse and I think she in now pretty much blind. She is, however very happy and amazingly adaptable. I offered to look after her for a weekend for my ex-boss, but when the boss returned and heard about how much I'd fallen for the cute cat, she said I could keep her. In her previous home she wasn't allowed upstairs or on the furniture and she was shut in the dining room overnight. I don't think she had much love or attention. My ex-boss didn't even think to tell me she had bad eyesight. At my flat she had the run of the place - sleeping wherever she likes and getting loads of love and attention. I didn't set any ground rules as I didn't realise I would be keeping her (and I guess I didn't think it would be necessary).

10 months ago I moved to my Dad's house, with my cat. She has adapted pretty well, although the 6-hour car journey was stressful. She hated being in the secure cat-box and managed to break out and she cried and panted - I was quite worried about her. Tomorrow's journey will be 4 hours in the car and the vet is going to give her an injection an hour before, but does anyone have any ideas of how to make her more comfortable/happier? I won't keep her in the box, she will probably be on my lap, but hopefully fairly sedate.

Behaviour problem:
For the past 2 years I have been working away a lot so not seen my cat very often. Having got used to this, she is now very happy to see me when I'm home and doesn't leave me alone. This isn't a problem, apart from when she wakes me up at night wanting attention. I pet her for a minute, hoping she'll settle, but she doesn't (she's always very restless). Even if I throw her off she keeps coming back and it takes her a long time to quit trying. She has always done this, even before I started working away so I don't hold out much hope of this behaviour changing once we settle into the new place. I always give in, for various reasons, but something's gotta give!

I'm starting a more stable job and my cat and I are moving into a shared house. The current house-sharers are happy to have her there and my bedroom is on the ground floor, so I'm not too concerned about how she'll settle in as she is amazingly adaptable, considering her sight problems.

Does anyone know how I can get her to leave me alone at night? I can't stand the thought of never getting a full night's sleep without a wet cat's nose in my face! Plus my boyfriend doesn't cope too well with my needy cat and won't come and stay if she wakes him up at night!

I don't want to shut her out of my bedroom. There is only a small living room and kitchen on the ground floor, other than my room and I want my space to be hers too, so she feels happy and secure. Plus if I shut her out she'll start crying and I'll give in!

All help and advice is appreciated! Thanks.

Books with textures for blind kids?

pootler — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:33:46 -0800

Can you think of any children's books with texture which would be great for the visually impaired? A customer at the bookstore where I work has asked me to suggest some books for her school for blind and visually impaired children. But I can't find anything! I'm shocked at how little there is to cater to what her kids need, namely:

Books where texture is an integral part of the text. So not the usual baby & toddler 'touch & feel' books, but books where the textures actually contribute to the story, like in Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider, where you can feel the web as it is being built.

They are interested in anything - stories, non-fiction on any subject, with or without braille. They have a large budget and are desperate, so I really want to help them, but I'm stumped. (And I'm the children's books buyer! It's pretty embarassing actually.) Do you have any ideas?

What is the name of this blind sculptor?

carsonb — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:55:40 -0800

What is the name of the man in this photograph? I've fed the information available on the photo page (the photographer (Imogen Cunningham), name of the photo (Blind Sculptor, San Francisco), and the year it was taken (1952)) into Google various ways with no luck. There is another photograph by her of him as well.

crazyblinddate is crazy, yes?

kerfuffled — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:18:20 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with crazyblinddate.com, from the okcupid people? my friend wants to try it but i'm nervous for her (internet strangers! oh no!). In the fpp a few weeks ago, a few people said they were going to try it and report their findings, but... no reports! Has anyone tried it and survived?

Quality intergenerational time that transcends disabilities

moreandmoreso — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:26:57 -0800

What activities can I initiate with my substantially-deaf, substantially-blind grandfather? I am 23. A while ago I moved to the same metropolitan area as my grandparents. Grandpa's vision and hearing have been going downhill for a while, leading to his increasing frustration. Grandma is not experiencing such problems. Help me make the most of our quality time together, either just with Grandpa or with both. I could meet with them up to twice a month either alone or with other family members.

They are in their mid-80s and still live in their own lake-front house. They walk (slowly) for exercise every morning and manage to do most of the things they need to do around the house on their own. Active activities would generally be difficult.

The current pattern of activity is Grandma invites 3 of us over for dinner, we chat over dinner, and Grandpa misses most of the conversation. If you take care to speak loudly, slowly, and in his direction, he understands most of it.

General suggestions are welcome, but if you need something to get your imagination going... Grandpa was a chemist before he retired and is interested in science, ancient civilizations, Italy, fiction writing, classical guitar/jazz music and harassing squirrels. He taught me to play chess. Grandma reads the newspaper and crossword puzzles aloud to him every day.

Perhaps activities specifically geared to stimulate touch, taste or smell would be engaging?

Rock the Blind

BitterOldPunk — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:31:40 -0800

I'm taking a legally blind friend iPod shopping. Any experience with iPod magnification devices needed. He has inherited spastic paraparesis with severe ocular involvement. He's also been to more Slayer and Jesus Lizard shows than you have, and he has one of the best CD collections around. He can see colors and shapes, and he thinks that the coverflow system might make it easier for him to navigate. I've ripped maybe 80% of his music collection to my iTunes, and it comes to about 26 gigs.

He wants to get his hands on a touchscreen iPod, but I don't think that's the solution, because even if he can navigate it better, it won't hold all his tunes, much less all his audiobooks. I suspect we'll end up getting a 5th-gen iPod with 80 gigs of storage.

So I've nosed around the various iPod add-on sites and found a bunch of options for iPod magnifiers, but I'd like the hive mind to chime in on what works and what doesn't. Especially if there's one out there that can do better than 2.5x, which seems to be the best I've found.

Also, the guy's a jock, so any ideal device will need to be sweat-proof and shock resistant.

I'd also like to recommend to others that they get themselves a disabled friend, because the parking fucking rocks.

How a Deaf Person Communicates with a Blind Person?

Locative — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 06:19:40 -0800

How can a deaf person communicate with a blind person? My neighbors are a married blind man and deaf woman. I've communicated with the deaf woman via pen and paper before, and she wrote that she can't lipread. She seems to be completely deaf because when she vocalizes, it isn't understandable. I don't know them well enough to just ask them about this, and googling only brings up info about people who are deaf and blind. How do they talk to one another?