Accessible Islamic Links for the Blind / Visually Impaired

Assalamu alaikum, OK, so I hate to whine and complain about things not being accessible, because a lot of the time, I really don’t know how to fix said accessibility solutions. (except to email the site administrator, etc.), But I feel like I complain sometimes, yet really don’t offer as much as I could in the way of solutions to fix whatever it is I’m complaining about. I just sorta expect things to be accessible, because, well, they just should be. As if I’m back in blind school world or something, when everything was in Braille or on tape or in large print format or whatever. And that’s just not a good thing.

Regarding things Islamic, I’ve often felt frustrated that resources that could increase my Islamic knowledge are just simply not available to me, and anyone who could teach blind Muslims, i.e., the Arabic Braille code, how to read the Qur’an in Braille, etc., are just too far away from me for me to be able to access. And regarding online classes, at some point, with anything in the area of Islamic knowledge, one just must know Arabic, there’s just no way around it.

When I see a class or program somewhere, and I see the phrase “knowledge of Arabic is required”, or whatever, I get this sinking feeling that I will never move past knowing the basics of Islam, fiqh, tajweed of the Qur’an etc., because I won’t be able to find anyone who can even begin to teach me how to read Arabic, etc., etc., and then I briefly engage in a moment of self-pity.

Even if I could learn Arabic Braille, just as in English Braille, materials for gaining knowledge would be in short supply. That would then necesitate me getting some sort of an Arabic Screen-reader, and finding some alternative way to if not learn the Arabic language, which I could conceivably do, but to get online materials in Arabic, that I could then be able to decipher because I would have the knowledge to understand whatever it was the screen reader was trying to tell me. The problem is, I’m not sure if there is a screen-reader which would read both English and Arabic, such that I could take an online Arabic class, and be able to read everything that was on the screen.

It really bothers me when I get in moods like this, but it also bothers me that my Islamic knowledge has definitely plateaued, and yet I have a desire to learn more. And unfortunately, no means to do so that I’m aware of. I can understand being rewarded for my intentions, I can understand people saying that not everyone was meant to be a scholar, etc., etc., but when I hear people say things like this, I feel like their just brushing me off, that they just want me to just shut up and stop complaining.

But as my years as a Muslim go by, my angst because of my lack of knowledge and my seeming inability to acquire it makes me feel even more, well, anxious, like I should be doing something but I’m not. That “everyone else who’s been Muslim for as long as me would know more than me”. That I’ll always be treated like the new Muslim who just said Shahadah, and to be honest, sometimes I feel like no one would be too far off the mark for treating me this way.

But every time I hear someone say “all Muslims should strive to learn Arabic”, etc., etc., I feel sad because, well, I feel as though, unless Allah makes some sort of way for me, I’ll never learn Arabic, I probably won’t learn much of the Qur’an, except to recite it phonetically.

I know I’m whining, I probably seem as though I’m doing nothing but feeling sorry for myself. But it’s hard to explain to people how it feels to want to do something, and to keep hitting a brick wall every time you try to do it. And to be told “Inshalah”, when you just want to vent and get some support from your fellow Muslims when you express your frustrations in doing something that I’d venture to say most sighted Muslims take for granted.

Yes, Inshallah… That I’ll be rewarded for my struggles, that perhaps my desire to learn and my inability to do so because of my lack of sight will perhaps make up for my shortcomings in other areas. That perhaps I will find a way to gain the knowledge I so want to have, simply because I want to learn as much as I can and use it to better myself and others. But if I’m not able to do that, may Allah give me the strength to be patient and content.

I know all of this, but when I hear people say it, their tone tells me they don’t quite know what to say or think, they don’t know quite what to tell me. And much of the time, it sounds patronizing and paternalistic, like you’re telling a small child to shut up because they want a piece of candy and you don’t want them to have it.

Yes, Inshallah, but at least please understand why I’m frustrated, please just have some sympathy, I think that’s all I’m asking. I mean, a “yes I understand, I know you want to learn but things just aren’t out there, let me see if I can find anything out for you”. Or “I don’t know anyone but let me ask around”, that sorta thing. Not the “Inshallah” stuff and then “oh sister, when are you gonna have kids”. Or, “oh sister, recite all of the Qur’an you know and tell us how to pray and make wudu and ghusl ’cause we want to make sure you know”. I think by this time, as these sorts of things have happened in quick succession of one another, in the space of an evening, just understand how demoralized and “patted on the head” I feel, that I feel like no more than a child, that I feel awful, that I feel “not as good as” the others in the room. ’cause not only do “I not have the knowledge” but “I don’t have kids” either. So something must really be wrong with me.

I think sometimes this is why I don’t like being around any sighted people, be they Muslim or not, because it really causes some serious feelings of self-doubt. Perhaps that’s not a good thing, and I understand that, but it’s just not good to be around people that seem to accentuate what you *can’t* do. And it’s one thing to say “Inshallah … ” etc., but use a more, I don’t know, “dignified” tone of voice, that doesn’t sound so condescending and patronizing. And I understand that the vast majority of people truly mean well. I’ve been in situations myself where when someone has told me something, that my response was lacking. But my reaction would have been to then say “hey I know my response is not what it should be, but I really don’t know what to say, and I wish I did”. That kind of response given to me would not bother me in the slightest.

It’s the kind of response that seems to say, in the brevity and the tone of voice that “well, let’s just say something nice and turn the conversation to something else, because discussing this makes me feel uncomfortable”.

I really don’t know how to explain how I feel, that doesn’t make it sound as though I’m not thinking the best about my fellow Muslims and all of that. Anyway…

What got me started on all of this was that I’d wanted to recommit myself to trying to learn the Qur’an, and to my knowledge, there is no one here in my small community that is able to teach me at this time. So the only way I can do it would be online. And Mere Muslim’s Qur’an resources seemed to be a good jumping off point, and as I said on his site, the Qur’an Explorer site is a good one. But alas, it seems some of the graphic to click on and play the recitations are not accessible! And yes, emailing the site administrator would be a good idea, however, I don’t know how to tell them *how* to make things accessible. Except for “flash is bad, most of the time, very, very bad, unless of course it’s made accessible but I don’t know how to do that”. So I’m just left complaining, or just keeping quiet and finding an alternative resource.

But are there? I’m not sure if there are any pages out there with any links catering to blind and visually impaired Muslims? Perhaps this is a project I should start, Inshallah.

Because I don’t just want to complain, as I’ve said before when things like this have come up, I’d like to offer solutions, if I can. But this doesn’t take away from the frustration I’ve always felt, ever since I can remember, when things weren’t accessible, or I was told I couldn’t do something.