To get a good read on how people would react to the possibility of being able to see again, I went to the Atlanta Center for the Visually Impaired on West Peachtree St. My uncle is currently a student there, learning how to cope with his disability. After his computer skills class on Saturday November 14th, I asked his class of 16 students to participate and answer a few opinion questions I had. All ballots were kept secret, and no information about who was writing in the survey was collected or given out.


1. How long have you been visually impaired?
14 students: 1-10 years
1 student:    10-20 years
1 student:    From birth

2. How would you classify your income level?
7 students: 75,000 and up
5 students: 35,000-74,999
4 students: less than 35,000

3. How would you classify your education level?
15 students: less than a high school diploma
1 student: high school diploma

4. If given the opportunity, would you sign up for a procedure implanting a chip into your eye, that may allow you to see again, through the use of glasses that you would have to wear?
13 students: Yes
3 students: Yes, if shown to be safe

5. Do you believe that there is a "blind culture" that may be disrupted by such technologies? Why?
15 students: No
1 student: Not really, but I can see where the idea might come from
Explanations (summaries):
1. We want to be part of the world that we were in before, and want to be productive members of that society
2. We have not been visually impaired long enough to find out
3. There aren't really any blind fraternities to speak of, but it is a bit clicky in the blind world.