The Scary World of Ignorance and my Snarky Answers

I was scrolling through Quora, a question-and-answer website where questions are asked, answered, and edited by users.

Of course I look up questions people have asked about Deafness, Blindness & Deafblindness.

There were some legitimate questions asked such as:

"What percentage of blind people are unemployed?"

Great question, according to the National Federation of the Blind, there's about 59.8% of blind people that are unemployed.

"How do blind people learn advanced mathematics?"

Blind people who use Braille can use the Nemeth Code which is designed for encoding math.

"Can a person with hearing loss "hear" an inner voice?"

If that person has some hearing, they'll "hear" in their sounds, some others who are lipreaders actually can visualize lips moving. Other fully deaf people see their inner voice visually in sigh language

"How does a deaf person indicate to someone that they're deaf?"

Well if the person noticed the deaf person isn't responding to them, that would be an indication that they're deaf. Many Deaf people start signing or gesturing for a "pen and paper". Others might cover an ear and shake their head "no".

"Can deafblind people use Facebook and other Apps?"

Yep, with a smartphone and refreshable Braille display, or a computer with a refreshable braille display, many deafblind people connect with the social world online. Although I read blind friends comments online that sometimes Facebook and other Apps are unaccessible for Braille readers. 

"What is a deafblind person's experience of Nature?"

Like I always say deafblindness isn't always "completely deaf, completely blind". They can use whatever senses they have like touch and smell to experience everything.

Then there are these questions:

"A boy loves a girl who is deaf, blind, dumb and uneducated and wants to marry her. How can he propose to her without touching her?"

Oh goodgawd seriously? I hope this is just research for a novel or something. First learn the proper terminology - "deaf, blind, dumb and uneducated" is a big no-no! Just call them Deafblind or deaf and blind, period. Many deafblind people do have an education, and some, like me, are certainly not mute! So, to answer this I'd suggest he text her or have someone transcribe a poem and proposal into Braille for her. But even better would be tactile sign language, deafblind people connect to others by touch, so how can you express love without touch?

"What things can deafblind people with both arms broken do?"

Whatever possessed you to think of this? In the rare chance that this would happen, I hope their hands would still be somewhat free to still be able to tactile sign and feel around.

"Why do deaf people still talk with their hands when they can just text each other?"

Why am I reading this in a California Valley Girl voice? "Like? Ok?" *head tilt* First off Deaf people would still communicate in their first language, usually ASL, which is easier and more natural, uses facial expressions and body language as well as signs. Secondly, texting takes twice as long, doesn't convey emotions and expressions well and doesn't offer the same emotional and spiritual connection that socializing in person would.

"Would a deaf person feel sorrow for not being able to hear the sound of running water?"

Would you feel sorrow for never being in outer space? (Ok for the 552 of you who have, Hush!) For deaf people, this pretty much wouldn't cross their mind. We're too busy dealing with our daily lives to care about mindless thoughts like these.

"Do blind people know about cinema?"
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You obviously haven't read any news about television and theater descriptive services, or seen signs at the theater or on your TV screen saying this. It's basically an audio option that describes the scenes in between dialogue. There's even a Blind Movie Critic.

"Would a blind person know they were blind if no one told them?"

​Unlike stupid people who can go through life oblivious to their own stupidity and how it affects those around them, disabled people can tell they are "different" from everyone else. It starts in childhood where they notice their peers doing things differently than them, hearing, seeing, walking, etc. Secondly they notice in the way that others treat them, usually not in a positive way either.

Like I've said in my old post, I don't mind answering curious questions from people, but please think them through! Think about how it would be perceived.

So yeah there's going to be some snarkiness, not because people with disabilities are mean and hateful, we've heard these questions countless times and it's "here we go again"

So here's to the scary world of ignorance out there, may you continue to be a source of humor, jaw-dropping dumbfoundedness & teeth-grating.

But in true reality we all wish ignorance would go away for good. Because with ignorance comes barriers, discrimination, hate, fear, misunderstanding, and hardship.

Tracy,
​​"One finds limits by pushing them" ~ Herbert Simon

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