"How to write a blind character" guide?
Tue, Jun. 21st, 2011 12:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
steorran_worulde posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
access_fandomHi,
This post may be stretching the boundaries of this community, since it's not exactly about fandom, but:
trouble directed me here and suggested that people here might have links to things of the form "How to write characters with X disability". The thing I'm particularly investigating at the moment is blindness. I want to know what kinds of things blind people can do that sighted people might expect that they couldn't do, and what kinds of adaptations they make to do these things. I also want to know about what kinds of things blind people find difficult that a sighted person might not expect. And, more generally, I want to know what I should know about blindness and being blind that I might not even know to ask about.
The context in which I'll be putting this information to use is not for writing a blind character in a sighted society, but for designing a culture in which everyone is blind. Still, things aimed at helping authors write blind characters in sighted society will likely still be useful to me.
This post may be stretching the boundaries of this community, since it's not exactly about fandom, but:
trouble directed me here and suggested that people here might have links to things of the form "How to write characters with X disability". The thing I'm particularly investigating at the moment is blindness. I want to know what kinds of things blind people can do that sighted people might expect that they couldn't do, and what kinds of adaptations they make to do these things. I also want to know about what kinds of things blind people find difficult that a sighted person might not expect. And, more generally, I want to know what I should know about blindness and being blind that I might not even know to ask about.The context in which I'll be putting this information to use is not for writing a blind character in a sighted society, but for designing a culture in which everyone is blind. Still, things aimed at helping authors write blind characters in sighted society will likely still be useful to me.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-21 09:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-21 09:51 pm (UTC)Just put yourself in a space where you've got some things you could do, like folding laundry or washing dishes, and do it without sight. Some form of blindfold is good because then you don't have to think about not opening your eyes. I find that after a while, I start using my senses differently. You could even do some experimentation like cutting and sewing a simple object, or assembling something out of Legos. :) But, absolutely, DO something concrete and productive. Make tea, make a sandwich.
(Yes, I do thought experiments like this all the time for all kinds of things, in addition to doing research.)