Document Type

Presentation

Date of Original Version

3-29-2025

Abstract

Understanding the lived experience of blindness is challenging for sighted individuals. While literature can provide insights into this experience, many portrayals are written by sighted authors who rely on metaphor or their own fears of blindness. For blind authors, the challenge of connecting with sighted readers is compounded by the fact that reading itself is performed differently by sighted and non-sighted individuals. This essay explores how authentic authorship can foster empathy and understanding of blindness, and how introducing students to literature with genuine blind representation in school curricula can positively influence perceptions of blindness. Mark Paterson's article "Blindness, empathy, and ‘feeling seeing’" emphasizes the role of imagination in fostering empathy, noting that prose struggles to fully convey the sensory experiences of blind individuals. To create spaces for authentic blindness representation, teachers can use children’s picture 30 books and poetry. Early exposure to blindness can normalize disability and reduce misunderstandings over time. For older students, Russell Brakefield's poetry about his own vision loss offers an insightful perspective. Chloë Hughes’ article "Seeing Blindness in Children’s Picturebooks" demonstrates how young students can engage with books depicting blindness, such as Sarah’s Sleepover. By integrating disability literature into education, schools can play a pivotal role in fostering empathy and understanding of disability.

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