Hello all, I (19f) am currently writing a story where my main character is partially blind.
He can see colour and vague shapes, but no fine details. It is a fantasy book and the cause of his blindness is not a medical condition that exists in real life (it is caused by magic), but the closest way that I would describe it if I had to compare it to a real condition it would be very severe refractive errors. If he were to be tested by today's standards he would be legally blind.
I have been looking at medical websites and journals, but as the story is written from his personal perspective, I wanted to be more informed on how a person experiences partial blindness views and interacts with the world beyond medical diagnosis and symptoms.
For a bit of context about this character, the fantasy world that his story is set in is very rural with small villages and few larger cities that are slightly more advanced in terms of technology and innovation, but still very medieval in style and development. My character has spent his life in a small village in the mountains and the story is mostly about his journey across the world, searching for his brother that he was separated from. At the start of the story he is 16 and has lived a very sheltered life, on account of his mother being ashamed of his disability (ableism will be a large theme in this story). He is travelling with two friends, one of whom is hard of hearing, and the other has chronic pain from a burn injury. There is also a mentor figure that has the same type of blindness as the main character.
Some of the terrain he covers is mountains, forests, deserts, and briefly, the ocean (they are on a commercial ferry and are not in control of the ship). Other than the ocean, everything is traversed by foot.
A major theme of the story is tackling ableism, and there are multiple characters that show discrimination towards the main group, including family. I want to write it in a way that is respectful and informed, but also doesn't shy away from nuance and the more uncomfortable discussions that are often overlooked.
So, I have a few questions,
What are the aspects of being partially blind that are not represented or discussed in media?
What forms does ableism take, both from people who mean well, and people that are outright bigoted and hateful? What about the people who are neither?
What are some accommodations and adaptations that could be used in a fantasy setting that does not have the same technologies that we do today?
Additionally, what are some terms that are discriminatory, or otherwise not liked by the blind community that are easily missed? I want to make sure my writing is not offensive or discriminatory in its own way that may not be obvious to someone without vision impairment.
Thank you so much if you do choose to share your experiences, and if there's something that I haven't considered when writing a blind character, please let me know. I am trying my best but I am not perfect so please do give feedback.
Thank you!