What's it like to be blind in the developing world?
We spoke to Justin in Arizona briefly last week - he wanted to know what life was like for blind people in the developing world.
Today he'll be speaking to our callers and to Aubrey Webson, who works with the World Blind Union. Aubrey is blind and grew up in Antigua. He's worked with blind people around the world - mostly in Africa - for 20 years.
By the end of the programme, we hope Justin's questions will be answered. How hard is life for a blind person in the developing world? What do their sighted compatriots think of them? Whether you are blind or not, get in touch.
Here's what he had to say:
I'm Justin Mann from Arizona, and I am a frequent listener to "World Have Your Say".
I've learned a lot about how different peoples perceive different issues that are going on in the world, and this has caused me to think of an issue that hits very close to home. In order to explain this better, I should give you a little back ground on who I am:
I'm your typical 20-something American, I've just gotten married, have a decent job, and enjoy just about anything that anybody in the west would enjoy. There is one small difference to the mix, and it is that I am blind.
Thanks to the advances in technology I have access to just about anything that my sighted counterpart does. I have gps to get me where I want to go, a computer that's adapted so that I can use it, and even a portable digital assistant.
We live in the global age, where fair trade, and global economics are the name of the game. This gives me pause for some questions that I do not think are being asked:
1. Am I one of the fortunate few as a blind person in the west?
2. What is the general perception of blind people in the west?
3. How does that differ from how blind people are perceived in the east?
4. What kind of barriers do blind people in a developing country face to achieving a "normal life"?
Peter mentioned having someone disabled go out and investigate this issue. However I think that having just a normal sighted person do this would be better. I think that they will be able to go out into the community and get a more honest perception of how blind people are perceived. This is because no one would come right out and say to a blind person investigating this, "blind people cannot do anything, blind people should be shipped off to an island", or whatever their feelings may be because of political correctness.
Thanks so much for helping me address this issue.
Justin
For more on disability matters - the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ OUCH! website is the place to be. It aims to reflect the life of disabled people here and now. Click here for their weblog
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