“It’s weird for the people who aren’t used to it. And I want to make it less weird”: Blindness community bloggers as legitimate voices of their lived experiences

Abstract

In this study, 19 bloggers from the blindness community discuss the meaning of blogging both for themselves and for other persons within this community. Bloggers with visual impairments, their relatives, and blog editors of blindness organizations are interviewed to answer the following questions: (1) What motivates people from the blindness community to still use blogs? (2) How does blogging enable the blindness community to shape their identity and share their lived experiences? (3) How do people with visual impairments and their allies see the future of blogs? Using critical disability studies to interpret the findings, we argue that blogs are a significant form of communication and awareness-raising for the blindness community, as well as enhancing the identity of members of the blindness community. The analysis of the interviews shows that visually impaired people’s participation in blogging changes their self-perception in a positive way, as well as others’ perceptions of blindness. According to the study participants, bloggers with visual impairment and their allies consider themselves more knowledgeable about the topic of blindness because their blogs communicate authentic lived experiences. Overall, the participants are generally optimistic about the future of blogging for the benefit of the blindness community.