I'm a musician so I chose blindness. I need my ears more than my eyes. There's a blind drummer in town (since age 3 I believe) named Sebastian Whitaker who's absolutely phenomenal. I also know a blind sax player in Austin who works all the time.
It's interesting to see the people who choose to be blind instead. I would have never thought. Seeing is a such a big part of everyday life that I couldn't see not having it. With technology as it is I can see communication getting easier for a deaf person. Voice recognition device on your neck that is translated to braille or something. Internet obviously is not a hinderance. So many ways. But then again there is that story of the blind kid who can play Street Fighter and walk the streets with his 'Daredevil' abilities that is pretty amazing. I can see how that didn't hinder him much either. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DpBm4KoWsrY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DpBm4KoWsrY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
It would be interesting to ask someone who is blind if he would give up his hearing if he could see or the opposite question to someone who is deaf. My guess is most blind people would do the trade and most deaf people wouldn't. Blindness is a much bigger hinderance to your independence and self-sufficiency than deafness.
