Braille Whiz

Instructions

Oh my gosh, this is featured! Thank you so much Scratch Team and @KitKatOnions for proposing this to be featured! I will read all the comments and answer as many as I can. If you need something, comment on my profile! THANK YOU ALL! :) Please don’t advertise in the comments unless you get permission from me on my profile! Q&A Q: How did you make this if you’re blind? A: First of all, nobody did this for me. I worked really hard on this and did it all by myself. Second, I have enough vision to read, and I can see the coding blocks. I prefer print to Braille because it’s just faster, but I need to know it because I will eventually be completely blind. Lastly, even if I was blind, I could make this by using a screen reader. Only 5% of people who are legally blind have no vision. Q: How do you still see if you are legally blind? A: Well, legally blind ranges from low vision to complete blindness. I’m on the low vision side, but one day I will go completely blind. Q: What do you see? A: I have tunnel vision, so if you cup your hands around your eyes like goggles, that gives you an idea. I'm also near-sighted so I don't see distance very well. I have to have books and my computer pretty close to my face to see them. Q: Is it hard knowing you won't be able to see ever again one day? A: Sort of, kind of, not really. I’ve known it ever since my retinal detachment, but as a visually impaired student at school, I take classes on how to live as a blind person. I learn cane skills, Braille, and how to adapt life to work for me. Also, when I turn 18, I’m totally getting a guide dog. I can’t wait! I’ve wanted one forever! :) Q: How long have you known you were eventually going to go blind? A: I’ve known that I will eventually go blind since I was six. Q: What kind of guide dog do you want? A: I want a German Shepherd! Q: Does it sometimes feel unsatisfying that even now, when you still have vision, you can’t see the "entire picture"? A: Sometimes. One of the things that’s hardest for me to see is art. The more detailed, the harder it Is for me to see. I always feel bad asking the artist what they drew, though, because then it sounds like they did a bad job, when really, they did so well and added so many details that I can’t see it. Q: Do you get bullied or made fun of at school because you are legally blind? A: Actually, I’ve never been intentionaly bullied. Mostly people underestimate me or wave their hands in my face to see if I notice (which is kind of weird because I can still see). I’m OK, though. I get that people don’t always understand and that they’re curious, so I don’t get mad. Q: What is that like on a daily basis at school for example? A: So, I have three main friends. The school makes sure that I have one of them in each class so they can tell me what’s written on the board at the front of the classroom. They don’t do anything for me, but I can’t see stuff like that so they read it to me (if the teacher isn’t reading it to the class already). I can’t take PE because sudden impacts could cause me to go blind faster and they like to play dodgeball. I also skip one class every week (this year it was social studies) for O&M, which stands for Orientation and Mobility. In O&M, I learn cane skills, and how to move around without sight. I also skip one elective twice a week for Braille, where I just practice my Braille. I navigate the school with my cane because I don’t want to trip. I know all the halls, it’s just a safety thing. Other than that, my day is pretty normal. Q: Don't you get headaches from tunnel vision? When you take your glasses off and read, do you get headaches? A: My tunnel vision doesn’t give me headaches. Tunnel vision for my eyes is just like with normal vision, you can’t see past a certain point, I can’t, either. I just see a lot less, and I don’t see black areas where I should have vision, it’s just not there. Also, I can’t read or see anything without my glasses, so my glasses are pretty much on all the time. Q: Can you see color? A: Yes. Q: Can you read Braille? A: Yes, I can. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments or in my 100 follower Q&A!