blindbeta - Tumblr blog

[blindbeta]

Hi! Incredibly specific question here, if it's not relevant, that's okay! Can you write in braille with random tools you could find at a party? I'm writing a story with a scene where one character, L, runs into her old friend, C, (who happens to be blind) for the first time in years. L's undercover at a gala for reasons and thankfully isn't recognized by C because she manages to avoid talking to her, but she wants to leave her contact information discretely in a way that C could read, rather then risk talking to her and blowing her cover. I was thinking of having her use random things she can find at this gala to write a note in braille (like a business card and a toothpick/fork/something) before smuggling it into C's pocket or purse. Is freestyle braille even realistic in the slightest? Or should I have them reconnect in a different way? Any tips?

I’m not sure about at a party specifically, but I can speculate on what tools the character might plausibly be able to use.

The first that comes to mind is a slate and stylus, as that what people use generally. I don’t believe a character who isn’t blind would carry one on them, unless they are making an effort to routinely practice Braille. Maybe she is currently challenging herself to learn to write with a slate and stylus, as some people struggle with writing backwards.

The first thing they need is paper. If they don’t already have that, a study notecard or card stock might do the trick. Notecards tend to be thicker than regular paper. Thickness is important because the resulting Braille will last longer and be easier to read over time. This may not be as important for the situation you’re writing about. Thickness also helps prevent poking holes into the paper or tearing it. A business card might be similar to a notecard in terms of thickness.

Another idea is rolls for labeling, especially because these will be smaller and easier to pass to someone else without many people noticing.

Perhaps your character could find these things in a study or something. Since this takes place at a gala, I imagine business cards would not be uncommon, nor would access to quality stationary materials as long as your character can sneak in to get them. Perhaps a kitchen might also have notecards for dinning seating chart purposes or for waitstaff?

The main issue I’m running into is the stylus. Again, your character may not have one on her. If the character she is giving her contact information to is also a guest at the gala, she is unlikely to have a stylus with her. Unless she is mainly there for networking purposes and adapting notecards she receives to make them accessible? If she has one on her, your character could borrow it and return it when she slips her the contact information.

Does anyone else have ideas for a stylus stand-in that wouldn’t simply poke holes in the paper or be impossible to read? I have no ideas.

If your characters are friends, your character might be able to send it to the blind character’s location after the party since, if she can improvise this at a party, she might be resourceful enough to do.

Edit:

@ionized-alpaca replied:

in sturdy paper (cardstock thickness or so), poking a hole with a pin (maybe the character is wearing a lapel pin or brooch?) will also create a palpable bump. but since the bumps are created by the paper deforming as it's punctured, they aren't the neatest. it might have to be more spaced out than normal braille to be readable.

Thank you for adding this information. Guess I need to try poking holes through business cards lol

[blindbeta]

Hello! I have two questions, so I'll send two asks in case you want to answer them separately. First, a lot of your posts suggest writing multiple blind characters into your story to help avoid tokenism. However, when I try to write multiple blind characters, they always stand out or feel shoehorned in. Do you have any advice for writing multiple blind characters more "casually" so they don't feel as out of place?

Examples of How to Write Multiple Blind Characters Using The Owl House

Hello. Thank you for your questions! I actually started on this months ago and returned to it answering this question here.

I suspect this is what stops many writers, although they aren’t aware of it. This feeling of forcing representation is the result of society’s ableism and it can be difficult to recognize or deal with.

It might help to think about the reverse- isn’t it strange that so many characters in books and shows are abled? Isn’t it strange that so many disabled characters have no community?

When you write multiple blind characters, you are giving your blind character a community.

Another thing that might help is to show different characters having different conditions and different ways of dealing with their blindness. This is a technique I use all the time. You can even list all the blind characters and their characteristics so you can consider them all at once. For fun, we’ll use The Owl House. I feel that using all-ages examples might help writers feel comfortable engaging with the material.

The following will contain discussions of external and internalized ableism. It will also contain heavy spoilers for The Owl House up to the show’s finale.

Here is an example I came up with:

Main character, Luz, has a low vision in both eyes. She uses a cane for nighttime, mostly, but she feels like more of an outcast when she uses it at school, compared to the enthusiasm with which she used it and showed it to her classmates when she was a child. She stopped using a cane before entering high school. She packs it for camp just in case and uses it all the time on The Boiling Isles. There, she feels more comfortable using it every day. She is eventually able to use her cane and other assistive devices, whether magical or non-magical, whenever she needs to. Growing up, she struggled in school due to neurodivergence and not always getting her accommodations or maybe even struggling to ask for accommodations. She is happy to find that Eda and Hexside are able to accommodate her without making her feel othered. Although she has felt rejected in the past, she is able to fully embrace her blindness once more, celebrating a part of her in a way she was able to as a child. Also, she has several copies of The Good Witch Azura books in regular print, large print, and audiobook forms.

Eda, her mentor, had total enucleation in one eye and wears a prosthetic. How did she lose her eye? She doesn’t remember, now stop bugging her. Due to macular degeneration, her vision isn’t so good in the other eye and is decreasing over time. She doesn’t use a cane after struggling against her mother in childhood. She can use her Palisman or King as guides if she needs help. (King appointed himself her unofficial guide demon.) Her visually impaired partner, Raine, has gently and jokingly encouraged her to do what helps, including using assistive devices. After they started dating again, Eda feels comfortable using Raine as a guide, which also gives her an excuse to cozy up to them. Eda eventually comes to terms with her blindness much like her chronic illness. When she and Raine go on walks, she jokingly makes them carry things, stating if they want her to use a guide demon or a cane so bad, they can lend her a hand considering she only has one. She switches between the cane and guide depending on what suits her that day. Raine also supports her in her times of vulnerability. She can also have her phone or use spells to read, but reading is for nerds so she would rather have someone else read to her, such as her sister, Luz, Raine, or King.

Principal Bump is blind with residual vision and uses a guide Paliman to help him navigate and magnify things if he needs it. When he had Eda as a student, he was excited to help a student with similar experiences, but he quickly learned she was a troublemaker.

Willow is totally blind and uses a fluffy guide demon. She also has a cane decorated with flowering vines, which she enjoys using because she can have interesting tactile feedback. She was born blind and doesn’t struggle with her blindness beyond the occasional frustration with ableism or lack of accessibility. Her dads are very supportive and helpful. They sent her to Hexside hoping having a blind principal would assure she would get accommodations. She enjoys using magic with physical and textural elements, which is why she tried the magical school tracks she chose.

Gus is also blind with a bit of remaining vision. He enjoys looking at colors and lights. Gus chose to focus on illusions because they make interesting shapes and colors, providing his brain with a lot of sweet, sweet stimulation. Gus also enjoys that a track that is very visual is something he can excel at. He met Willow when complimenting her on how pretty her plants looked, describing to her what looked like a colorful blossom on a vine. He uses a cane to navigate, finding it more helpful for stairs and general independence even if canes aren’t quite as popular on the Boiling Isles as magically assisted options such as Palismans and guide demons. He also enjoys using something more similar to what humans use, as he is very interested in humans. He feels very comfortable with his blindness, finding a similar outlook in his friend Willow. Together, the two feel more understood. Willow and Gus pass Braille notes to each other in class. Gus prefers to have his spelled books or illusions read to him, though.

Amity deals with internalized ableism stemming from a need to be perfect, as well as many terrible implications from her parents that she doesn’t let on hurt her. She concentrates on not letting her disability stop her, as that’s what a Blight does. She has low vision, similar to Luz, and progressive vision loss. Unlike the other characters, she does not have much positive support. Principal Bump tries to encourage her to use the many aids and accommodations provided by the school, surprised that she knows the Boiling Isles equivalent of Braille, but only because her parents thought it would give their child an edge and because she attended the same early childhood classes as Willow. Amity politely rejects his help and goes on the be the top student just to prove a point to everyone (a.k.a her parents). She grows up being friends with other kids who say ableist things, leading to Amity feeling even more pressured to rely on her remaining vision. Eventually, her relationships with Luz and Willow help her to accept herself. She is able to act more authentically. This includes confronting her former friends, apologizing to the people she bullied, and attempting to use a cane at school. She is surprised to find that nothing really changes and a few people, including her siblings, even comment on her cane use positively. Willow also shows her how to get her phone to read to her, as well as use the spelled books you can buy that read out loud, which helps reduce eye strain. The similarities between her and Luz helps to strengthen their bond, but otherwise their relationship is unchanged from canon. Amity also has another troublesome barrier to asking Luz to Grom, such as how to make the note accessible. She ends up going with large print and high contrast ink. If she can read it, she knows Luz will be able to.

Hunter has an inherited retinal disorder, such as LCA or Stargardt disease. All of his predecessors have had a similar experience and Hunter takes pride in being part of that line. Each Golden Guard has decreased vision compared to the last, it seems. Hunter views his blindness as a part of him. His blindness allows him to adapt in ways others may not have a chance to explore. He becomes aware of advantages he has over the many sighted people he works with. He is known for his talent, adaptability, and resourcefulness. Hunter struggles with photophobia, which his mask helps with. For navigation, he has a cane, as well as his staff, which he prefers to adapt for navigating. It is about chest height and acts similarly to a WeWalk cane. He can use it to teleport and use magic, but it is mostly for identification and navigating if needed. Eventually, he considers switching to a guide demon like Willow’s, which can also offer companionship along with his new Palisman. Hunter can read the Boiling Isles equivalent of Braille, which he uses for labeling, personal note-keeping, and reading when his eyes are tired. He can keep working longer this way, although he does occasionally read or write for fun if he has a spare few minutes. Hunter also makes tactile maps.

There we go. I provided examples of several blind characters in the same place. Many of them know each other and maybe even meet because of their blindness. They all have different types of blindness and different experiences with their blindness, even when compared to characters who are on similar places on the blindness spectrum. I explored how they navigate, how they view their blindness, and ways in which they relate to others. Some struggle with internalized ableism, but not all of them. They have their own arcs related to their blindness, although they have the same arcs and interests as in canon.

Rather than seeing multiple blind characters as an obstacle, view it as an opportunity for characterization. For example, Amity’s experience with ableism is heavily rooted in how she was raised, in how her parents treated her blindness as a defect or something to be ignored. Meanwhile, Luz’s experience with ableism originated in childhood rejection. Compared to them, Willow, Gus, Principle Bump, and Hunter are all thriving. Even Eda is mostly cool with everything, only having a confusing and uncertain relationship with mobility aids. Additionally, Luz is able to let go of and unlearn her internalized ableism as soon as she finds people who accept her. Amity, in comparison, takes much longer to accept herself.

I know that some writers who aren’t blind may feel unequipped to write internalized ableism. It isn’t necessary, but instead something I thought fit Amity’s original character arc. Internalized ableism can be a lot more subtle than this or not feature in your story at all. Luz and Eda might struggle with this as well, but to a lesser degree. It would also be similar to their arcs in canon.

Here are additional character breakdowns because I thought they were fun:

Who uses Braille?

Willow, Hunter, and to some extent, Gus

Braille literacy is declining, so not everyone knows it in this A.U, which is similar to real life. However, I prefer to have at least some of my characters use Braille to push back against that.

Who uses audio to read, primarily or some of the time?

Gus, Amity, Luz, Eda

Who uses regular or large print?

Luz, Amity, Principal Bump

Who uses magnification?

Principal Bump and probably Luz in childhood

Who uses a cane?

Luz, Amity, Hunter, Willow, Eda

However, Luz, Amity, and Eda all struggled to get there to some degree. In real life, few blind people actually use canes despite possibly benefiting from them.

Who uses an animal guide?

Eda, Willow, and, later, Hunter

On the Boiling Isles, creatures participate in training schools and are matched with potential handlers. They are mostly given to adults, although some schools allow kids to apply, such as those in their upper teens. I have a post on guide animals here.

Who has some residual vision?

Luz, Eda, Bump, Gus, Amity, Hunter

Who is totally blind?

Willow

In real life, 85 to 90% of people who are blind have some residual vision, depending on what source you draw from. Most of the cast can still see something, even if only colors, light, and shadow.

I hope this helps. This is my first time sharing something like this. Readers, feel free to use this however you like, for stories or fan art.

-BlindBeta

[blindbeta]

Great work explaining alt-text. I agree that any form of description is helpful. Not only does it increase accessibility, but it acknowledges that blind people exist everywhere and that we are indeed in online spaces. So many people still believe we can’t go online or that, if we do, certain spaces would not be for us, such as those centered on games, comics, art, or NSFW topics.

When you include an image description, you are including us.

You are reminding others that we are here, too.

And, on a less grand scale, you are letting us experience a cute cat picture whether we rely entirely on the image description or are using it to fill in the gaps.

In what way does alt text serve as an accessibility tool for blind people? Do you use text to speech? I'm having trouble imagining that. I suppose I'm in general not understanding how a blind person might use Tumblr, but I'm particularly interested in the function of alt text.

In short, yes. We use text to speech (among other access technology like braille displays) very frequently to navigate online spaces. Text to speech software specifically designed for blind people are called screen readers, and when use on computers, they enable us to navigate the entire interface using the keyboard instead of the mouse And hear everything on screen, as long as those things are accessible. The same applies for touchscreens on smart phones and tablets, just instead of using keyboard commands, it alters the way touch affect the screen so we hear what we touch before anything actually gets activated. That part is hard to explain via text, but you should be able to find many videos online of blind people demonstrating how they use their phones.

As you may be able to guess, images are not exactly going to be accessible for text to speech software. Blindness screen readers are getting better and better at incorporating OCR (optical character recognition) software to help pick up text in images, and rudimentary AI driven Image descriptions, but they are still nowhere near enough for us to get an accurate understanding of what is in an image the majority of the time without a human made description.

Now I’m not exactly a programmer so the terminology I use might get kind of wonky here, but when you use the alt text feature, the text you write as an image description effectively gets sort of embedded onto the image itself. That way, when a screen reader lands on that image, Instead of having to employ artificial intelligences to make mediocre guesses, it will read out exactly the text you wrote in the alt text section.

Not only that, but the majority of blind people are not completely blind, and usually still have at least some amount of residual vision. So there are many blind people who may not have access to a screen reader, but who may struggle to visually interpret what is in an image without being able to click the alt text button and read a description. Plus, it benefits folks with visual processing disorders as well, where their visual acuity might be fine, but their brain’s ability to interpret what they are seeing is not. Being able to click the alt text icon in the corner of an image and read a text description Can help that person better interpret what they are seeing in the image, too.

Granted, in most cases, typing out an image description in the body of the post instead of in the alt text section often works just as well, so that is also an option. But there are many other posts in my image descriptions tag that go over the pros and cons of that, so I won’t digress into it here.

Utilizing alt text or any kind of image description on all of your social media posts that contain images is single-handedly one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to directly help blind people, even if you don’t know any blind people, and even if you think no blind people would be following you. There are more of us than you might think, and we have just as many varied interests and hobbies and beliefs as everyone else, so where there are people, there will also be blind people. We don’t only hang out in spaces to talk exclusively about blindness, we also hang out in fashion Facebook groups and tech subreddits and political Twitter hashtags and gaming related discord servers and on and on and on. Even if you don’t think a blind person would follow you, You can’t know that for sure, and adding image descriptions is one of the most effective ways to accommodate us even if you don’t know we’re there.

I hope this helps give you a clearer understanding of just how important alt text and image descriptions as a whole are for blind accessibility, and how we make use of those tools when they are available.

[blindbeta]

Hi! I just wanted to tell you that your recent post about writing multiple blind characters naturally existing in the same story pushed me to double (or more) the amount of blind and low vision characters in my writing. I had more than one already, but they didn’t really know each other, so they didn’t really have community. Now they do, plus there’s a couple other blind minor characters floating around! I’m really glad I saw it, because the way you put it really did make it feel so natural and made me think about how, for instance, M should know other blind/low vision people, and now he has an older blind neighbour who is teaching him to read their world’s version of Braille and his mother is losing vision due to macular degeneration, so he’s not so alone in his low vision. Your blog is really helpful!

It is wonderful that my little blog could make a difference in such a way. I’m so happy to know you are finding it easier to write multiple blind characters. Happy writing!

[blindbeta]

hi there! i have an idea for a character with albinism who’s visually impaired as a result, and i’m writing in a medieval setting. i know photophobia is common with albinism - i have photophobia myself and am very mildly visually impaired, to give some form of context to who is asking this question. in this setting, tinted sunglasses very likely do not exist. i was wondering if them wearing something like a black veil over their eyes to shield themself from sunlight would be offensive as it could be seen as falling into the absolutely dreadful “blind person with a blindfold / with their eyes covered” trope. obviously, i would make it clear that the veil is to block sunlight, and they would not wear it at all during the night, which is when the majority of the story takes place anyhow. i’m wondering if i should still avoid this or find an alternative way for them to protect their eyes without breaking the setting’s time period?

Photophobia and Covering Eyes to Block Sun

The post that the asker references is this one I made about the trope of blind characters covering their eyes. Other blind people may think differently, but this sounds fine to me.

In real life, people with photophobia use things like sunglasses or hats. The veil is similar to those options. Perhaps a hat might be another option if you wanted to explore something that might work for the time period? The hat might also help in avoiding covering the character’s face entirely, which allows you to sidestep this problem.

My only concern with the veil in particular is that it may obscure residual vision, which can be irritating to some blind people. Conversely, I can see a veil being a good device for eye protection that may not be provided by a hat, such as avoiding wind-blown sand, dirt, or other debris.

Also, you mentioned the character would not wear it at night. It might also be possible to have the character remove the veil when indoors or in shaded areas, provided they come across any in your story.

I think it would help if other characters use veils for a similar purpose as well, much like with sunglasses. Sunglasses aren’t exclusive to blind people. Having your blind character refrain from wearing it all the time is also good, too, just as I suggested in the post linked above.

Importantly, your character isn’t wearing it just because. They’re wearing it because of photophobia. You can make this clear in the writing. Having sighted characters who wear veils and having blind characters who don’t wear them would be great, if you can do that. Showing variety is important with challenging widely accepted stereotypes.

I don’t like it when blind people are expected to cover our eyes because it makes abled people uncomfortable. I also feel frustrated when blind characters just happen to cover their eyes without any explanation as to why, as if it is required.

It sounds like you are doing what you can to avoid these issues so far.

A sensitivity reader would also be helpful, especially if you can find people with albinism, photophobia, and other similar experiences to your character. @sensitivityreaders may be a good start.

Other blind folks, what do you think?

[blindbeta]

An excellent addition! Challenge the idea that accessibility is modern. Challenge the idea that people only recently started caring about disabled people. Challenge the idea that blind people existed in isolation before the modern age. Blind communities have always existed.

I have a blind main character in a fantasy setting. He was born blind (congenital cataracts), and due to the setting there is no widespread usage of accessibility options like guide animals or orientation and mobility training. Would a blind from birth character have less need for O&M training or guides to navigate effectively, because they’re used to navigating on their own?

Navigating Without O&M

This one is tricky for me. I think it might have to do with your phrasing at the end. It isn’t so much less need as it is them managing on their own out of necessity, which isn’t the same.

O&M would enhance what the character can do and how confident he is while doing it, especially when going to new places. Since you want him to be independent in this universe, I assume he has a cane. He can, in theory learn to use it on his own, as early cane users probably did, but think of O&M as passing on tools and knowledge gained in blind communities since the development of formal O&M training.

Is he the only blind character in the story? Surely there is an older blind person in the community who could give some tips? Surely he has family who can help him navigate the landmarks in his community? O&M is also learning to memorize and navigate routes used everyday, learning to navigate unfamiliar places, and traveling.

I suggest researching the developing of O&M, such with this page on the AFB, and trying to create something for your fantasy story. Even if your character is the only blind character in their region, there will be other blind people in the world making changes and experimenting. If someone came up with a cane, there will be other developments as well, even if they are slow. Even if the character prefers to use resources from their own culture and community. So even if a formal O&M isn’t available, it isn’t necessarily and all of nothing experience where the character does absolutely everything on his own with only his own knowledge to work with.

I hope this helps.

-BlindBeta

[blindbeta]

Hi! I saw your posts about how important it is to have multiple blind characters. So far, only one of my main characters is blind (she had an eye infection when she was a baby.) I also have an important side character who has low vision due to albinism. What would be some good ways to include more blind characters?

Including More Blind Characters in Your Story

Hi,

Sounds like you have two already.

I think this post would help. It has examples from an alternative universe I came up with that includes many blind characters and how they relate to each other.

Also, consider where your characters might meet other blind folks. At school? At university? Inquiring about accessible reading materials? Maybe they meet during orientation and mobility, an accessible cooking class, or at a party. Maybe they are introduced through mutual friends. Maybe the village gossip tells them about the other. Maybe they use magic to connect to other blind people in the areas.

Here are some posts o that might be helpful, one on writing multiple blind characters, one of which includes examples, and a helpful reblog about giving your blind characters a community.

Here is a post on whether multiple blind characters is unrealistic or not. Spoiler, it isn’t. But I hope this will help you in some way.

By having two characters, you’re already doing great in my opinion. Just focus on their characterization and development as people and you are golden!

[blindbeta]

Update on my auctions:

I have decided to make all of them any fandom based on figuring out that is more popular. The Any fandom one has a few bids right now, but the Original Work and The Owl House / The Magnus Archives ones have no bids. Go ahead and bid on them for whatever you want. You can potentially get a sensitivity read for like 5 USD. Go wild. No rules, only charity.

FTH 2024 Auction Calendar

We blinked, and it's 2024, and our EIGHTH year of running this auction. 2024 has all the same problems as last year but more — but we also have a lot to be hopeful about, and a lot of good projects worth supporting and fighting for.

You can look at this page (also linked in our header) for the list of this year's supported nonprofit organizations. We'll be posting more detailed profiles of each of them in the coming weeks. Below is the full calendar for this year's auction.

February 5th: creator signups open

February 12: Fan Craft Bazaar signups open

February 19th: creator signups close

February 29th: browsing period begins, Fan Crafts Bazaar opens

March 5th: bidding opens

March 9th: bidding closes

March 16th: proof of high bid donations due

March 21st: proof of 2nd chance donations due

December 31st: fanworks due

Back in 2021, as we were pulling together the fifth FTH auction, we joked together behind the scenes about how great it felt that the name of our auction was no longer quite as on-the-nose as it had been in our first few years. But it's 2024, and in all likelihood 45 will be back on the ballot: just one of the many sobering and scary things we're facing down this year.

But for the past seven years, we've had the privilege of watching thousands of fans -- yes, literally thousands -- dedicate their time and money and energy to the twin projects of sending support to some amazing organizations while building and strengthening community ties within fandom. Now, more than ever, that kind of community-building is essential.

We hope you'll join us, and join one another, in sending much-needed financial support to these amazing organizations and in putting more joy and beauty out into the world in the form of fanworks. These are dark times, but when we join together we can make them a little brighter.

(What is Fandom Trumps Hate anyway? Read our FAQ.)

[blindbeta]

You can ignore this if need be but, do you have any resources in regards to writing a character with uneven vision? As in one eye sees prefectly fine, while the other still has some sight, but anything he sees out of it is so blurred that it's functionally useless for him. I'm unsure if this would function in the same way as monocular vision or would function in a different way, and most of the things I look up assume total blindness in the bad eye.

He would have a lot of the same experiences as those with monocular vision. I can’t say for sure what falls under the definition myself, or if his blurred vision could be corrected by glasses, but I’ll do my best to give suggestions for your actual question. He would still struggle with depth perception, aim, and reaching for objects. For example, people with monocular vision (whether their other eye is blind with residual vision or perfectly sighted) may have difficulty pouring into containers or using stairs.

He may also experience disorientation or fear of something hitting that side. Depending on how adjusted he is to his vision, crowds may not be entirely comfortable for him.

I think looking up information on monocular vision would be beneficial in this case.

Also, he might still enjoy looking at colors with his blurred vision.

I also wondered if that eye might get tired more easily, as using blurred vision involves more effort. This is common for blind people with residual vision, so it might apply here. While he isn’t blind, he may identify as visually impaired.

Hopefully someone will share their experiences in the notes!

[blindbeta]

Bidding is open now. I have also added one for original work. I invite you to bid on me or anyone else making fandom content for progressive non-profits.

FTH 2024 Auction Calendar

We blinked, and it's 2024, and our EIGHTH year of running this auction. 2024 has all the same problems as last year but more — but we also have a lot to be hopeful about, and a lot of good projects worth supporting and fighting for.

You can look at this page (also linked in our header) for the list of this year's supported nonprofit organizations. We'll be posting more detailed profiles of each of them in the coming weeks. Below is the full calendar for this year's auction.

Creator Signups Are Currently Open

February 5th: creator signups open

February 19th: creator signups close

February 29th: browsing period begins

March 5th: bidding opens

March 9th: bidding closes

March 16th: proof of high bid donations due

March 21st: proof of 2nd chance donations due

December 31st: fanworks due

Back in 2021, as we were pulling together the fifth FTH auction, we joked together behind the scenes about how great it felt that the name of our auction was no longer quite as on-the-nose as it had been in our first few years. But it's 2024, and in all likelihood 45 will be back on the ballot: just one of the many sobering and scary things we're facing down this year.

But for the past seven years, we've had the privilege of watching thousands of fans -- yes, literally thousands -- dedicate their time and money and energy to the twin projects of sending support to some amazing organizations while building and strengthening community ties within fandom. Now, more than ever, that kind of community-building is essential.

We hope you'll join us, and join one another, in sending much-needed financial support to these amazing organizations and in putting more joy and beauty out into the world in the form of fanworks. These are dark times, but when we join together we can make them a little brighter.

(What is Fandom Trumps Hate anyway? Read our FAQ.)

[blindbeta]

Tips for writing and drawing amputees

Amputees don't constantly wear bandages over their stumps after their initial recovery.

just for clarity, eda falls into an exception in the show, her amputation is new, but I've noticed a lot of the fandom doesn't seem to know this and draw her wearing the bandages continuously since the show didn't have time to make it clear, so that's why I'm picking on her as my picture example lol

I think this trope started from one of a few places:

1. People saw amputees wearing bandages/compression garments during the recovery from an amputation and just assumed they wear them all the time.

2. They think the stump is just a perpetual open wound that never heals, and so they think it has to be covered so as not to be "gory" (I've met fully grown adults who believed this until i showed them that wasn't the case)

3. People are just uncomfortable with stumps for some reason and want it covered on their characters.

4. People mistook the silicone or cotton liners amputees wear under their prosthetics as padding as a bandage and just assumed it was a bandage we have to wear all the time

5. Some combination of these points.

But if you're amputee has been an amputee for more than 6-12 weeks (maybe a little longer if the amputation was the result of a burn), the stump will be fully healed, no need to cover it.

And please, if you're working on something aimed at kids, or something that kids are likely to see, please show your character's stump at least once. I know this sounds like a weird thing to say out of context lol, but I used to work with kids, and I lost count of the number of kids who were actually scared me and my stumps because they were expecting them to be all bloody and scary looking. They calmed down when the realise they aren't but I was the first exposure a lot of these kids had. The problem is, kids can't always articulate that, especially if they're already scared, so often times they will say really horrible things, and for new amputees, or amputees who just aren't used to being around kids, this can be a devastating blow to their confidence. It's not the kid's fault, but that's why exposure to people like us young, before they have a chance to hear the wrong info that might make them afraid of us can go a long way.

[blindbeta]

Could you possibly post some tips on drawing blind characters? I'm able to find a lot of posts on writing blind characters, but I'm unable to find resources on drawing blind characters and it's disappointing.

Here you go anon bean! Let me know if this sparks any more questions.

If anyone else would like to add suggestions, please feel free!

My first tip is to make sure your drawing is accessible to blind audiences. It is important that art be accessible, but it is imperative that art of blind characters be accessible to the community the art depicts. You can find information on creating image descriptions in my pinned post.

Another tip I have is to consider how you draw your blind character’s eyes. Be intentional about drawing them in a noticeably different way. I have an ask about that here.

If you draw characters using white canes, watch O&M videos online. Additionally, brush up on canes, such including types, height, etc. Here is a video by TheBlindLife about cane types for different types of blindness, since blindness is a spectrum. Another post I highly suggest is this one about canes and O&M that I can’t stop sharing because it is just that comprehensive!

You can also draw blind characters using assistive devices, labeling, reading in a certain way that is comfortable for them, or adjusting for lighting or contrast needs which could be interesting to display through art. Maybe you could draw the character using a hot or cold compress for bad eye days.

I hope this helps.

[blindbeta]

Hello! I have two questions, so I'll send two asks in case you want to answer them separately. First, a lot of your posts suggest writing multiple blind characters into your story to help avoid tokenism. However, when I try to write multiple blind characters, they always stand out or feel shoehorned in. Do you have any advice for writing multiple blind characters more "casually" so they don't feel as out of place?

Examples of How to Write Multiple Blind Characters Using The Owl House

Hello. Thank you for your questions! I actually started on this months ago and returned to it answering this question here.

I suspect this is what stops many writers, although they aren’t aware of it. This feeling of forcing representation is the result of society’s ableism and it can be difficult to recognize or deal with.

It might help to think about the reverse- isn’t it strange that so many characters in books and shows are abled? Isn’t it strange that so many disabled characters have no community?

When you write multiple blind characters, you are giving your blind character a community.

Another thing that might help is to show different characters having different conditions and different ways of dealing with their blindness. This is a technique I use all the time. You can even list all the blind characters and their characteristics so you can consider them all at once. For fun, we’ll use The Owl House. I feel that using all-ages examples might help writers feel comfortable engaging with the material.

The following will contain discussions of external and internalized ableism. It will also contain heavy spoilers for The Owl House up to the show’s finale.

Here is an example I came up with:

Main character, Luz, has a low vision in both eyes. She uses a cane for nighttime, mostly, but she feels like more of an outcast when she uses it at school, compared to the enthusiasm with which she used it and showed it to her classmates when she was a child. She stopped using a cane before entering high school. She packs it for camp just in case and uses it all the time on The Boiling Isles. There, she feels more comfortable using it every day. She is eventually able to use her cane and other assistive devices, whether magical or non-magical, whenever she needs to. Growing up, she struggled in school due to neurodivergence and not always getting her accommodations or maybe even struggling to ask for accommodations. She is happy to find that Eda and Hexside are able to accommodate her without making her feel othered. Although she has felt rejected in the past, she is able to fully embrace her blindness once more, celebrating a part of her in a way she was able to as a child. Also, she has several copies of The Good Witch Azura books in regular print, large print, and audiobook forms.

Eda, her mentor, had total enucleation in one eye and wears a prosthetic. How did she lose her eye? She doesn’t remember, now stop bugging her. Due to macular degeneration, her vision isn’t so good in the other eye and is decreasing over time. She doesn’t use a cane after struggling against her mother in childhood. She can use her Palisman or King as guides if she needs help. (King appointed himself her unofficial guide demon.) Her visually impaired partner, Raine, has gently and jokingly encouraged her to do what helps, including using assistive devices. After they started dating again, Eda feels comfortable using Raine as a guide, which also gives her an excuse to cozy up to them. Eda eventually comes to terms with her blindness much like her chronic illness. When she and Raine go on walks, she jokingly makes them carry things, stating if they want her to use a guide demon or a cane so bad, they can lend her a hand considering she only has one. She switches between the cane and guide depending on what suits her that day. Raine also supports her in her times of vulnerability. She can also have her phone or use spells to read, but reading is for nerds so she would rather have someone else read to her, such as her sister, Luz, Raine, or King.

Principal Bump is blind with residual vision and uses a guide Paliman to help him navigate and magnify things if he needs it. When he had Eda as a student, he was excited to help a student with similar experiences, but he quickly learned she was a troublemaker.

Willow is totally blind and uses a fluffy guide demon. She also has a cane decorated with flowering vines, which she enjoys using because she can have interesting tactile feedback. She was born blind and doesn’t struggle with her blindness beyond the occasional frustration with ableism or lack of accessibility. Her dads are very supportive and helpful. They sent her to Hexside hoping having a blind principal would assure she would get accommodations. She enjoys using magic with physical and textural elements, which is why she tried the magical school tracks she chose.

Gus is also blind with a bit of remaining vision. He enjoys looking at colors and lights. Gus chose to focus on illusions because they make interesting shapes and colors, providing his brain with a lot of sweet, sweet stimulation. Gus also enjoys that a track that is very visual is something he can excel at. He met Willow when complimenting her on how pretty her plants looked, describing to her what looked like a colorful blossom on a vine. He uses a cane to navigate, finding it more helpful for stairs and general independence even if canes aren’t quite as popular on the Boiling Isles as magically assisted options such as Palismans and guide demons. He also enjoys using something more similar to what humans use, as he is very interested in humans. He feels very comfortable with his blindness, finding a similar outlook in his friend Willow. Together, the two feel more understood. Willow and Gus pass Braille notes to each other in class. Gus prefers to have his spelled books or illusions read to him, though.

Amity deals with internalized ableism stemming from a need to be perfect, as well as many terrible implications from her parents that she doesn’t let on hurt her. She concentrates on not letting her disability stop her, as that’s what a Blight does. She has low vision, similar to Luz, and progressive vision loss. Unlike the other characters, she does not have much positive support. Principal Bump tries to encourage her to use the many aids and accommodations provided by the school, surprised that she knows the Boiling Isles equivalent of Braille, but only because her parents thought it would give their child an edge and because she attended the same early childhood classes as Willow. Amity politely rejects his help and goes on the be the top student just to prove a point to everyone (a.k.a her parents). She grows up being friends with other kids who say ableist things, leading to Amity feeling even more pressured to rely on her remaining vision. Eventually, her relationships with Luz and Willow help her to accept herself. She is able to act more authentically. This includes confronting her former friends, apologizing to the people she bullied, and attempting to use a cane at school. She is surprised to find that nothing really changes and a few people, including her siblings, even comment on her cane use positively. Willow also shows her how to get her phone to read to her, as well as use the spelled books you can buy that read out loud, which helps reduce eye strain. The similarities between her and Luz helps to strengthen their bond, but otherwise their relationship is unchanged from canon. Amity also has another troublesome barrier to asking Luz to Grom, such as how to make the note accessible. She ends up going with large print and high contrast ink. If she can read it, she knows Luz will be able to.

Hunter has an inherited retinal disorder, such as LCA or Stargardt disease. All of his predecessors have had a similar experience and Hunter takes pride in being part of that line. Each Golden Guard has decreased vision compared to the last, it seems. Hunter views his blindness as a part of him. His blindness allows him to adapt in ways others may not have a chance to explore. He becomes aware of advantages he has over the many sighted people he works with. He is known for his talent, adaptability, and resourcefulness. Hunter struggles with photophobia, which his mask helps with. For navigation, he has a cane, as well as his staff, which he prefers to adapt for navigating. It is about chest height and acts similarly to a WeWalk cane. He can use it to teleport and use magic, but it is mostly for identification and navigating if needed. Eventually, he considers switching to a guide demon like Willow’s, which can also offer companionship along with his new Palisman. Hunter can read the Boiling Isles equivalent of Braille, which he uses for labeling, personal note-keeping, and reading when his eyes are tired. He can keep working longer this way, although he does occasionally read or write for fun if he has a spare few minutes. Hunter also makes tactile maps.

There we go. I provided examples of several blind characters in the same place. Many of them know each other and maybe even meet because of their blindness. They all have different types of blindness and different experiences with their blindness, even when compared to characters who are on similar places on the blindness spectrum. I explored how they navigate, how they view their blindness, and ways in which they relate to others. Some struggle with internalized ableism, but not all of them. They have their own arcs related to their blindness, although they have the same arcs and interests as in canon.

Rather than seeing multiple blind characters as an obstacle, view it as an opportunity for characterization. For example, Amity’s experience with ableism is heavily rooted in how she was raised, in how her parents treated her blindness as a defect or something to be ignored. Meanwhile, Luz’s experience with ableism originated in childhood rejection. Compared to them, Willow, Gus, Principle Bump, and Hunter are all thriving. Even Eda is mostly cool with everything, only having a confusing and uncertain relationship with mobility aids. Additionally, Luz is able to let go of and unlearn her internalized ableism as soon as she finds people who accept her. Amity, in comparison, takes much longer to accept herself.

I know that some writers who aren’t blind may feel unequipped to write internalized ableism. It isn’t necessary, but instead something I thought fit Amity’s original character arc. Internalized ableism can be a lot more subtle than this or not feature in your story at all. Luz and Eda might struggle with this as well, but to a lesser degree. It would also be similar to their arcs in canon.

Here are additional character breakdowns because I thought they were fun:

Who uses Braille?

Willow, Hunter, and to some extent, Gus

Braille literacy is declining, so not everyone knows it in this A.U, which is similar to real life. However, I prefer to have at least some of my characters use Braille to push back against that.

Who uses audio to read, primarily or some of the time?

Gus, Amity, Luz, Eda

Who uses regular or large print?

Luz, Amity, Principal Bump

Who uses magnification?

Principal Bump and probably Luz in childhood

Who uses a cane?

Luz, Amity, Hunter, Willow, Eda

However, Luz, Amity, and Eda all struggled to get there to some degree. In real life, few blind people actually use canes despite possibly benefiting from them.

Who uses an animal guide?

Eda, Willow, and, later, Hunter

On the Boiling Isles, creatures participate in training schools and are matched with potential handlers. They are mostly given to adults, although some schools allow kids to apply, such as those in their upper teens. I have a post on guide animals here.

Who has some residual vision?

Luz, Eda, Bump, Gus, Amity, Hunter

Who is totally blind?

Willow

In real life, 85 to 90% of people who are blind have some residual vision, depending on what source you draw from. Most of the cast can still see something, even if only colors, light, and shadow.

I hope this helps. This is my first time sharing something like this. Readers, feel free to use this however you like, for stories or fan art.

-BlindBeta

[blindbeta]

I've noticed that you are interested in stories with multiple blind characters and often propose adding more blind characters to a story as a solution. I really struggle with this because it's not as simple as that -- stories don't have infinite narrative space. The idea that every story has a large cast is influenced by the prevalence of long serialized media in fandom: webcomics, TV shows, etc. But many writers (myself included) write a lot of novellas and short stories which often only have a few characters -- maybe even only 1 or 2! Even novels don't usually have huge expansive casts -- maybe 5 main characters with some additional side characters.

Considering this, I don't understand how it's realistic for every story (or even, say, 50% of stories) to have multiple blind characters (without it feeling forced). This is compounded by the fact that most blogs that talk about other forms of representation say the same! So if I write a 2-character short story and the protagonist is a blind Latino man, does the second character also have to be a blind Latino man? It just doesn't make sense! This is just a general problem I've noticed in discussions around representation -- there's an assumption that every cast will have 10+ characters and narrative space to develop those characters, even though that's not realistic for most narrative forms.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Writing Multiple Blind Characters in Short Stories

Hi Anon! Surprise. I write short stories as well. I have experience with this. I have never felt like my blind characters were forced or unrealistic, even with having several of them in the same story. I’ll try to explain what might help you.

First, the idea that multiple blind characters is forced or unrealistic comes from ableism. Think about why you feel there is a limit on disabled characters. If you can create stories, I would hope you are creative enough to consider the possibility that multiple blind characters could exist in the same place and time. Challenging this barrier opens up more possibilities, allowing you to explore different types of blindness, different reactions to it, different upbringings, and multiple ways of living, adapting, and navigating being blind.

Second, blind characters need access to their own community. This is where they learn how to be blind. This where they get support. This is where they might find understanding and belonging. You can find more information about community here in an excellent reblog. Also, here.

As you mentioned, I often suggest adding more blind characters when writers insist upon using stereotyped portrayals. Having multiple characters with different experiences helps to make your story more realistic and nuanced, contrary to what people might implicitly believe. Having more than one blind character is something I highly recommend because it helps with not having all your representation rest on the shoulders of one character.

For example, if you are worried a main character who has cloudy eyes might reinforce the idea that all blind people have cloudy eyes, having another blind character with a different experience may help. If one of your blind characters is naive and innocent, you might have another blind character who is brash, displays a lack of trust in others, and has a lot of shocking stories. Maybe they’re in a rock band together. They met while playing blind football (aka soccer) on a middle school team. They bonded over their pet cats and sour patch kids.

Or something.

Another important thing to remember when writing is that you have control over the story. Too many writers come to me feeling stuck because they feel they cannot change their story while also wanting to incorporate my suggestions. This makes it challenging to address implicit bias or stereotypes, much less guide writers in going in different directions.

Additionally, I feel uncomfortable with the complaints about other blogs in this ask. I feel like this isn’t really about me, nor is it something I can comment on. I will say that it sounds as if a bunch of blogs dedicated to helping people write marginalized characters are mentioning some of the same things. They are probably doing so for a reason.

However, while it helps, writing multiple blind characters won’t improve every story, which I explained in my review of the book Blind. I was not impressed with this book. I did not feel that the four blind characters were very good, nor did having them help with offsetting the portrayal of blindness as a miserable experience.

Conversely, one of my favorite blind characters is Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Despite being the only blind character in the show, the writers did a good job with her. Would I have liked her to meet more of her community as she travels with the Gang? Absolutely. Even though I like her, she still never had access to her community after being isolated by her parents for so long.

So, no, you don’t need to have multiple blind characters if the suggestion bothers you this much. I even provided good examples of what to do, what not to do, and times where my typical advice was not as helpful for the resulting story.

However, please consider where these feelings stem from. Consider the origins of the idea that having multiple blind characters is unrealistic. Using the example you provided in your question, I wonder, would you say the same if both your characters were white and abled? Is there any way you can challenge the fear of seeming unrealistic? What about being considered unrealistic bothers you so much?

You don’t necessarily need to have characters in the story for them to exist. Even background characters can help. I will try to give some ideas for this:

Does your blind character have family they can talk about or remember? Are any of their family members blind?

Do they have any friends? Just because the friends aren’t in the story doesn’t mean they don’t exist at all.

Does the blind character have any formative memories or flashbacks?

Does the character who isn’t blind know any blind folks?

Your characters should have lives outside of the story. They should have memories and experiences that made them who they are. This is where you can have other blind characters. Perhaps this is how your blind character can have a community.

However, I would still like to see more blind characters interacting with each other. This is what I want as a blind person. If you don’t want to go that direction, that’s fine.

I hope this helps.

[blindbeta]

Disability Aids: Where to buy

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about disability, sensory and mobility aids and where to buy one, so I’ve decided to just collect a global list of everywhere that I can find! I try and update this monthly. If there’s one you want me to add on or change, just say!

Links and information under the cut!

Updated: 12/10/2023

Keep reading

[blindbeta]

hi, this is like, a REALLY oddly specific question, but i wanted to ask. would it be seen as wrong if i were to have my character's guide dog be in some way magical?

for more context on the specific situation, my characters are in a world where basically nothing is without some level of magic to it. my character has a guide dog, but i felt like it didn't fit the theme to have just. a normal dog? because i wouldn't put a normal dog somewhere else. the dog isn't like, telepathic or able to fix her blindness, (ive made it VERY clear to myself that at no point will i do that) i was mostly thinking something like the dog having some sort of elemental component to it, which would be a pretty common power in this world.

I just wanted to make sure it fit in with the rest of the characters in its world, instead of sticking out as just kinda being shoved in with no worldbuilding around it. there wouldn't really be 'normal' animals normally, so it feels like underdeveloped worldbuilding if i don't.

I'm worried though, that this is going to be wrong in the way that it'd seem... glamorizing? that's not what i intend, but I don't want it to come off as something in that vein. if that makes sense.

i hope this is like. sensible to ask about and not wasting your time. thank you so much, and thank you in general for running this blog, i think it's a really great resource.

I think having a magical guide dog is fine. You aren’t using the magic to erase the handler’s disability, as you mentioned. As long as you are actively working on that, it seems fine to me.

As long as the animal can make a good guide, be trained from infancy, and can navigate well, it doesn’t matter if they are a magical creature.

I list some qualities a guide should have in this post if it helps.

@moth-time created an excellent addition to this post in the notes:

i reread the guide linked by OP and now I'm thinking some kind of earth elemental or otherwise particularly magically heavy/stocky dog could be neat, bc it provides more stability than a regular dog (so more like a miniature horse). it could have a rocky/armored back that is easier to lean on than slippy dog skin, for example. Much like irl certain dog breeds are favored as guide dogs bc of breed specs, a magical universe could favor "earth elemental dogs" for same reason

you could have some magical component of the dog be helpful to the guided person, though i am struggling to come up with a good one for a blind guide dog. But for example a fire elemental therapy dog that can regulate it's body to be toasty warm and offer deep pressure and temperature therapy would be neat. It doesn't negate or "fix" the disability, but it's a little different/more magical while still recognizable

BlindBeta’s thoughts:

So I love this. An earth type dog would add excellent stabilization, orientation, and be additionally good at avoiding obstacles such as uneven ground. They could be great for balance and probably deep pressure therapy as well. Maybe they are favored as guide dogs because they are dependable, while also good at selective disobedience to keep a blind person safe, such as refusing to cross the street when it is dangerous (due to quiet cars or such). I could also see water or air type dogs being good alert dogs, perhaps.

Also not sure how common this is, but on this page about seizure alert dogs from the epilepsy foundation, it says some dogs are trained to put their body between the handler and the floor to cushion falls. Air type dogs might good at this because they are probably softer and could gently cushion a falling person without them hitting the floor.

I also had an idea that wood types might be more flexible and good assistance dogs for older adults, wheelchair users, etc. Like dog breeds, they have certain qualities that make them good at assistance, such as being depended on to retrieve any number of items, pull door handles, etc.

This is fun. I would love to see ideas from anyone else.

[blindbeta]

I keep seeing videos by other disabled people basically showing small things that cause accessibility issues for them, that might not be issues for others. Like drinking fountains or doorknobs that you have to turn. Just little accessibility issues that most people go about their day ignorant to.

And the comments are absolutely filled with people calling it a cry for attention, or bashing these- often very visibly disabled people- for "faking" their disabilities and "taking attention" from people who, quote, "actually need it".

Which is funny to me (sarcasm) because I just know that these people claiming that these creators are "overreacting" and neglecting "actual" disability issues are the same people who would turn their noses up or laugh at a disabled person if they every actually met them face to face.

"Oh I can't possibly conceive how this tiny machine could cause an issue for someone so you're clearly lying!"

"Just use it like this [insert action that physically hurts/is impossible for the person to do] and you won't have a 'problem' anymore."

It really isn't that hard to understand that just because something is accessible or easy to use for you does not mean that it is for everyone else. Can't believe it has to be said.