A VISION OF CULTURE BY: CHRISTOPHER STARK
Blind persons are expressing a need for a sense of identity. This search for identity has resulted in a fresh examination of the traditional perceptions of blindness. This quest for a more meaningful self-concept has resulted in a re-examination of the traditional impressions of blindness. Blind persons are in the early stages of this quest. Current thinking in this formative stage of development has resulted in new questions being asked, New problems are emerging. New theories are evolving.
Early on in the process of seeking a new understanding of blindness, it becomes apparent that the traditional views are inadequate. No longer are the terms disabled or handicapped adequate to describe the nature of blindness. The goal of integration is being replaced with the desire to discover the cultural identity of blindness. This is virgin territory of thought: crying out for exploration and understanding. The importance or significance of this new philosophy is yet to be accepted and appreciated by the academic community or for that matter, the general public.
Can blindness be equated with the concept of culture? Perhaps one way of tackling this question would be to consider blindness in terms of the criteria listed in the Webster’s Dictionary for a culture. The dictionary lists six criteria relating to the concept of culture:
1)The act of developing the intellectual and moral
facilities, especially by education.
2)Expert care and training.
3) Enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training.
4)Acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and
broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational
and technical skills
5)The integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action, and artifacts and depends upon
man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to
succeeding generations.
6)The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of
a racial, religious, or social group.
Part of the tradition of blindness is the accomplishments and contributions made by outstanding blind persons such as Helen Keller and Louis Braille. A number of blind persons such as Tom Sullivan, who wrote, “If You Can See What I Hear” have written extensively of their experiences and impressions of society. Such writings demonstrate the unique intellectual and moral development of blind persons. No longer do blind persons find it necessary to apologize for their blindness. It is more appropriate to take pride in their accomplishments and achievements of fellow blind persons. To derive strength from the accomplishments ” of “others. To admire excellence! Creating an awareness among blind persons and for that matter, the general public of their rich and vivid heritage is all part of the education process. In human terms it is difficult to deny the uniqueness of blindness.
Considerable time is spent by professionals who help individuals obtain the necessary skills to cope with the effects of blindness. The traditional approach to this training has been to emphasize the technical aspects of skills development such as: braille reading and writing, touch typing, orientation and mobility. Gradually, this approach is being modified to include an exposure to the emotional, ethnic, spiritual and historical aspects of blindness. Greater efforts are now being made by many blind persons to take expert care and training of the image of blindness and the impression created by the term. Blind persons have acquired an acquaintance and a taste in fine arts, humanities, and a broad aspect of science such as distinguished from vocational and technical skills. The-love of fine music and the skill of many blind persons in this field is well known. Blind persons appreciation and perception of fine art is also different than that of sighted persons. A blind persons impressions of art such as a sculpture or a painting differs from that of a sighted person. However, who is to say that a blind persons impressions are not as profound or significant as those derived by a person who has spent many hours gazing at an artistic wonder. Appreciation of art takes many forms. The expression of this appreciation by artists who are blind is worthy of exhibit. A blind persons capacity in the humanities and sciences has a uniqueness of it’s own. The fact that the emotional and aesthetic development of a blind person takes place with out the influence in part or in whole of the visual sense in itself indicates that there will be a difference in perception.
Blind persons have demonstrated an integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action and the artifacts of a culture, which depends upon man’s capacity to learn to transmit knowledge to successive generations. It soon becomes apparent to any one who associates with blind persons that they enjoy the company of one another. This common bond has too often been dismissed as trivia. This natural affinity has often been exploited. The concept of the herd of poor unfortunate blind persons attending a musical concert is a concept that society can easily relate to, The question of integration has clouded the issue and diverted attention from the question of cultural identity. Integrating a person in to a society for example, implies that person before he or she is integrated is somewhere else (the 5th Dimension perhaps?). This is an indefensible philosophical concept. Even if a person is not integrated, as we have come to understand the term, he is still a member of the community and has some effect on the overall social patterns of that society. Unfortunately, the concept of integration has evolved into a status symbol associated with program successor value judgements. Since the values used to make these judgements are not the values of a blind person, then it can be argued that the entire concept is inappropriate. Many blind persons have embraced these false values, “I am integrated! I married a sighted person. I work with a sighted person. All my friends are sighted-People.” Perhaps blind people prefer to associate on occasion with one another because of a common bond which transcends the notion of blindness as only a physical being. Is not this common being a result of a natural cultural affinity?
The application of values of others have often resulted in blind persons denying their heritage. Cultural assault on blindness has resulted in many blind persons feeling ashamed of their-roots.
Blind persons have yet to develop cultural defense mechanisms strong enough to protect blindness from this constant cultural raping. A poster put out by an Industrial Eye Safety Organization in Canada depicted a pure white cane and guide dog on a midnight black background with the bold message at the top, “AVOID THE CHOICE”! Although their motives were admirable, the affect is unfortunate. What impression of blindness is being conveyed by this image? Negative statements about blindness are often made with out realizing their deep significance. For example, the song that states, “There are none so blind as those who will not see” or the advertisement by an International Relief Agency raising funds which stated, “Illiteracy is Like Being Blind”, which was accompanied by a picture of a silhouette of a human form with bulbus pure white blank eyes, staring vacantly into nothingness signifying a lack of a cultural appreciation of blindness. Similar examples occur ‘every day.
The unique thoughts and actions of blind persons need to be examined in the light of a cultural prospective. The artifacts are numerous, The evolution of the white cane, braille writer and the many other aids and appliances used by blind persons have a profound influence on the culture of the blind. The many specialized skills used by blind persons to compensate for the non-¬availability of the visual sense (in part or in whole) are passed on from generation to generation. Each new generation of blind persons inherits this knowledge and adapts it and improves upon the accomplishments of previous generations. These are the cultural traits of a social group. The customs, beliefs, and social forms of this social group have long been denied. They need to be respected. and appreciated for the well being of society. The Canadian fabric can be enriched by the culture of blindness in the same way that it has been enriched through the growing awareness of it’s language, ethnic and religious component cultures.
Recently a totally blind person stated, “if you are totally blind your perception of your identity and the identity of those around you is different. Blind persons make judgements on a different plane than sighted people. I appreciate sound not color. Attitude not appearance. Sincerity can be masked through changes in expression but rarely do people think to disguise the feelings expressed through the sound of their voice. A blind person may use different criteria to judge friendship”.
Through the concept of blindness as a culture an understanding of the aesthetic beauty of blindness emerges. An acceptance of blindness as a force for good, not a force for evil and an acceptance of the heritage of the blind as a valued aspect of the development of the fabric of the country. There is a need to discover and appreciate the contributions of blind persons in Canada in all fields ranging from the arts to the humanities. There is a need to foster an understanding of the role that blind persons have played in the heritage of Canada. To develop an official recognition of the characteristics and manners of cultural expressions of blind persons. To perceive and support the artistic traditions of the blind as they themselves perceive them. To catalogue and record the growth and ability of blind persons in working towards a mutual acceptance and awareness of the culture of the blind. To catalogue and record the contributions of blind persons in such fields as: the arts, the humanities, the evolution of communication (language, education, recorded forms, etc … skills development, opportunities, history, writings, social Patterns, recreation, sports, perception, and attitude. The undertakings of such projects can be a moving and rewarding experience for all Canadians.
Proposed Research Topics on Blindness
1. Blind Persons as Pedestrians
2. History of Blindness in Canada
3. Biographies of Individual Blind Persons
4. Blind Persons as Consumers
5. The Financial Implications of Blindness The Cost of Blindness
6. Socialization Without Sight
7. An Analysis of the Interaction Between Blind Persons and Volunteers
8. Blind Persons as Parents
9. The Effects of Blindness On Sighted Children of Blind Parents
10. The Heredity Factor and Blindness – An Emotional Evaluation
11. An Analysis of the Effects of the Isolation Tendency on Blind Persons and Deaf-Blind Persons
12. Blindness as Portrayed By the Media
13. The Tin Cup Syndrome
14, The Differences in Verbalization Between Blind Persons and Sighted Persons
15, Blind Persons and the Natural Environment
16, An Analysis of the Unique Aspirations and Goals of Blind Persons in the Recreation Field
17. The Fear of Vastness, ie., Water, Heights, etc.
18. The Role of Humor in Accommodating One’s Blindness
19. Blindness and Human Rights – The Consumer’s Perspective
20. Systemic Obstacles to the Advancement of Blind Persons
21. Reactions to Blindness by Blind Persons
22. Blind Persons Vision of Sightedness
23. Braille Art – Fact or Fancy
24. Institutional Cultural Denial – The Whys and Wherefores
25. Little Bo-Blind – The Effect of Paternalism on Human Development
26. The Institute for the Sighted
27. Blindness and Perception of Images
28. Aids and alliances negative impact on the Self Concept of the Sociological Effects of Blindness
29. Coping with Disabilities – Humanism Through Gadgetry
30. Conscious Streaming and Blindness
31. The Making of Misconceptions About Blind Persons
32. Blindness and the Struggle Between Good and Evil
33. The Evolution of Communication Skills
34. Attitudes of Blind Persons to Other Disabled Groups
35. Blindness – Dignity or Disgrace
36. Live Theater and the Blind
37. The Academics of Blindness
38. The Portrait of Blindness in Literature
39. The Portrait of Blindness in the Holy Bible
40. The Portrait of Blindness in Poetry and Art
41. Fantasies of Blind Persons
42. Illiteracy and Blind Persons – The Effects of Using Recorded Material In Place of Reading and Writing
43. The Faking of a Blind Man
44. Orientation and Visual Disabilities
45. Visually Impaired Persons Verses Totally Blind Persons – The Great Land Rush for Identity
46. Accessibility for the Blind – Sensitivity Verses Technology
47. Sociological Effects of Blindness on the Aging Process
48. The Psychological Impact of Blindness on the Work Place
49. Evolution of Attitudes Towards Blindness In Canada
50. Programming Self-Determination for Blind Persons
51. The Helping Motivation
52. Blind Persons and the Medical Profession
53. The Medical Perception of Blindness