I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with Andrew, diving deep into questions I’d always wondered about but never dared ask. What emerged was a conversation so enlightening, so funny, and so profoundly moving that I knew I had to share it with you. Buckle up, you’re about to see the world through completely different eyes.
Jonathan: Andrew, let’s start with the big question everyone’s curious about but afraid to ask, how do you imagine things you’ve never seen? Like, when someone says “red,” what happens in your mind?
Andrew laughs and leans back in his chair.
“You know, Jonathan, that’s like asking someone who’s never tasted chocolate to describe vanilla. But here’s the thing, my mind creates its own language. When you say ‘red,’ I don’t see anything, but I feel warmth, I think of anger, passion, the heat from a fire I’ve felt on my skin. Red has texture and temperature in my mind. It’s rough like sandpaper when it’s anger, smooth like silk when it’s love. Your red might be visual, but mine is a whole sensory experience.”
Jonathan: That’s incredible! So you’re telling me you have a completely different color system?
“Exactly! Blue is cool and calm, like the feeling of stepping into shade on a hot day. It flows like water and sounds like a gentle breeze. Green smells fresh, like rain on grass, it’s alive and growing in my imagination. Yellow? That’s pure joy, man. It bounces around in my mind like laughter. I might not see colors, but I experience them in ways you probably never considered.”
Jonathan: What about shapes? How do you imagine a circle or a square?
“Oh, that’s easier! Circles are friendly, they flow, no harsh edges, like running your hand around a ball. They feel infinite, peaceful. Squares are different, organized, structured, reliable. They have corners that my fingers can find and follow. Triangles are sharp, pointed, sometimes dangerous. I build entire mental maps using shapes, and every shape has its personality.”
Jonathan: Now, here’s something I’ve always wondered, do you dream? And if so, what are your dreams like?
Andrew’s face lights up with excitement.
“Bro, my dreams are WILD! I dream in sounds, textures, smells, and emotions. Last night I dreamed I was flying, not seeing myself fly, but feeling the wind, hearing it rush past my ears, feeling my stomach drop and soar. Sometimes I dream of conversations with people whose voices create entire personalities in my mind. Their voices have colors, shapes, even temperatures. My grandmother’s voice is warm golden honey, while my brother’s voice is sharp silver that cuts through any noise.”
Jonathan: Do you ever dream of having sight?
“You know what’s funny? Sometimes I dream of ‘seeing’ things, but it’s not visual seeing. It’s like I suddenly understand distances perfectly, or I can ‘see’ through walls by hearing what’s behind them. It’s like getting superpowers in my dreams. I wake up thinking, ‘Damn, that was cool!’ But I never dream in actual images because my brain doesn’t have that reference point. It would be like you dreaming in a sense you don’t have, like dreaming in echolocation or magnetic fields.”
Jonathan: Speaking of seeing, here’s a wild scenario, what if you woke up tomorrow with perfect vision? What would be your first reaction?
Andrew pauses, then breaks into a huge grin.
“Dude, I’d probably have a complete mental breakdown! Can you imagine? I’d see light for the first time, what even IS light? I imagine it would be like being blasted with a completely new sensation that I have no words for. I’d probably close my eyes immediately because it would be overwhelming. Then I’d spend hours just staring at my own hands, thinking, ‘So THIS is what I’ve been moving around my whole life?’ I’d probably cry seeing my mother’s face for the first time. But honestly, I think colors would blow my mind. Seeing that fire is actually ‘red’ and not just hot? That grass is ‘green’ and not just smells fresh? It would be like discovering a whole new dimension of reality.”
Jonathan: What do you think would be the strangest thing to see for the first time?
“Shadows! I understand shadows conceptually, areas where light doesn’t hit, but actually seeing them? That would trip me out. How can darkness have a shape? And mirrors, man! Seeing my own reflection would be insane. I know what I feel like, but seeing how I look to others? That’s mind-bending. Oh, and tears! I know I cry, I feel the wetness, but actually seeing tears roll down someone’s face? That visual representation of emotion would probably make me emotional all over again.”
Jonathan: How do you imagine movies and TV shows when people describe them to you?
“Oh man, this is where my imagination goes crazy! When someone describes a movie to me, I create my own version in my head. I cast voices I know for different characters. Action scenes become soundscapes, explosions, footsteps, breathing, dialogue. I probably imagine movies very differently from how they actually look. My version of Superman might sound like my uncle who has a deep, confident voice, and he ‘flies’ with whooshing sounds and musical scores. Horror movies are actually scarier for me because I rely on sound design, and good horror has amazing sound. I probably get more scared than sighted people because I’m not distracted by visual effects, I’m purely focused on the audio terror!”
Jonathan: What about the internet and social media? How do you experience memes and visual content?
“Screen readers are a blessing, man! I experience memes through alt-text descriptions, and let me tell you, some are hilarious even in text form. ‘Distracted boyfriend meme: Man looking back at another woman while his girlfriend looks disapproving.’ I get it! The humor translates. But honestly, I probably miss a lot of visual humor. Though I’ve created my own version of internet culture, I’m big on voice notes, audio memes, and I follow podcasters like other people follow YouTubers. My social media is very audio-focused.”
Jonathan: Do you ever feel like you’re missing out, or do you think sighted people might be missing out on something?
Andrew becomes thoughtful and serious.
“Here’s the thing, Jonathan, I don’t miss what I’ve never had. I can’t miss seeing a sunset because I don’t know what I’m missing. But you know what I think sighted people miss? You guys rely so heavily on vision that you miss the symphony of life. You don’t notice the subtle changes in people’s breathing that tell you their mood. You miss the way different spaces have different acoustic signatures. You don’t feel the vibrations of music the way I do. You’re looking but not always truly listening. Sometimes I think being blind has made me more observant than people with sight.”
“Plus, I navigate the world through touch, sound, and intuition in ways that seem magical to sighted people. I can tell what mood someone is in by their footsteps. I can navigate my apartment in complete darkness better than you could with lights on. I hear conversations happening three tables away in restaurants. My other senses are supercharged. So maybe we’re both missing different things, but experiencing different superpowers too.”
Jonathan: What’s the funniest misconception people have about blind people?
Andrew bursts out laughing.
“Oh my God, where do I start? People think we have supernatural hearing, like we’re Daredevil or something. Yes, I hear well, but I can’t hear your thoughts, Karen! Or they’ll ask if I can see their hand waving in front of my face, like, bro, if I could see your hand, we wouldn’t be having this conversation! Some people think we can’t use phones, computers, or live independently. I have friends who are shocked that I cook, clean, have relationships, and hold down a job. The best one is when people think all blind people automatically know each other. ‘Oh, you’re blind? Do you know my cousin’s friend who’s also blind?’ Like we all hang out at some secret blind person club!”
“And don’t get me started on people who pet my white stick without asking or who grab my arm to ‘help’ me cross streets I cross every day. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but sometimes I just want to buy groceries without someone treating me like I’m made of glass.”
Jonathan: What would you want sighted people to understand about your experience?
“That blind doesn’t mean broken, different doesn’t mean less, and adaptation doesn’t mean tragic. My life isn’t a sad story or an inspirational tale, it’s just my life, and it’s pretty damn good. I have relationships, career goals, hobbies, and dreams just like everyone else. I fall in love, get heartbroken, laugh at stupid jokes, and binge-watch Netflix shows through audio descriptions. I’m not brave for existing, and you don’t need to whisper around me or avoid saying ‘see’ and ‘look.’ I use those words too!”
“But also understand that accessibility isn’t just about ramps and braille, it’s about including us in the conversation. Don’t assume what I can or can’t do. Ask me directly, not my friend who’s with me. And please, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t move things in my space without telling me. You might think you’re helping by ‘organizing’ my desk, but you’ve just created chaos in my carefully mapped world.”
Jonathan: If you could give one piece of advice to people about seeing the world differently, what would it be?
Andrew sits forward, his voice becoming passionate.
“Close your eyes for five minutes. Really do it. Don’t peek. Just sit in darkness and listen to the world around you. Feel the temperature changes. Notice smells you usually miss. Pay attention to the texture of things you touch. You’ll discover a whole sensory world that exists parallel to your visual one. Most people go through life using only 20% of their senses because vision dominates everything else. But there’s magic in the other 80% if you pay attention.”
“And remember, perspective is everything. You see the world in colors and shapes; I experience it in sounds and textures. Neither is wrong, neither is better. They’re just different ways of being human. Maybe if more people understood that, we’d all be a little more accepting of different ways of experiencing life.”
Jonathan: Before we wrap up, what’s one thing that might surprise people about your daily life?
“I’m probably more tech-savvy than half your readers! My phone talks to me, my computer reads everything aloud, I use GPS apps that give audio directions, and I can text faster than most sighted people. I order food online, shop on Amazon, and manage my bank account through apps. Technology has made the world incredibly accessible. Oh, and I probably have better organizational skills than anyone you know, when you can’t see clutter, you learn to be systematic about everything.”
“Also, I dream of traveling the world not to see famous sights, but to hear different languages, taste local foods, feel different climates, and experience how cities sound different. Paris sounds different from Nairobi, which sounds different from New York. Every place has its acoustic fingerprint, and I want to collect them all.”
Jonathan: Any final thoughts for our readers?
“Life is about adapting, growing, and finding joy wherever you are with whatever you have. I’ve never seen a rainbow, but I’ve felt the rain and sunshine that creates one. I’ve never watched a movie, but I’ve experienced stories that moved me to tears. I’ve never seen a face, but I’ve heard voices that made me fall in love. Maybe we’re all blind to certain aspects of life, the trick is making the most of what we can experience and staying curious about everything else.”
“Oh, and next time you meet a blind person, just be normal. We’re not fragile, we’re not superhuman, and we definitely don’t want your pity. But we might just have a perspective that could change how you see, or rather, experience, the world.”
As I packed up my recorder and prepared to leave, I realized that Andrew had given me something invaluable, a completely new way of thinking about perception, adaptation, and what it means to truly “see” the world. His laughter, wisdom, and unshakeable joy reminded me that vision is just one way to experience the incredible richness of human existence. Sometimes, the most profound insights come from those who see the world differently than we do. In Andrew’s case, he might not see with his eyes, but he sees life more clearly than most of us ever will.