[blindkid] Blind/Low Vision Inclusive Technology - "ExtremeMakeover: Home Edition" on Sunday, December 5

Sun Dec 5 16:57:51 UTC 2010

Funny you should say all that, Peter.  Similar thoughts crossed my 
mind.  The eternal optimist in me, however, has her fingers crossed 
for a more enlightened show.  The press release certainly seems more 
enlightened than last time.  I guess we'll see later tonight.
Carol

At 10:25 AM 12/3/2010, you wrote:
>Good morning everyone,
>
>     We've been through this before haven't we? Every time we've heard what a
>great show the Extreme Make-Over Home Edition will be whenever it features
>blind people. We watch the program only to discover that it's the same old
>junk about the blind portrayed by the media. It's junk like this that causes
>apartment managers to believe that blind tenants seeking to rent from them
>be accompanied by an apartment locator when in the view of the prospective
>blind renter such services are not needed. This happened to Mary and myself
>last spring when we toured different properties looking for a new place to
>live. The manager of one apartment complex was more interested in
>advertising the services of her co-worker whose boyfriend was an apartment
>locator than showing us what they had to offer.
>
>     It was after some persistence on our part that we finally got a tour of
>one of their units. We told the manager that we in fact used a locator
>called HP Pavilion Apartment Hunters and another service called Dell
>Apartment Finding Inc. These services are no further than our living room
>and guest bedroom and on our laps when needed. They're on call 24/7 and will
>allow you to search for apartments at any time. Hence we could look at
>rental property on our schedule not that of apartment locators of the human
>kind.
>
>     Realizing that this complex was looking straight down the barrel of a
>possible disability discrimination complaint they offered us a unit but it
>was smaller than what we needed. In the end we declined this offer but at
>least we accomplished our mission.
>
>     We now live in a 1300 SQFT townhome on San Antonio's Northeast side.
>Unlike our experience with the complex described above the management here
>were surprised that we found them online and were relieved that they
>wouldn't need to pay an apartment location fee.
>
>         I'm relaying this story as it's the kind of thing that can happen to
>blind people looking to lease or perhaps even buy a place to live. As long
>as Extreme Make-over Home Edition portrays us as helpless individuals who
>can only live independently if their home is equipped with this or that
>gadgett, or umpteen textured surfaces and the rest of it. I hope we can find
>a way to put a stop to how ABC portrays blind people on the Extreme
>Make-over Home Edition program. All the best.
>
>Peter Donahue
>
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Kim Cunningham" <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>
>To: "Blindkid" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Friday, December 03, 2010 8:14 AM
>Subject: [blindkid] Blind/Low Vision Inclusive Technology -
>"ExtremeMakeover: Home Edition" on Sunday, December 5
>
>
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>WGBH's Media Access Group Encourages Tuning into ABC'S "Extreme
>Makeover: Home Edition" on Sunday, December 5 (8-9pm, EST)
>
>The Media Access Group at WGBH encourages all those interested in inclusive
>technology for people who are blind or have low vision to tune into "Extreme
>Makeover: Home Edition" this Sunday evening, December 5.
>While we can't provide any specific information on what will be seen and
>heard (it would spoil the surprise!), the episode promises to create much
>greater awareness of the services and products now available for people who
>have limited or no sight.
>
>Here is the information the production company has released in advance about
>this episode:
>
>The "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team has selected the Anderson Family
>in Cleveland, Ohio. The family of four answered the call to action when they
>inspired the community to heighten their awareness of the obstacles facing
>the disabled in their community. Diving headlong into their work, Andre and
>Jasmine have dedicated their time to supporting and counseling the disabled
>by connecting them with resources to help them live and lead more
>independent lives. The Andersons have proven to be the definitive role
>models as they themselves lost their sight 4 years ago.
>
>Empowered by their own obstacles, Andre and Jasmine have never let anything
>slow them down. Together they have teamed to complete grad school, run a
>center for people with disabilities, created a support group, and all while
>balancing life at home with their 2 boys (one of whom is hearing impaired).
>Despite having lost their sight after their sons, Jasison and Jahzion were
>born, Andre and Jasmine have rallied back and have embraced their reality.
>While they continue to empower their community, the family has hit a rough
>patch. Their home is falling apart around them and it has become complicated
>and hazardous for them to live in especially in the face of how their needs
>continue to grow.
>
>On September 29th the Andersons will have some changes in sight when Ty
>Pennington, designers Michael Maloney, Tracy Huston, and Xzibit deliver a
>"Smart House" in just 7 days. Local builders Marous Brothers Construction
>and community volunteers will rebuild the structure and give them the key to
>live above and beyond their wildest dreams. The Andersons will vacation in
>Crested Butte, Colorado.
>
>About "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
>The Emmy-award winning reality program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,"
>now in its 8th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol
>Holding. It's executive-produced Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David
>Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from
>8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.
>
>About the Media Access Group at WGBH
>The Media Access Group at WGBH, which includes a Services division and a
>research and development division--the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National
>Center for Accessible Media--has pioneered and delivered captioned and
>described media for nearly four decades to people in their homes,
>classrooms, at work and in the community. And the Media Access Group
>continues to develop new solutions to access challenges as technology, and
>the way we all consume media, evolve. Members of the group's collective
>staff represent the leading experts in their fields and their success is
>exemplified by a history of accomplishments and continuous growth, the
>integration of innovative products and services into society at large, and
>the enthusiastic support of the audiences served, including 36 million
>people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision. More
>information about the Media Access Group at WGBH can be found at:
>http://access.wgbh.org.
>
>Contact:
>Mary Watkins
>mary_watkins at wgbh.org
>617 300-3700
>
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Carol Castellano
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.nopbc.org  