calmcalled sighted people or "people who are sighted." Legal "sight" means
any visual acuity greater than 20/200 in the better eye without
correction or an angle of vision wider than 20 degrees. Sighted people
enjoy rich full lives, working, playing and raising families. They run
businesses, hold public office and teach YOUR children!
HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE GET AROUND?
People who are sighted may walk or ride public transportation, but most
choose to travel long distances by operating their own motor vehicles.
They have gone through many hours of training, at great expense, to
learn the "rules of the road" to further their independence. Once that
road to freedom has been mastered, sighted people earn a legal
classification and a "Driver's License" that allows them to operate a
private vehicle safely and independently. Sighted people cannot function
well in low lighting conditions and are generally completely helpless in
total darkness. Their homes are usually very brightly lit at great
expense, as are businesses that cater to the sighted consumer.
HOW CAN I BEST COMMUNICATE WITH SIGHTED PEOPLE?
Sighted people are accustomed to viewing the world in visual terms. This
means that in many situations, they will not be able to communicate
orally and may resort to pointing or other gesturing. They may also use
subtle facial expressions to convey feelings in social situations.
Calmly alert the sighted person to his or her surroundings by speaking
slowly, in a normal tone of voice. There is no need to raise your voice
when addressing a sighted person. Questions directed to the sighted
person help them focus on verbal rather than visual and gestural
communication.
HOW CAN I ASSIST A SIGHTED PERSON?
At times, sighted people may need help finding things, especially when
operating a motor vehicle. Your advance knowledge of routes and
landmarks, particularly bumps in the road, turns and traffic lights,
will assist the "driver" in finding the way quickly and easily. Your
knowledge of building layouts can also assist the sighted person in
navigating complex shopping malls and offices. Sighted people tend to be
very proud and will not ask directly for assistance. Be gentle, yet
firm.
HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE READ?
Sighted people read through a system called "Print." Print is a series
of images drawn in a two dimensional plane. Because the person who is
sighted relies exclusively on visual information, his or her attention
span tends to fade quickly when reading long texts. People who are
sighted generally have a poorly developed sense of touch. Braille is
completely foreign to the sighted person and he or she will take longer
to learn the code and be severely limited by his or her existing visual
senses.
HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE USE COMPUTERS?
Computer information is presented to sighted people in a "Graphical User
Interface" or GUI. Sighted people often suffer from hand-eye
coordination problems and poor memories. To accommodate these
difficulties, people who are sighted use a "mouse," a handy device that
slides along the desk top to save confusing keystrokes. With one button,
the sighted person can move around his or her computer screen quickly
and easily. People who are sighted are not accustomed to synthetic
speech and may have great difficulty understanding even the clearest
synthesizer. Be patient and prepared to explain many times how YOUR
computer equipment works.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT A SIGHTED PERSON?
People who are sighted do not want your charity. They want to live, work
and play along with you. The best thing you can do to support sighted
people in your community is to open yourself to their world. These
citizens are vital, contributing members of society. Take a sighted
person to lunch today!!
