Posted by:
blindguy
(
)
Date: June 17, 2021 11:02AM
I suppose you might call this a part of a random series about living as a blind or visually impaired person, though I have no idea when the next installment will occur.
Anyway, before I provide the link to the article, let me provide a definition of ableism. According to the on-line Merriam Webster Dictionary, ableism is simply "prejudice and discrimination towards disabled persons."
Now to the article which is more than about problems just faced by blind people:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2021/06/14/fighting-ableism-is-about-much-more-than-attitudes-and-awareness/?sh=56887b0119c0In fact, some of these issues (such as narrow doorways and a single step into restaurants) are pretty much nonexistent unless they suffer from another physical disability or have not been trained in mobility skills. On the other hand, the access to information issues cited is still a very big problem for the blind and visually impaired population, especially those who are totally blind. This is true, even if you have a talking and braille computer (as I do) because some websites do not provide their information in an accessible format.
One issue not mentioned in the article is the cost of getting insurance coverage. In 2018, after a water leak, my sighted sister (who lives with me) and I decided that we needed to get house insurance so we started researching the issue. I called a prominent insurance company that advertises a lot (it promotes its lower-than-others rates) and went through the process of seeing what I could get. Things were going along fine until the question came up about what kind of car I owned. I explained that I was totally blind and neither owned nor drove a car. The agent listened to my explanation and then quoted me a monthly rate of around $600.
Later, my sister tried getting a quote from the same company. Because she owned a car and had no visual issues, the amount quoted to her was around $200.
While we obviously purchased the house insurance under my sister's name, the experience does show that if you have a disability and are trying to live independently, you will be forced to pay higher insurance premiums than your non-disabled counterparts, even if there is no evidence that shows that you are a greater risk to them than your non-disabled counterparts.