u/MostlyBlindGamer

This feature is intended to increase time on platform and engagement. Calling it accessibility is disability-washing, just as hotels suggesting you don’t get your towels cleaned to fire house keeping staff is green-washing.

I don’t know why you summed I downvoted the other user. It’d be me right to, but I didn’t.

What are your credentials in accessibility? I’m a disabled user and trained practitioner. This is not an accessibility feature.

Text is virtually universally accessible. If Reddit wanted to be accessible we wouldn’t be having this conversation. 

As a disabled user and moderator I take issue with your instinctual disabled-washings. As /u/DHamlimMusic explained this is yet another barrier thrown at blind Redditors while our needs are ignored. Shame on you.

In the sidebar look for the "message mods" button/link.

I’m a software developer, I have no vision in one eye and low vision in the other. I use my white cane in the office and have a video monitor on a VESA arm.

I know how it feels right now, I’ve been there. You can be OK. Even if you lost all vision, there are lots of blind developers. Maybe not in design like that, but in development, management, accessibility testing and consulting, etc. 

Hey, we really can’t help with the medical side, but many can certainly empathize. I used to have a lot of headaches from glaucoma, as a kid. I didn’t understand it and didn’t know how to deal with it, so I kind of get what you’re going through. Unfortunately the experience of waiting for a diagnosis is also very common. You can try going to other doctors who may be able to slot you in earlier. I once waited months to see a doctor who only told me I’d been sent to the wrong specialty. Hopefully it’ll go a lot better for you. 

We cannot and will not offer medical advice. It sounds like you’ve got a medical team on this: good parenting right there! Lots of blind adults didn’t get that as infants.

That said, the community is here for you for all the other kinds of support you need.

All the best for your kiddo.

I really do like Ambutech’s tip options as well. I think the regular cane can take a lot of abuse, but I’m not so sure about the slimline. 

That’s a shame, they’re a really cool feature. 

So wait, that slips onto the ID cane? Cool. I don’t like rollers either. 

The joints are great, I agree. I don’t think I like the tip, so I’m interested in what tips are compatible. What do you use?

Yeah, there’s a lot to like about it. How do you feel about the tip though?

I'm impressed by it! It's not a perfect fit, but there are a lot of features I think are great, like the grip and joints.

Do you use the regular folding ones? How are the tips?

Oh, it’s still worth considering. Sort of best of both worldsof, but with known risks. We’ll think about it, along with other suggestions. 

/r/askblindpeople exists but is pretty dead. If there’s a lot of interest, we could work with that, but the moderation for “(within reason)” would be pretty rough. I’d expect a lot of cringe and edge lord stuff.

They used to. Every change they make is to create more engagement, good or bad. 

Commenting not as a mod, in so much as that’s possible, I also come here and other places to be with people who get it and who aren’t about randomly poking and prodding or profiting off of us.

I’m very happy with my white cane and I’m not in the market for magnetic shoes or whatever.

I also do enjoy the discussions and would like those to be possible.

As a mod, but not speaking for all the mods [puts on mod hat] we deal with countless people who clearly think they’ve found their next big business idea, without any connection to the continuity or basic knowledge to actually create a product. Many of them try find some specific angle to circumvent the rules and sell their new divining rod with GPS.

The rules always evolve. They have and certainly will continue to change. Looking at other subs though, they also deal with a pendulum:

More strict to deal with bad content, things get stale. More lenient to foster engagement, people take advantage of them.

It’s always hard to tell what part of the swing we’re on. 

Please replace your bit dot ly short link with a direct link. A link to a website would be better than one for Teams. 

If you haven't yet, go to https://knightsofthebraille.com and then join the Discord.

You're getting a lot of great examples. But me, personally?

I can fix lots of household DIY problems relatives need help with by touch. Clogged sink? I've got you.

I have a job I'm really good at, and where I can teach people about accessibility, making things easier for other disabled people, in the long run.

I get to moderate this community that's genuinely saved my life and help keep it active and safe, so others like you can get as much out of it as I have.

My cat makes the cutest noises you've ever heard when I give her wet food.

I get to talk to amazing people here and sometimes meet them in real life. It's amazing how many doors a white cane can open for you when traveling.

That's already been mentioned, but I can use the vision I do have to enjoy many experiences through photography. Sighted people tell me I have a great eye. Hehehe.

Once you start chasing the opportunities you have, you'll create more and more opportunities. You can experience and do amazing things. A lot of it will be very hard, but it will also be very rewarding.

Doctors are often very focused on the mechanics of our bodies, not so much our quality of life. The good news is other people are better prepared to guide folks through disability - are you aware of the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)? They're not the only option, but the probably the first choice in the UK to help you start figuring things out.

On a less action-oriented note, you will miss out on things, but you'll also have experiences other won't. Human lives are complex and full of opportunities. Communities like this one are full of people like you who have and continue to do amazing things and have fulfilling lives - we do it differently.

I love this idea. I found a few keychain-size crochet moles on Etsy. I think that would be really appropriate.

I hope something like that helps you a lot.

Lots of us have felt what you’re feeling. It’s sadly normal to not know where to turn when you find out you’re losing your vision.

What helped me was to learn about all the great every-day blind people doing awesome things, and about the resources I didn’t know existed.

This is all a lot to process and it’ll take you some time. It’s not meaningless, but it’s also not nearly as awful as you may think.

I hope you learn a lot here, to start you on your path. You’re not alone.