[Blind-international-students] introducing myself and comments on your discussion

[Anmol Bhatia]

Guido,
Actually your assurtion that I am fixated on the currency issue is not at all true. I have managed my money successfully for 31 years and have not been shorted changed that I can remember, but what I am arguing is the basic principal of independently managing one's money without having to ask for sighted assistance. As a friend of my said the other day "we forced to adapt ourselves to money which is not accessable not by choice but by cercumstances". Basically what I am arguing is that bringing identifiable currency can realisticly be achieved and it would benefit alot of blind people. This is all I am arguing. Let me ask a simple question from Guido , Dave and everyone "can members of this list openly disagree with NFB"?
Anmol
I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.
Hellen Keller


--- On Sun, 8/8/10, Guido Corona <guidoc at austin.rr.com> wrote:

> From: Guido Corona <guidoc at austin.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [Blind-international-students] introducing myself and comments on your discussion
> To: "'Blind International Students Mailing List'" <blind-international-students at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Sunday, August 8, 2010, 9:06 PM
> Anmol,  I can see that you have
> fixated on this currency issue, and I doubt
> I can convince you otherwise.  It is clearly important
> to you, and you seem
> to be rejecting simple workaround as a matter of principle,
> which is
> perfectly fine by me. Fortunately, most blind people appear
> to find simple
> commonsense workarounds that are of no cost to the country
> perfectly
> acceptable.
> 
> I should like to point out that, while these 2 instances of
> being short
> changed probably costed me a total of $25 (Canadian), other
> taxi drivers
> took advantage of my blindness through credit card phraud
> to the tune of
> several thousand dollars over the years, for which neither
> the ACB, nor AFB,
> nor NFB, nor currency reform  can do anything about.
> 
> Bottomline... Do not swet the small stuff... and let us
> move on.
> 
> G.
> 
> 
>   
> 
>  
>  D. Corona
> Email: guidoc at austin.rr.com
> Home office: (512) 996-9187
> Mobile: (512) 466-1322
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blind-international-students-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:blind-international-students-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Anmol
> Bhatia
> Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2010 7:45 PM
> To: Blind International Students Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blind-international-students] introducing
> myself and comments
> on your discussion
> 
> You say that you have been short changed twice which is
> twice to many times.
> Know person blind or not should not be short changed when
> pratically the US
> currency can be made identifiable.
> I brought up the arguement of blind driver challenge in the
> context of NFB's
> priorities arguing that the fighting for identifiable
> currency is far more
> practicable and realistic in achieving then a blind driver
> challenge,
> therefore, it would make alot more sense if NFB would focus
> on the issue of
> identifiable currency then a car that frankly I do not
> realisticly see it
> coming anytime soon. In addition, as a blind person it is
> far more important
> to be able to manage my money independently then a car that
> frankly I can
> not affordable. So know my arguement was not a Red herring
> arguement due to
> the context that it was used and remember I was arguing
> with Daves point
> about NFB's not being active on the currency issue.
> 
> Anmol
> I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me
> sad. Perhaps
> there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is
> vague, like a breeze
> among flowers.
> Hellen Keller
> 
> 
> --- On Sun, 8/8/10, Guido Corona <guidoc at austin.rr.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > From: Guido Corona <guidoc at austin.rr.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Blind-international-students]
> introducing myself and
> comments on your discussion
> > To: "'Blind International Students Mailing List'"
> <blind-international-students at nfbnet.org>
> > Date: Sunday, August 8, 2010, 7:10 PM
> > Uhrn.... I am not sure the issue of
> > non tactily identifiable currency is
> > such a particular problem.  I have lived in North
> > America for 35 years...
> > first in Canada, then in US.
> > 
> > During all this time, I have been shortchanged only
> twice,
> > by taxi drivers
> > in both cases.  In one of these cases, my sighted
> wife
> > was present, and she
> > did not catch the swindle either.
> > 
> > I have found that, universaly, kindly asking the
> other
> > party to tell me
> > which bills have what value, solves all currency
> > identification issues.  I
> > then fold bills according to their values, and place
> them
> > in 4 different
> > slots in my billfold... And no, I never make
> mistakes.
> > 
> > And no, having to shop every few years for a billfold
> with
> > enough slots for
> > my liking is not something that I deem to be a
> violation of
> > my basic uman
> > rights under the US Declaration Of Independence, US
> > Constitution, ADA,
> > Section 504, or otherwise.
> >   
> > Please note that Canada uses embossing for tactile
> > identification of
> > currency... Works splendidly... until a bill is a few
> > months old, after
> > which markings become flat and unreadable.
> > 
> > Sometimes there are simple and remarkably low
> impact/cost
> > socialization-based workarounds for certain
> accessibility
> > problems.  I can
> > only praise NFB's pragmatic approach to the entire
> issue.
> > 
> > Finally, in the current context, raising the Blind
> Drivers
> > Challange is what
> > we call a Red herring... or a distracting argument,
> > extraneous from the
> > discussion at hand. Perhaps it's an interesting topic
> to
> > debate by itself,
> > but it does not add any value to the current debate
> on
> > currency recognition.
> > 
> > Best,
> > 
> > g
> > 
> > Guido D. Corona
> > Email: guidoc at austin.rr.com
> > Home office: (512) 996-9187
> > Mobile: (512) 466-1322
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blind-international-students-bounces at nfbnet.org
> > [mailto:blind-international-students-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> > On Behalf Of Anmol
> > Bhatia
> > Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2010 6:21 PM
> > To: Blind International Students Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: [Blind-international-students]
> introducing
> > myself and comments
> > on your discussion
> > 
> > Hello Dave,
> > Let me clarify myself. I never thought that NFB is
> against
> > bringing
> > identifiable currency, but where I have a problem is
> > its     priorities. For
> > me personally identifiable currency is far more
> important
> > than the Blind
> > Driver Challenge and far more realistic in achieving
> then a
> > car that a blind
> > person can drive.
> > 
> > You are right that groups such as the NFB and ACB may
> not
> > know what people
> > with disabilities need, but the advantage that groups
> such
> > as NFB and ACB
> > can bring by participating in various disability
> coalitions
> > is that they can
> > represent the needs of blind people who make up a
> large
> > population of people
> > with disabilities.
> > 
> > Finally I never ment to say that all blind people
> should
> > work together, but
> > the two major blind organizations should find more of
> a
> > common ground and as
> > I stated the members of each respective organizations
> have
> > greater
> > differences with each other then the two major
> > organizations have with each
> > other. So the organization back and forth seems silly
> and
> > does not seem to
> > accomplish anything for blind citizens. True we have
> > political parties in
> > this country just as they do in my country, however,
> it is
> > unfortunate but
> > blind people can not aford to have the luxury of
> being
> > divided like
> > Democrats and Republicans because our challenges our
> to
> > great and our
> > community is to small.
> > 
> > Having said all that, I commend the NFB on its work
> of
> > making a difference
> > for blind people around the world including myself. I
> was
> > fortunate to
> > attend the NFB convention for the first time on a
> > scholarship and I was
> > impressed in being around so many blind people. So I
> do
> > commend NFB on its
> > work but I do have some differences like any person
> should
> > have with any
> > organization. So please understand that I am not
> trying to
> > have it both
> > ways, but simply stating some of my differences. I
> invite
> > you to participate
> > in the international students conference call next
> Sunday
> > at 2:00 p.m.
> > eastern time.
> > Also to all members please  forgive my grammar
> > mistakes in my previous
> > email.
> > 
> > Anmol
> > 
> > 
> > I seldom think about my limitations, and they never
> make me
> > sad. Perhaps
> > there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is
> > vague, like a breeze
> > among flowers.
> > Hellen Keller
> > 
> > 
> > --- On Sun, 8/8/10, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> > > Subject: Re: [Blind-international-students]
> > introducing myself and
> > comments on your discussion
> > > To: "Blind International Students Mailing List"
> > <blind-international-students at nfbnet.org>
> > > Date: Sunday, August 8, 2010, 4:44 PM
> > > Hi Anmol:
> > > 
> > > I have been following this discussion with
> > interest. 
> > > There have been lots of good ideas.  However, I
> also
> > > feel like some people here want to have it both
> ways
> > -- as
> > > we would say in America.  That is they want to
> > benefit
> > > from an association with the NFB, and they want
> to use
> > what
> > > the NFB has to offer, but they are not willing
> to
> > support
> > > the NFB to they extent that they receive
> support.
> > > 
> > > I apologize if I offend anyone -- but I just want
> to
> > be
> > > honest here.
> > > 
> > > Below I think you misrepresent some NFB
> positions. 
> > We
> > > are not strongly opposed to identifiable
> currency, as
> > you
> > > say, but we don't consider it to be our highest
> > > priority.  We also don't think many of the
> proposed
> > > systems will work, or are likely to be adopted.
> > > 
> > > You are right that we traditionally have not
> been
> > very
> > > active in coalitions.  In large part this is
> because
> > we
> > > do not know what other disabled people need, and
> > others do
> > > not know what blind persons want and need.  We
> can
> > not
> > > represent them -- and they can not represent
> us. 
> > This
> > > is not to say that we don't participate in
> coalitions,
> > such
> > > as the Reading Rights Coalition among others.
> > > 
> > > Finally you say all blind people should work
> together
> > > ...  These are nice words, but unrealistic. 
> In
> > > your country, is there only one political
> party? 
> > Why
> > > doesn't everybody just work together, after all,
> don't
> > they
> > > want the same thing.
> > > 
> > > It is only natural that people will disagree,
> think
> > things
> > > should be done in different ways, want different
> > people to
> > > be in charge etc.
> > > 
> > > Dave
> > > 
> > > At 04:37 PM 8/3/2010, you wrote:
> > > > Hello Jan,
> > > > I do believe in the basic philosophy of the
> NFB
> > of
> > > braille education, independence, the right of
> blind
> > > individuals to teach other blind people and
> defeating
> > the
> > > false immage and attitudes that sighted society
> holds
> > > towards blindness. However, my main issue with
> NFB has
> > been
> > > that it sometimes goes to far. For example, I
> have yet
> > to
> > > understand why NFB is so opposed to legislation
> which
> > would
> > > make US currency excessable to the blind.
> Managing
> > one's
> > > finances is a fundamental right of all Americans
> and
> > even
> > > though technology does exist which can read
> papper
> > currency
> > > and one can should find their method of managing
> > their
> > > money, a blind are forced to depend on the
> honesty of
> > > sighted individuals to know how much money they
> have
> > and
> > > this itself goes against the NFB philosophy  of
> > > independence. Also I do have some disagreement
> with
> > NFB
> > > philosophy of total independence. I am a farely
> > independ
> > > person but I think that at times it is ok to ask
> for
> > help.
> > > As a student
> > > >  at the Arkansas School for the Blind I
> was
> > > thought by my hoste mother who was blind and by
> my
> > teachers
> > > that it is ok to ask for help and as a adult I
> have
> > found
> > > this to be so true. I consider myself to be a
> > independent
> > > and confident blind adult but I still ask for
> help
> > when I
> > > need to. Another good point you bring up is NFB
> does
> > not
> > > seem to work with other disability organizations.
> Last
> > week
> > > when attending the National Council on
> Disability
> > Summit I
> > > was surprised not to see any officials  from NFB
> or
> > > ACB. This is not to say they were not there.
> There
> > were alot
> > > of people who I did not meet. So someone from the
> NFB
> > and
> > > ACB may have been there and I just did not know
> about
> > it.
> > > However, I think both NFB and ACB should strive
> to
> > work with
> > > any or all blindness related or disability
> > organization.
> > > Blind people can only be put on back burner if we
> let
> > > ourselves do so and blind community is a large
> enough
> > > community within the disability community that if
> we
> > unify
> > > >  and assert ourselves we can be the most
> > powerful
> > > disabled comunity. This brings me to another
> point! I
> > think
> > > the infighting between the NFB and ACB is really
> > silly! Both
> > > organizations have alot of value to contribute
> for the
> > blind
> > > community and frankly it seems to me that the
> > differences
> > > between is not that much! It seems to me that
> there is
> > more
> > > difference within the membership of each
> organization
> > then
> > > there is between the organizations. Another
> words
> > members of
> > > NFB and ACB have differences with each other more
> then
> > NFB
> > > and ACB have with each other.Some have compared
> us to
> > > Democrats and Republicans, fair  comparison but
> the
> > > blind community is to small and our challenges
> to
> > great for
> > > us to be Democrats and Republicans. As you know
> by now
> > I am
> > > a person with strong oppinions and not afraid to
> > share
> > > them  regardless of who I piss off or anger. lol
> I
> > > may  never be  invited to another NFB
> convention!
> > > lol
> > > > To answer your question about blindness
> > organizations
> > > in other countries, on MIUSA's webcite there is a
> link
> > which
> > > list all the disability organizations around the
> > world. You
> > > can select which country or disability or both
> you
> > wish to
> > > view and a list should appear.
> > > 
> > >                
> > >         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
> > > Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920
> > > 
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
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> > molpbhatia%40yahoo.com
> > > 
> > 
> > 
> >       
> > 
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> > idoc%40austin.rr.com
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> 
>       
> 
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