"American Idol" contestant Scott Macintrye, 23, may be blind, but that didn't stop Ryan Seacrest from trying to given him a high five.


Macintyre plays the piano, went to college at 14 and ballroom dances, and he even sung his way to a golden ticket to Hollywood. After Scott emerged from his audition and hugged his family, Ryan held up his right hand for a high-five.

Seacrest ended up reaching down and taking Scott's hand after his gesture hung midair.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/14/ryan-seacrest-high-fives_n_157778.html

:rofl:

^ You're right Jenny. And like a lot of the blind, he does have some sight (probably colours and shapes) so Ryan probably thought that he could see his hand up for the high five.

I saw it happen. It's wasn't that bad. Ryan realized it after a second and then took his hand to high five him.

If anything, I thought it was kind of nice that Ryan forgot. It showed to me anyways that the guy's talent so outshone his disability, that it was easy to forget his blindness.

I didn't mean to sound flip. Trust me, I'm vision-impaired myself!

People have forgotten that I'm totally blind in one eye. At least he finally got to high-five him the other night.

Actually it can be difficult to remember at times. I had a girlfriend in grade 11 math class who was blind in one eye and I'd often forget about it. Just shows actually how well people get along without sight.

Actually, The Canadian Institute for the Blind has been running t.v. ads to that affect. Technically, before my laser eye surgery I was even considered legally blind (440/20).

20/800? I didn't even know they went that low.

Technically, I fall into the low vision category. (20/70) but one eye is a prosthetic and I only have central vision in my other eye. I was born with a condition called coloboma. My pupils are misshapen and one eye was so bad, they just removed it.

20/800? I didn't even know they went that low.

Technically, I fall into the low vision category. (20/70) but one eye is a prosthetic and I only have central vision in my other eye. I was born with a condition called coloboma. My pupils are misshapen and one eye was so bad, they just removed it.
I think that's what my girlfriend in math had. I was going to mention that but didn't know what it was called. Her pupil looked as though it was "melting" into her iris. It looked kinda cool actually. :)


And yah - I've got a few friends with "disabilities" that I never even think about or notice most of the time. As a matter of fact, I now wonder about the term "disabled". I know a lot more "disabled" people that have all their hearing, eyesight, limbs, etc..!!

And yah - I've got a few friends with "disabilities" that I never even think about or notice most of the time. As a matter of fact, I now wonder about the term "disabled". I know a lot more "disabled" people that have all their hearing, eyesight, limbs, etc..!!

I used to work retail and I worked with a few people with intellectual impairments. (I think that's the term for mental retardation now.) I never thought of them as any different than my other co-workers. I actually found most of them to be much harder workers and more pleasant to deal with than some of the able-bodied people who worked there.

I work with kids with learning, social, and emotional problems. To me, they're really no different than any other typical child. I honestly believe that a lot of so-called "handicaps" come from plain ignorance.

It will be interesting to see how far Scott makes it in the contest. :)



Yes, it does go that low. Of course I wish my vision was better. My vision isn't correctable. I have Glaucoma, Cataracts and Aniridia (lack of an iris in either eye). I have massive nerve damage to the optic nerve, etc.
Do you have to use special software on your computer, Jenny? I know that there is special software designed for the visually-impaired.

Yes, I have to use software called Zoomtext to see what's on the screen.
Oh, OK. Thanks!

It will be interesting to see how far Scott makes it in the contest. :)



Yes, it does go that low. Of course I wish my vision was better. My vision isn't correctable. I have Glaucoma, Cataracts and Aniridia (lack of an iris in either eye). I have massive nerve damage to the optic nerve, etc.

Do you know what caused it Jenny? Especially the nerve damage - was it something from birth? (Hope you don't mind me asking).


And I totally agree. I've worked with people with all sorts of impairments and they are better to work with. They don't whine because of a certain chore on the job. They're happy and proud to hold down a job so they usually are double the worker a "normal" person is.
I am so glad we're living in an age where people don't look at these people as "disabled". No matter what you're impairment, you can do some kind of work and feel useful.

I'm not watching Idol this season (or last) other than the trainwrecks at the beginning. Scott stood out right away so I'm rooting for him. It would be so cool if he got the win this year and even cooler if he got a chance to play with Stevie Wonder.