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Blindness Research Paper

Decent Essays

Blindness in the United States:
The Oppression of the Visually Impaired in America
Madelyn R. Smith
Indiana University- Indianapolis

The United States has many minority groups that face oppression. In the media today, most of the minority issues that are highlighted involve the LGBTQ community, women, and racial minorities. Differently-abled people are rarely given the space to share with the world how they see it. This literature review will discuss terms related to visual impairment, legislative measures taken in the United States to assist those with severe visual impairments, and the oppression and discrimination those who are visually impaired face.
There are a few terms that need defined. The American Academy of …show more content…

It was passed in 1990 and amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments act of 2008 (EEOC). These two acts were the most significant. These added protections for employment, education, and public life. Employers and educational institutions are required to provide reasonable accommodations, such as assistive technology and modified tasks. The ADA also affected public life, such as transportation. Public transportation employees have to announce stops loud enough for everyone to hear (The Americans). Even with the legislative measures taken to assist those who are blind, those with significant visual impairments still face oppression. According to Iris Marion Young, oppression “designates the disadvantage and injustice some people suffer not because a tyrannical power coerces them, but because of the everyday practices of a well-intentioned liberal society” (Adams, p 36). People who are blind face oppression when navigating the internet. There are many programs that aid those with vision issues- Braille keyboards and audio and text converters. However, these programs do not always work with websites. At the moment, no government standards exist in the United States (Williams). This is a problem because the internet is a very large part of society. The internet holds the keys to financial needs, educational advancement, and social interactions. Therefore, legislation needs to be passed to make the digital world as

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