r/Blind

How on earth is digital reading as a blind person still a painful experience in 2026? The world needs to do better in providing a reading experience that is truly accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of the book you want to read or where you get it, without the worry that the book isn't up-to-date, without the fear of inaccessible overlays and interfaces, and without needless DRM and greed poisoning the experience and making it nigh on impossible to enjoy a fucking book. I thought we were supposed to develop technologies to "empower" and "inspire", but all I feel is knocked-down and dehumanised. Do better.

Why is it that for a lot of us? We are the only blind people most members of the public have ever met or will meet in their lifetime? Why are deaf people more common or seem to be?

This afternoon my husband and I took our kids to our local arboretum for family photos. About 15 minutes in, we were walking past a group when a boy who looked about eight saw my cane and said, "Whoa! Are you blind?!" Of course, the man with him, probably his grandfather, tried to hush him. I said, "No, no, it's okay to ask. How did you know?" He told me it's the only sensory disability that uses a cane, and that he knew because of all the stories about it. I'm not totally sure what he meant by that, but hell yeah for kids recognizing that disabilities and the tools we use exist!

Not even five minutes later, my son, who's three and was holding my hand, said, "Look, Mommy, another lady with a white cane!" We walked over and met a lovely woman named Susan. She has glaucoma, and we had a wonderful conversation about how dumb it is to lose your vision. She also told me about some local support groups and an upcoming White Cane Walk that I'd known about but completely forgotten.

Two moments, both started by a kid noticing a cane and saying something out loud. I’m convinced that's how we make things better for people with disabilities.

Typically I find myself explaining my cane to kids, and even grown ass adults, but today was a really beautiful change of pace, so I wanted to share.

[removed]