Pokémon and the Visually Impaired

The story of the visually impaired person competing at last Saturday's tournament, which I detailed in the emotions post from the other day, got me to think. Not every person in this world have normal vision. Some people may be slightly impaired, others may be more severely impaired, and yet others may be almost unable to see. That could present an impediment to how they could enjoy Pokémon, though there may still be ways that they could.

Those that are slightly impaired in their vision should be able to take in all the sights of Pokémon and enjoy them as any others would with normal vision. They might require corrective devices like glasses, and that's fine; even people in the world of Pokémon use them too, one of the notable ones being Max, May's little brother. Their experience should be more or less like most everybody that enjoys Pokémon, even if their corrective devices make them out to be different, which is something that shouldn't happen.

For people that are more severely impaired in their vision, things may be somewhat more problematic. The true heart and soul of Pokémon are the creatures that bear that name, and to not be able to see them in their true form would seem disappointing. But if anything, with whatever vision that may be retained, something could at least be seen, and that should be appreciated by the viewer and honored by everyone. The competitor relied on sounds the other day to compete, and this is surely an important and helpful thing as well.

As for those that are almost unable to see, this would be a real disappointment. In that case, the experience would have to be fully through sounds, voices, and music. It would almost be like an audio or radio drama for those concerned. It has been said that these people do dream, but not with visuals; perhaps the experience would be like those dreams. Needless to say, they would need a great deal of assistance just to be able to experience things, and so they should be gladly provided with it.

Though Pokémon is a highly visual phenomenon, even those who have problems with vision might and should be able to enjoy it as well. Heaven forbid I (or others with normal vision) would lose it, but in the dreadful case that it does happen, hopefully Pokémon could still be enjoyed, even if the experience wouldn't be the same. But like the person, with some effort, anything may just be possible.

One year ago: Retro Music and Modern Music
Two years ago: More LINE Pokémon Stickers