Disclaiming Banner: This is fan fiction, written by a fan. I have no money because I'm a fan. The owners make their money from my being a fan.
Perception
Maybe being sighted meant other people just had to notice less than she did. Maybe their brains would blow up if they tried. Because being blind really didn't seem that bad from Toph's own way of thinking. She could skip out on going to a finishing school where she learned to be just like every other wussy rich girl. Sometimes people forgot that she could even hear them and let slip things she could blackmail them with. Opponents underestimated her all the time and their surprise and/or humiliation never got old.
Nope, being blind didn't take away from her life. It didn't keep her from noticing how dumb her parents were. They chose not to see what the world was like. Mother had no idea how delicious rice was because she never let herself eat as much as she wanted. Father couldn't figure out that the cook spit in his tea at least once a week. And they thought their money would protect them from the Fire Nation.
She was ten, and her parents were something so much worse than blind.