3 ms·
> I guess I have a futuro-nostalgic attachment to looking people in the eye when we work together. This is tangential, but as a blind person [1], I wonder if y
by mwcampbell 9y ago
> I guess I have a futuro-nostalgic attachment to looking people in the eye when we work together.
This is tangential, but as a blind person [1], I wonder if you would be uncomfortable working together in person with someone who can't make eye contact and doesn't even know that you're looking at them. I don't mean to be confrontational; I'm just curious. Eye contact has always been an abstract concept for me, and somehow, I never thought about how it might actually be important in a working relationship until I read your comment. Have you, by chance, ever worked with a blind person?
[1]: Actually, low vision (I can read text up close, and my limited sight helps some with orientation and mobility), but I can't make eye contact, and don't really understand the significance of it.
- StavrosK 9y agoI have worked with blind coworkers, and they're still making "eye contact", if I recall correctly (I work remote and it's been a while since I last met them). They tend to turn their head a certain way which shows you when they're listening to you. All eye contact is is a signal that the person's attention is on you.
- germinalphrase 9y agoThanks for asking. No - I am not uncomfortable talking or working with blind people. My point about looking someone in the eye was a synecdoche for the more generally the value I feel in-person interaction has that could be lost if I and my students were using VR goggles. My ability to "read" students is a big part of my professional practice.
- mwcampbell 9y agoAh, I see (pun intended). Thanks for answering.