Some Things Somebody had to Say

Glad.

Awesome.

6 7

you broke it. dam you

Proceeds to press the non existent downvote button.

-- (khalil2009):
6 7

--

rizz

I'm clearly the only sigma here right?

Giga chad, blah blah blah. At least use the terms in some context

no?

@88, the context of these words is that they have no context.

Bruh, you're beyond skibidi ok?
Dream harder

-- (rudolf):
I'm clearly the only sigma here right?
--

On a much more serious note than most of the posts in this thread, I'd add:

17. You should learn serious computer skills. I'm not talking about coding here, but about navigating inaccessible interfaces efficiently. It would be great if all software was WCAG AAA compliant, but that, alas, is not the case. You should know how to work around an interface that hasn't had any accessibility work put into it.

It's hard to explain what this skill is exactly, I know plenty of long-time computer users who still don't quite have it, and very few ones that truly do. Finding a person who mastered this without being a developer is very rare. Not unheard of, I know a couple, but it's rare, and it's one of the things that distinguishes people who can quickly figure out a new app at work from those who constantly need to ask for help with every new task that they haven't done before.

18. Learn to live with the fact that your disability means you will need to do more work than a sighted person to achieve the same outcome. It is not an excuse to do less. Sadly, many people treat it as the latter, not the former. This is true about members of most minority groups and heavily depends on country and culture, but we are definitely guilty of this as a community.

19. If you can, surround yourself with sighted people. On average, they're much better role models for you, and you'll be much better adjusted.

20. Figure out how to get access to audio description, and not the per-season files that Audiovault publishes weeks after an episode has aired. You might not need this if you're already well socialized, but being able to watch the same shows as everybody around you definitely does help. It's already hard enough with limited access to Tiktok, Instagram and computer games, give yourself as much access to sighted culture as you possibly can. Unless you can find a group of bookish friends, audiobooks won't help here.

21. Figure out what you want to do with your life early on and stick to it. Read up on survivorship bias (Google the term or ask your Claude for advice). A sighted person can go work at a supermarket or at a construction site when all else fails, and that can still be a decent way to support themselves. We often don't have that option.

22. Move out as early as you possibly can. It doesn't have to be permanent, but at least for a few months, to really figure out how living by yourself is like. The more your family fights you on this, the more important it is that you actually do it, because they're not going to get better until you force them to get better or break contact. College is a good excuse here, use it if you can.

23. Get a real phone. Not a Blindshell classic. If you live outside the US (this is not as important for Americans as it is for everybody else), set up Apple / Google pay. Touchscreen based PIN pads are a reality these days, the only way to stay secure as a blind person is to use something which relies on a fingerprint or face scan and not an inaccessible PIN terminal.

24. Figure out what your country's accessibility law is and what options it gives you. Writing a relatively scary sounding legal-ish letter is not as difficult as people make it out to be, and in many situations, that's all it takes to get what you want. AI really helps you sound like a dangerous professional if you can't do it on your own.

Disagree with the AD thing. Sighted culture is mid these days.

While I agree with a lot of things you say, you sound like you try to join the so said cool group of sighted people not exactly because you want to do so, but because you want to belong somewhere and even if those series and movies aren't interesting, you watch them just to have some common topics with sighted folks. That's not the way the world works. Sighted people also read books, and I say more, sometimes even audiobooks! The genre wasn't invented specifically for blind people.
As for moving out, I'll be glad to, if you buy me a house. In Hungary a simple flat on the 6th floor costs about 120000 euro. No, I didn't mistype. I've been living in dormitory for 5 years now but I'm going to finish my studies in a year... So what? From where should I get such a huge amount of money to move out as quickly as possible? Believe me, I'd do it if I could.
I agree with a lot of points though, especially regarding computers.

You can rent a house, a good start. In fact, you could rent out a room, but that comes with it's own set of problems, because you don't know who you're going to be living with, unless it's a bunch of friends you know well.

@ArcticMoon

I consider a dorm to be "moving out." Nothing wrong with that. Moving out doesn't mean you need to buy your own house or apartment outright. Even sighted people don't do that, not unless they're trust-fund babies or something. Living in a dorm, with roommates, or even with other blind friends in the same situation, are all perfectly acceptable ways to do it.

For me, moving out is ultimately about taking control of your life and not being subject to the whims of your family. There are far too many blind adults who are told not to do this or that. If you move out, nobody has that kind of control over your life, not unless you let them.