AI can open up information access for blind people, but we need to be aware of what it takes away from us. I’ve seen a lot of talk within the blind community which celebrates AI completely uncritically. There are smart glasses and apps on our phone which describe the world to us, and isn’t that…
Category: Disability and Identity
My identity as a disabled person is very important to me. It has undoubtedly shaped my life experiences, including how I interact with others and obtain an education.
It was other disabled people that taught me how to value my body, how to love myself and reject society’s perception of disability.
Where are the Latin Books?
I’ve been exploring learning Latin. It’s going to be something I learn as part of my degree, but I wanted to get a head start as I know already that I’m likely to face some accessibility challenges once I reach that module. It is also several years away, and I am eager to learn and…
More fun with tactile graphics
Since I wrote the first post on trying to create tactile images a couple of days ago, I haven’t stopped. It’s as though now I’ve started to be able to connect with the world in a way which I haven’t had access to before, I can’t stop. Yes, I’ve been able to touch tactile images…
Pursuing the unseen: my quest to create tactile images
I fairly recently acquired a tactile image printer, sometimes known as a swell paper machine. Essentially, you print or draw onto a specific type of paper, then run it through a machine which heats it up. Darker lines will then be raised, creating a tactile image. Blind people experience so much image poverty. That is,…
Inaccessible democracy? An unfit system for blind voters
Today I went to vote in the UK General Election. Some friends kindly gave me a lift to my polling station, and when I went inside I was greeted by one of the staff working there, who helped me find the right area of the station as there were several desks. My name and ID…
Can I Touch the World?
When you’re sighted, there is so much to see. I know this sounds obvious when it’s written like this, but for many people it’s just something they take for granted. Words are everywhere. Photos are everywhere. They can see animals they’ve never interacted with by looking at pictures in books or watching shows about them…
You Have ADHD Part 4: Starting Medication
In my last post, where I talked about getting an ADHD diagnosis, I mentioned that I would be starting medication soon. I’ve now been on the medication for 6 weeks or so, though it’s difficult to keep track of the time so I can’t be exactly sure. I’ve noticed a few changes. Before I get…
What Does it Mean to Forge a Body? Autonomy through Disability Cures and Gender Transition
I’ve always resisted the idea of a cure for my blindness. I’ve been asked about it plenty of times, shrugging off the possibility with an “it won’t happen for ages,” or “I’m just not interested,” when asked about it in person. My writing has delved even further into my feelings. How it makes me anxious,…
You Have ADHD Part 3: Journey to Diagnosis
I’ve talked about what life was like before my diagnosis, and the specific experience of hyperfocus as someone with ADHD, but I haven’t yet written about how I got a diagnosis of ADHD. I was lucky that getting a diagnosis wasn’t hugely difficult, whereas it can be for some people. Like many things, it depends…
The Politics of Braille
Braille, the tactile writing system used by blind people across the globe is a writing system which is easily identified as being linked with blind people and blindness. It may be the first thing, perhaps along with guide dogs, that people think of when asked what they associate with blindness. Yet the adoption of Braille…