Notice

1. Notice I would like to point out that in no way did I intend to be rude to anyone while making this project. It was challenging to make things sound “correct” because I just really am not good with words… or communicating… (as you can see here…)So if I offend anyone please forgive me…I just wanted to get that cleared out of the way… Please enjoy my presentation. THANKYOU :3

2. Taking Advantage of Eyesight, How Other Nations View People With Disabilities Created and Presented by Maria Gerardo “The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them." - Helen Keller

3. My Project • My humanities tolerance project will consist of me researching ways that our society reacts toward people with disabilities (specifically visually impairment) and I will be comparing it to the society of South Korea. • I will also get an understanding on how the blind deal with everyday activities that we might think as of “the norm” but is not exactly really put into the same category for them…

4. Things that I became aware of while making this project… • The unemployment rate for people who are blind is about  70% • Their is a difference between legally blind and blind… • Worldwide, 285 million people are visually impaired due to various cases; 39 million of them are blind. • 121 million are visually impaired because of uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). Almost all of them could have normal vision restored with eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery. • Cataract surgery and correction of refractive errors are among the most cost-effective health interventions. • Blind People Like to Be Treated Just Like You

5. A Day Through The Life Of A Blind Woman: Part 1, 2 and 3 So after reading “A Day Through The Eyes of a Blind Woman: Part 1, 2, and 3” I noticed that of course many “easy normal things” we do are not as simple for her to do, and many of the “gadgets” she can get to help her out (such as a screen reader, a braille label maker, a color recognizing device) are hard for her to get or are a bit too expensive. Also many of us don’t think of the visually impaired when we are creating things… for example even after Lisa spent more than $1ooo on a screen reader (Yes, to achieve the same function the same functionality which you do just by looking at the screen she will have to spend $1000 dollars… Nowadays, even a desktop computer doesn’t cost $1000) she is to find out that many of the designers don’t put much effort into software accessibility, neglecting basic good coding design practices. The following slide consist of the final paragraph of the article…

6. “And a day is never that simple. There are always special, or unexpected events, let alone all the ones which I didn't even mention. I just tried to concentrate on those things which could happen to an average person on an average day. It is definitely possible for a blind person to lead an independent, quality lifestyle, but it takes lot's of adjustments, lot's of compromises, and even more money. Technology is available to make it much easier, but this technology is not yet built into most equipment's. It only takes a little thoughtfulness to produce equipment's which are usable to many more people. Not only that, but it also makes more business sense. If more people can use it, more people will buy it. But if people like Lisa will have to purchase specialized equipment's all the time, the companies which sell it will have a much higher price, as they are serving a narrow market and their production costs will increase. Not to mention that takes choices away which other people have by default.” (“A Day Through The Eyes of a Blind Woman: Part 1, 2 and 3”)

7. American Foundation for the Blind • The United States has set up many policies to help people with disabilities not be discriminated when trying to live a normal life. • The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is working to build on the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws, as well as an international commitment to the basic civil and human rights of all people with disabilities, AFB is building a world where vision loss and disability are mere characteristics of social diversity- not used to justify discrimination.(“Careers for Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals”)

8. Job Opportunities for the blind in South Korea • I soon became interested in using South Korea as my “foreign outlook” when I came across the article Only Blind People Can Be Masseurs, Says South Korean Court

9. How does this relate to tolerance? There is a form of prejudice in our society that surrounds disability. A discomfort, a subtle fear of that which is different and unfamiliar. It manifests as pity, avoidance or mockery. When we see someone with a profound disability, a fleeting thought occurs: "What if that were me?" from which we quickly turn with a shudder. Naturally, many people, especially young people, tend to avoid those who make us feel uncomfortable or guilty. Not knowing how to act or respond to someone very different can be scary, especially for a young person. What if he can't shake hands? Should I pat him on the shoulder? Maybe she walks unsteadily. Will she fall? Will I hurt her if I try to help? What if I say the wrong thing? It is the fear of doing the wrong thing that causes us to just create a tolerable relationship. (Lorie Levinson)

10. Many people know so little about what is beyond their short range of experience. They look within themselves - and find nothing! Therefore they conclude that there is nothing outside themselves either. -Helen Keller