I don't know.

I learned when I was little.

I've never known any other way.

I don't really know how to answer their question.

(slow upbeat music)

My name is Mack Potts and I'm a piano player.

- I'm Cindy and I'm a PhD student.

- Yeah, I am.

Total blind.

- I was born totally blind.

- Oh my God, annoying things people ask.

(sigh)

- How much time do you think we have today?

- How do you do your job?

- How could you find the bus, you're blind

- Can I pray for you?

Can I bless you?

- How do blind people have sex?

Well, some of the most intimate things

are done in the dark, anyway.

Think about it, you visual people.

- Do you see anything?

Do you see any sun, can you see any light?

- You can see, can't you?

- Sir, how long have you been, uhm,

visually....

You mean blind?

And they're like,

"Yeah, yeah, that."

And, like, it's okay.

- People wanna know how I've lost my vision

and, like, I don't really wanna talk about that

with strangers, you know?

- I think it's a very personal question

and usually it's irrelevant.

- You know let's just be real, the elephant's in the room.

- I feel like they are probably imagining

that they don't know what they would do

or how they would function if they lost their vision

so they, like, can't even articulate a specific question

to ask me.

- Uh, yes, there's a lot.

If I am walking down the street

trying to find an establishment or an address

but I'm confused, I'll say,

"Oh, excuse me."

I can hear people walking by, they won't answer,

they'll just keep walking.

Or they'll try to stay quiet,

thinking that I won't know that they're there.

- So, sometimes I'm saying something

and I might offend someone

and they just kind of walk away

in the middle of a conversation

so I'm suddenly talking to myself.

- Because you are blind, you can't wear fancy dresses.

- Because I like it.

- Oh, well, I'm totally in your situation

because, like, three months ago

I twisted my ankle and I had to use a crutch

for, like, a week, so I totally understand your world.

And I'm like, "Uhhhh...not exactly."

And I don't wanna, like, discredit

those experiences that people have

but they have no idea.

- I have dated some blind people

and sometimes people will be like,

"Hey, do you realize your girlfriend's beautiful?"

I'm pretty sure they already felt like

whatever I look like is beautiful

and they don't need someone in public to let them know.

- Sometimes people talk to me in my ear really loud

like I'm deaf and I'm really confused

because they think that blind people have better hearing

but then they yell right in our ear.

- The most annoying thing people do is grab me.

- They'll grab you.

- Grab a hold of my arm and start pulling me.

- Pull you along.

- Pull me by the arm.

- Push me.

- To let me know that it's okay

to cross the street or go through the door.

- And I have to just politely go,

"No, I take your elbow."

- Get your fucken hands off me, you know?

I don't know what's happening,

I don't know if I'm gonna be mugged

or if they're just trying to, and they're,

"I'm just trying to help."

I'm like, "Well, great, but please use your words."

- They should be asking first,

"Do you need any help?"

You know, talk to normally.

- And let me have the opportunity to respond

whether I want you to help me or not.

- I do think being a young woman

contributes to my anxiety and frustration about this

because I'm always somewhat alert, living in a city.

- If I'm about to fall down some stairs

or there's, like, a giant pit I'm about to step into,

feel free to grab me to save my life,

but if it's just 'cause you think

that I can't cross fourth avenue on my own, back up.

- Sometimes I need the help and I ask for help

and I'm totally willing to accept help.

- I think people, for the most part, mean well.

- You know, they're trying to help

but they don't know how to help.

- There's tons of blind people in this city

going around, doing things every day,

working, playing, at the bar, wherever, right?

It's kind of crazy, actually,

just some of the strange things

that people believe about somebody

that they don't know anything about.