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Comment by zeveb | Hacker News Reader

Unlike learning a language, blindness is not something which can be overcome with education.

I've tried learning multiple languages and have lived abroad and learning another language for me was not easy or fast despite years of studying and practicing the language.

No one said it was fast or easy. Given a long enough timeline and some daily effort, you can most likely learn another language.

You can't study yourself to un-blindness.

So? You still learned it. You can't learn to see if you're blind.

Just because something is possible you shouldn't go around expecting it from anybody. Learning a language just for a website is dumb and nobody is going to do it, so the website is essentially just as unaccessible to someone who doesn't speak the language as someone who's blind.

I don't think you understand that my argument wasn't necessarily contrary to yours, just stating that it's certainly easier to learn a language than it is to not be blind. Both of which are unfair expectations to thrust upon anyone.

So you can expect thousands to learn English because of your one website, but it's immoral that some disabled people will just have to miss out on your website because you can't be bothered to spend countless hours on accessibility?

Honestly, that statement is about as dumb as saying "Blindness can be overcome with science, all those blind people should just start working on artificial eyes".

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