We hear far too many stories of people with visual impairment being refused entry at the door; it has usually been due to door staff lacking the necessary disability awareness training to distinguish between a drunk and a blind drunk! Conditions associated with visual impairment can be likened to being drunk, some eye conditions can present as red, rolling, glazed, lazy, sleepy and that’s before they’ve even had a drink!
‘Listen to your customers’ before refusing entry don’t assume and send them on their way. It can knock a person’s confidence, self-esteem, be embarrassing and humiliating, don’t forget this refusal could potentially become a disability discrimination lawsuit, costly on more than one level.
So what does this mean? All staff receive the correct Visual Impairment Awareness Training and policies are put in place to avoid these situations. Guide dogs are there to guide, simple as, and cannot be refused entry. Whilst canes are used to guide too, and not a fashion statement or a health hazard.
Judgement calls
Door Staff must make that call if someone is drunk or there are other factors to be taken into consideration. They may need to navigate the blurred lines between making adjustments for visual impairment, and judgements based upon levels of alcohol intake.
The medication taken by a person with a disability could have impeded their balance and left them feeling dizzy. Of course, it may also be that they have been drinking. Yes, shock horror, people with visual impairments do sometimes drink to excess too. Just like anyone. Would you be disability confident enough to deal with this sort of situation?
Today the most common cause of blindness from drinking is methanol. Methanol, otherwise known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, can damage the optic nerve and even kill you in high concentrations. During Prohibition, bootleggers were known to sell moonshine that contained methanol, and the practice continues abroad.
The scale consists of four evenly-spaced anchor points — slightly buzzed, tipsy/"happy," drunk, and wasted — and respondents can mark anywhere on the scale.
The following article first appeared in the January 2008 newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of California. This is what Jim Omvig says: People who cannot see are blind, and the word "blind" is perfectly acceptable--in fact, it is absolutely essential--when one is referring to the lack of eyesight.
He drank, and drank, and drank until he was blind drunk, and then, in spite of everybody, set off to go after them. I judged he would be blind drunk in about an hour, and then I would steal the key, or saw myself out, one or t'other.
In general terms though, tipsiness can be considered to be the earliest stages of intoxication. Drunkenness is generally considered to be a more advanced stage of intoxication, when the drinker has less control and the effects of alcohol are more pronounced.
Turnt and turnt up begin as a slang term in African-American English meaning “excited,” “adrenalized,” or “intoxicated,” as the online hip-hop dictionary the Right Rhymes defines it. The term, though especially associated with drugs, alcohol, and sex at a crazy party, has broadened to mean “a state of being wild.”
MAYBE they end up in a special medical facility, but I did time with a guy who was completely blind and they put him in a regular federal prison in population like the rest of us. An inmate, his cell mate, was paid to take care of him. It does not make a difference if you are blinds and commit a crime.
Blurry and double vision are common side effects of excessive alcohol consumption that typically arise around a BAC level of 0.08% but can begin at slightly different points for each individual.
Next time you see someone with "loopy eyes" galloping around the dance floor, it may well be me or another blind clubber. I know we're not common, but we do exist. Treat us well, because otherwise you'll end up feeling guilty and buying us drinks all night.
Alcohol is a toxin that stays in the body until the liver can clear it. Alcohol affects the eyes directly, for example, dilating blood vessels. It also affects how our brains work. Since our eyes and brain work together to produce the images we see, alcohol can affect vision.
"It's clear that acute alcohol ingestion does cause double vision," Bruce Martin, a physiology professor at Indiana University, tells AF. "We think it has to do with the effects of the alcohol on the brain and the brain stem and the nerves that control your eye movements and tracking.
So why does alcohol cause blurred vision? A study was conducted by the University of Grenada in Spain. Researchers say drinking alcohol disturbs the tear film that is present on the outer surface of our eyes. This increases the perception of halos at night.
People often ask about the distinction between being blind and being “legally blind.” Because “blindness” can mean several different things, legally blind is the threshold at which someone is considered visually impaired for legal purposes such as for insurance purposes, receiving certain benefits, or being accepted ...
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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