I started identifying myself as “blind” about ten years ago – around the time people started talking about Bitcoin.
Today, when I tell someone I’m “blind” or “legally blind,”I feel a lot of things. In order:
Proud
Prepared
Afraid
As sort of a preface to Degen Eyes, let me explain these three emotions, and I’ll try to be as succinct as possible to give you some space to think about them and form your own ideas.
I’m proud because I know something you don’t know. Blindness might be frightening; sure. Frustrating; of course. But it’s also beautiful. It’s a best-kept secret.
Now before everyone gets mad at my let me explain. The pain of losing your vision is real. Epically real. We’ll talk about that. But if you’ve ever met an educated, well-adjusted person who experiences the world non-visually, you know: There’s not much inherently bad about it. Those with irregular eyes are just as strange, interesting and wonderful as everybody else. More than that, though, the lengths that these wonderful people must go through to fight past the exclusion they experience in their life, by default, makes them, to my mind, heroic.
I’m proud because I have a secret; a knowledge that none of your stereotypes about vision loss can touch. It comes from meeting people – lots of people – and striving toward a community of people, none of whom see the world the same two ways.
I’m prepared because people will have questions. Lots of them. How’d you lose your sight? How much CAN you see? Do you dream with sight or without? The list, goes, on, and, on. Something happened – I don’t knwo what it was – that led people to think that blind people were put on earth to help them get a glimpse into the mysteries of the universe, and so ti’s our job to stand, politely, and decide how many basic-ass questions we’re going to field before suggesting that they volunteer at their local nonprofit organization if they’re so interested in our community.
I’m also prepared for bad jokes, discrimination, micro-aggressions, over-helping, under-helping, I could go on but who cares? We all have to strap in and prepare for the world to assail us every time we walk out the door, right? People make comments to strangers on the street that make them feel like total garbage all the time, right? People grab strangers by both arms and physically manhandle them without asking all the time, right? Right..
Finally, the afraid part. And this is where I need you to stick with me. I’m not afraid of the darkness. I’m not afraid of failure. I’m not even afraid of the things I should probably legitimately be afraid of: 70% unemployment? Disaster preparedness? No. I’m afraid of being misconstrued. Misapprehended. Not seen for who I am.
First impressions are kind of a big deal for blind people. We know what you think about us when we walk into a room, swinging a white cane or working a guide dog. We know we only have a few minutes – seconds, maybe – before we are filed in one of two categories: “blind guy” or, “great guy!” Sometimes it’s as simple as making a joke, latching on to something someone in the room said and showing them you’re relatable, whatever it is, we know that we need to take the assumptions that followed us into the room and bash them into smithereens as quickly as humanly possible. Maybe then, we’ll be recognized as a nuanced, relatable human figure.
I don’t like these walls; These chambers we’re stuck wandering around in because the culture was behind. I don’t like the anti-disability culture that the wreckage of colonialism, eugenics and capitalism has wrought. I want people to think about their eyes as a tool that they switch on every morning and employ for specialized tasks – not some inherent god-given right that some few unfortunate souls have been deprived of.
It’s convenient – or maybe it’s a mortal imperative – to ignore the fact that, despite all the great things we can see, there’s so much more we WON’T see. That’s what’s most interesting to me. Why box yourself in with what you’re limited to capturing with your eyes? Whether it’s ultraviolet ranges we’ve never experienced or what’s behind an impermeable barrier, let’s explore some new world. I hope with Degen Eyes we can take some of these walls and rip them down.
I’ll be posting more here about the art we’re creating for the blockchain, and the elements we will be building in to promote blind artists and build a more accessible web3. Please consider donating to me at degeneyes.eth if you’re keen to support, and you’ll be included in the early mint process for the genesis collection of artworks!
