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@stevo399@dragonscave.space
Post #1803774
2026-04-29 02:43 UTC
Sometimes I'm frustrated at the general world for how they view blind people, but then other times I read books... about blind people.
Like the one I was reading today. This lady drops her keys near the front door. She feels around in a potted plant for a bit, but then gives up and starts crying until... this knight in shining armor comes to save the day. He grabs those keys and sets them gently in her palm.
Then she's got some broken glass because she drops groceries on the front step. It's okay, her sister who she obviously lives with will take care of it. Then her sister will scold her for being so independent.
She works part time... but as someone who answers phones for a blind charity.
Her sister picks out her clothes, and she only wears 2 colors.
People read these kinds of books never having met a blind person before. Then they meet a blind person... and what are they supposed to think?
I want to read a real cool book with a blind character in it. This blind character cleans up the broken glass with gloves, a vacuum, some wet paper towels or something. They fan their hands around looking for the dropped key. They scan the clothes with seeing AI or maybe they put some Way Around tags or something on them. They live independently alone or with a roomate, or an equally contributing family member. They work an office job or something.
Books are one of the ways we learn about things or people we've never encountered before. They'd be such a good opportunity to teach sighted individual how it is possible for a blind person to exist. Instead, that was another one where the blind lady was a family dependent emotionally fragile flight risk. It evoked feelings of pity and stress for that character.
I'm sure such books as I'm talking about exist, I just felt it necessary to rant about that one.
Replies (5)
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@stevo399@dragonscave.space These are instances of the same problem feeding into each other in an endless loop. Author forms misguided impression of blind people -> author writes book conveying those misguided impressions -> readers of book form misguided impressions of blind people -> subset of readers write books conveying misguided impressions...
And it goes on, and on, and on, self perpetuating. @TheQuinbox@dragonscave.space
Open ##2434050
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@stevo399@dragonscave.space I'd be writing a very WTF letter to that author. I don't like those kinds of books.
Open ##2434053
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@stevo399@dragonscave.space
I think almost all portrayals of disabled people by non-disabled authors are terrible. Even some disabled authors can be dubious - portraying their personal experience as universal rather than 1 of many possibilities.
Open ##2434054
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@stevo399@dragonscave.space Don't tempt me, I've been wanting to write a novel about a cool blind person for ages, I just need a story to hang it on lol
Open ##2434059
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@stevo399@dragonscave.space I have resorted to ignoring all books that contain blind people. Works exceptionally well. Then again I almost only read non-fiction books.
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