A very interesting rumination on the various meanings put on the word 'blind' in English usage. Faulkner includes how these aspects were played out in the life of her father and herself, both of whom had a genetic condition which leads to blindness by mid-life.
Faulkner is a very intelligent and well-read author who was able to bring in a wide variety of references to prove her point --that most people have a very negative view of blindness. Her father, in fact, was so set against being labelled 'blind', that he went to great lengths to hide and work around his inability to see. ( )