Would you rather be Blind, Deaf or a parapalegic?

Paraplegic. Last year after back surgery I awoke unable to move my legs. One week later I underwent an additional back surgery (rods & pins).

I was still unable to move my legs I was placed in a back brace (TLSO) that covered most of my torso and had to wear foot/leg braces (AFOs) that covered the back of my leg from the knee down to under the bottom of my feet (similar to the ones in the picture). I eventually regained some use of my legs but still rely on the support of a wheel chair & walker. But before I knew I would be able to even take one step I knew I could continue to have a decent quality of life.

I could still paint & draw and write poetry. I could still hear the voices of those I love and see their faces.

I have a cousin that is deaf. She is able to function almost normally, reads lips as well as I hear (she can communicate better in a loud room than I can! ), and she is very successful in life.

Thinking about the adjustments I would have to make in my life if I were blind or deaf...I definitely think blindness would require much more effort in terms of changing the way I live life. I would not be able to drive, surf the net (although I know there is some pretty cool adaptive software out there), perform my current job duties, etc. Losing my hearing would be hard, but I could more easily maintain my independence...less of a learning curve. Learning to communicate via ASL or similar would be a challenge, but ultimately do-able.

I agree whole heartedly with edthedoc. With blindness you would lose a lot more of your independence than with deafness. Not being able to see would drive me crazier a lot faster, I imagine!

Surely a no-brainer. I think blindness causes far more problems in day-to-day living than deafness. Imagine getting dressed, cooking a meal or crossing the road blind, and then deaf.

Even profoundly deaf people can feel some sounds, and can lipread or use sign language, therefore partly reducing the consequences of their deafness. Someone who is completely blind has no alternative way to 'see' colour, or to assess anything they can't touch. Much larger parts of the brain are responsible for routing and processing visual inputs than auditory ones, so I would consider loss of sight to have more of a negative sensory impact.

I'd definitely rather be deaf than blind.

I would have to go with deaf. I truely enjoy reading, and while yes I would miss music, you could at least get by a bit easier and "hear" through vibration.

I'd rather be blind. It comes down to the fact that, if given a choice between listening to a song or viewing a painting, I'd pick the song. Other considerations: I think it would be much easier for me to learn braille than to learn sign language.

I'm a type by touch typist, so I do not need to see what I am typing in order to make sure it is being written accurately. In my daily life, I can take the bus to work, so would still have a fair amount of independence there. It would mean that I wouldn't be able to do my day job of data entry, but that's not really a bad thing.

I would rather choose to be deaf. I want to see the world, the people touching me, the people loving me. Well, you can also talk eye to eye with them.

Really its so lovely to see the world.

Deaf. I spend way too much time on the computer. Plus, I'm a writer.

While I could still write blind, it would be harder for me to do research and surf the net (sad to say).

Tough one. I have a family member who is blind and although higly independent, the assumption is they can do nothing for themselves much less earn a productive living. Nothing could be further from the truth since they live near a bus line, do all the repairs on their own rentals (including MAJOR projects like installing 2,000 feet of ceramic tile flooring) etc.BUT - nobody wants to give them a job.

The loss of independence in being able to drive is a big one too...let's face it, the bus doesn't cut it. On the other hand, they can easily stay in touch via phone with friend and family plus communicate easily with anyone. I once asked this same question and the response was "blind" but this is also a very social person.

I'm less social and a lot more independent so would be a tough one.

I rather be deaf. There is a huge world out there and there is still much to see.

Blind as you cannot really replace the depth and beauty of human music.

I would definitely miss music, but I feel like would be much more functional as a deaf person than blind. I'd still be able to work since I don't need to hear to code, and I'd rather be able to see my family and friends than hear them. (especially when they won't shut up).

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.