While filming Beyond Sight, I realized that all four visually impaired individuals in the documentary were male. This prompted me to explore the experiences of visually impaired women. However, when I reached out to them for interviews, I encountered some resistance. Several women declined to share their stories for various reasons. In the end, Lei Xu, the female massage therapist mentioned in Beyond Sight, agreed to be interviewed by me. Additionally, I have also made conttact with another visually impaired woman, Linghao Xiong, a university student majoring in Musicology. Our communication has been included in a new documentary, Beyond Sight: The Unseen Her, which can be considered a sequel to Beyond Sight. The full video can be found in the Gallery-Documentary on this webpage and on YouTube:
According to my time spent with them, whether in the industry or in school, visually impaired women are self-reliant and exert undeniable energy. However, in their social situation, we can see how the challenges of a patriarchal society are compounded by the inconvenience of visual impairment. For instance, their visual impairment is often taken for granted as a reason for them not to participate in the workforce and to marry early. The dual identity of being visually impaired and female results in these women receiving far less attention than other social groups, such as visually impaired men or sighted women. I believe that it is crucial to amplify the voices of visually impaired women.
When considering entry points, menstruation comes to mind. It's an inherently female topic that unequivocally highlights my subject matter as female-centric. Moreover, it prompts a meaningful exploration of the interaction between menstruation and visual impairment: how do visually impaired women navigate tasks that sighted women often rely on sight for, like identifying stains on fabric or selecting sanitary napkins?
In the context of menstruation, visually impaired women face the combined inconvenience
of both their gender and visual impairment. It is a complex topic. A narrative game that explores this issue could help raise awareness and amplify the voices of visually impaired women to a broader audience.
Comments