The Sight of Blindness and the Phenomenon of Avoidance

Abstract

Newly blinded people, in addition to adjusting to their loss of vision, must also often cope with being avoided by family and friends. All blind persons encounter the problem of avoidance in their daily contact with people. Because of the sighted person's fear of becoming blind himself, he avoids anything that stimulates that anxiety, particularly individuals who are blind. Being unable to cope with the fear aroused in him, he retreats in order to reduce its intensity. Avoidance can be countered by more personal contact between blind and sighted persons and by increasing the visibility of well-adjusted blind persons in the community. Agencies for the blind can, in their public education and fund-raising programs, influence attitudes by accurately portraying the abilities of blind persons.

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