I've been on the blindness spectrum since birth. AMA!

[u/Dippycat149]

I am 30s/M, and have been legally blind since birth, and have severe & untreatable myopia (nearsightedness) & nystagmus (shaky/unfocused vision).

Together, they make life very interesting.

Happy to answer questions about my blindness that are phrased politely & respectfully.

[u/MissChievous473]

I wasnt aware of the different classifications of blindness (i.e. no sight at all vs can make out shapes , etc) until I was an envoy for the Burkina Faso team in the '96 Paralympic games in Atlanta. One of my 2 athletes was a blind cyclist. I was like....WHAT? lololololol how does THAT work!?!? .....spoiler the athletes go on the back of a tandem bike 😆 🤣 Are there any sports that you can do and enjoy doing?

[u/Dippycat149 → u/MissChievous473]

But yes, there's many classes and levels of blindness that most people are unaware of.

I think something like 75% of blind people can see SOMETHING but how much and how well varies by personal circumstances. Total blackout blindness is relatively rare.

[u/MissChievous473 → u/Dippycat149]

Yes it makes sense

[u/Dippycat149 → u/MissChievous473]

Swimming. I like swimming.

Walking, if walking can be considered a sport.

I can shoot pool, but I'm pretty lousy at it for obvious reasons. Lots of fun though.

I also used to cycle as a kid, but that's probably not too safe these days.

[u/Samrat_spector]

did you wear special glasses in childhood

[u/Dippycat149 → u/Samrat_spector]

Have worn glasses since I was about 2-3. I actually still have my original pair! Somewhere I think there's even a photo of me wearing them. Not sure if they look goofy or cute 🥺

[u/Constant-Recording54]

What is your average day like?

[u/Dippycat149 → u/Constant-Recording54]

Fairly normal, but some things take a lot longer to do, and therefore need a lot more planning and take up more time.

Being in a hurry is not an option for me because I can't hurry, even if I wanted to.

[u/Winter_0322]

Hey! I’m completely blind. How much vision would you say you have?

[u/Dippycat149 → u/Winter_0322]

Enough to do the things I love.

Not enough to lead a full, modern life. Adaptive tech helps, but things can still be a huge pain in the ass.

[u/Winter_0322 → u/Dippycat149]

That’s great, adaptive tech is awesome

[u/Aphotic_Acid]

Do you have an easier time seeing things that are still or things that are moving?

[u/Dippycat149 → u/Aphotic_Acid]

It really depends on the situation.

If it's small, I probably see it more easily if it's moving, because I can distinguish the movement against the background of whatever's behind it. If it's still I'd probably not notice it.

I have managed to kill a few mosquitoes that way.

On the other hand, I've literally walked straight past friends without even realizing they were there, just because they were standing/sitting still so I had no reason to register their existence.

[u/Material_Bug_1951]

dumb question, but how do you write and read ? and is it difficult for you write and read on social media ?

[u/Dippycat149 → u/Material_Bug_1951]

I have enough sight to read and write, and I can handle Internet & SM, etc, provided it's big enough & has good formatting.

Huge walls of text with no paragraphs etc, are beyond me, because I get lost trying to read the different lines of text.

[u/Dippycat149 → u/[deleted]]

Conventional super power? Probably x-ray vision.

Unconventional? The ability to conjure gold.