Sunglasses At Night: The Clichés of Blind TV Characters

As a legally blind person, I am hyperaware of the portrayals of blindness in the media.  In theory, I’d love to see more blind characters on television; representing disabilities is a really important thing.  But in practice, I’m often left frustrated, exasperated, or just plain annoyed by the portrayals I’ve seen.

I took a look at a few current or recent television shows that have featured blind characters, and I found a few interesting patterns, almost all of which are either misrepresentative of actual blind people.

Cliché Number One:  NO SIGHT FOR YOU!
There is a difference between “blind” and “totally blind.”  Most people categorized as “blind” are “legally blind.”  This means their vision is worse than 20/200 at best correction.  This does not mean they are “totally blind” – which is to say they see nothing.  Yes, you heard me right. Some blind people can see!  In fact, most of them can.  Only about ten percent of legally blind people are totally blind, and the rest have some form of vision, which can greatly vary. Those with some vision are still considered blind – they can’t drive, they may or may not use canes or dogs, etc.  But they do have some vision.

That’s not the case in the TV-verse, though.  I have yet to find a TV character classified as blind who still retains some vision. There have been reality show contestants, of course (Scott MacIntyre from season 8 of American Idol was legally blind with limited vision, and watching Ryan Seacrest give him a high five was mega awkward), but almost every character on a fictional TV series I have seen has been completely blind.  In fact, the only character who comes to mind who even mentions seeing anything but blackness is Jenna from Pretty Little Liars, who states in season two that she might be able to see shadows.  Though, honestly, this was mentioned so late after her characters introduction that it through me for a loop – prior to that statement, she’d behaved like someone with zero remaining vision.

Just once I’d love to see someone who needs to read large print books or uses magnification software.  That’s much more the norm in reality.

Cliché Number Two:  The Tragic Accident
Almost every blind character I come across on television wasn’t born blind. They became blind in some sort of tragic accident.  Jenna from Pretty Little Liars lost her vision in a prank. Auggie from Covert Affairs lost his in Iraq. Pamela from Supernatural had her eyes burned out when she saw the face of an angel. And Carlos from Desperate Housewives went blind during the tornado that hit town.  Dude, blind people on TV have it rough!  Not only do they not get to have ANY amount of sight (unlike the majority of real life, legally blind people), but also they always have to lose their vision in some horrific way.

Don’t get me wrong – accidents happen. Tons of blind people have lost their vision through unnatural causes.  It’s awful! And, from a TV perspective, it’s super dramatic.

But just once, I’d love to hear a character say, “Oh, I have macular degeneration.” Or something.  Maybe it isn’t as theatrical, but it’s also a huge part of reality. Some people are born with disabilities; why don’t those people get represented on TV more often?

Cliché Number Three: It’s a MIRACLE!
Okay, I take that back. Maybe being blind on TV isn’t SO bad. Because occasionally a miracle happens in the TV-verse, and the blind get to be miraculously cured.

On Desperate Housewives, after being told he is permanently blind years earlier, Carlos discovers his vision can be restored.  And poof! The procedure is done and he can see!

I hate to be the party pooper over here, but that is so not realistic.  Even if a cure had been found, it wouldn’t be so simple.  Likely his vision would have to recover over a long period of time, even after the surgery.

Cliché Number Four: Totally BAMF
I’m going to blame Daredevil for this one.  Another common TV cliché is the badass blind person – the blind person who, despite a disability, is more powerful and more kickass than everyone else.  For example, Auggie from Covert Affairs is awesome. So awesome, in fact, that it took me a while to figure out he was blind when I was watching the show.  But since most of Covert Affairs is totally unbelievable as it is, I won’t pick on Auggie.  Dear God, at least he doesn’t wear sunglasses all the damn time (another stereotype I see often).

For real, though, I’m all for blind people being portrayed as capable and strong. But sometimes I feel like it’s overcompensating.  Like “Look! Let’s make the person with a disability the smartest/toughest/whatever-is-the-bestest to be super politically correct!”  That’s fine, but sometimes by making them too badass, they lose any believability as a blind person.  Let’s shoot for equality, not superiority.

I know all the arguments.  ‘It just works better for TV” or “It’s so much more interesting that way!”  I have learned to just sigh, nod, and move on – just like my grandfather, an ex-cop who can’t watch Law & Order without rolling his eyes every three seconds.  TV isn’t reality. We all know that.  Sometimes, though, a grain of truth would be nice, especially when in reference to an issue that affects so many people in the United States (1.3 million, to be exact. BAM! Research!).

So what are some issues you think TV could handle better?  Or demographics you’d like to see represented more often or more accurately? Sound off in the comments!

Images courtesy of ABC, USA Network, Steve Wilkie.