[blindlaw] Pimp My Cane

[Ross Doerr]

Hey, before they cut off this thred of postings, where do I get one of those 
gold-plated canes again?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Danielsen" <cdanielsen8 at aol.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 6:43 PM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Pimp My Cane


> Hi Mark,
>
> With due respect, I think you are misunderstanding the NFB's philosophy 
> and
> some of our positions. The NFB didn't oppose audible signals, or the 
> lawsuit
> seeking identifiable money, because we don't believe that blind people 
> need
> accommodations. What we believe is that blind people ought to have the 
> tools
> and receive the accommodations that are necessary, not just every
> conceivable accommodation. Now, you may well disagree with us on what
> accommodations are necessary, and that is all well and good. Even our own
> members don't always agree on everything, but we take a vote on the issues
> we disagree on and once a position has been voted on we stick with it 
> until
> there is a vote to change it.  The white cane is a tool that many blind
> people have found useful, primarily because it helps us get around. A 
> guide
> dog is useful to other blind people for the same reason. In the NFB we
> generally believe that a blind person should be able to have access to 
> these
> tools and make choices about the ones they will use. Symbolically, the 
> white
> cane is important because it means we believe it is respectable to be 
> blind,
> but that's not the only or even the primary reason to carry one. If one 
> has
> some vision, a white cane may be useful and will certainly avoid
> misunderstandings arising from not being able to see very well. That said,
> of course being identified as blind has its down sides. A lot of us have
> decided that the benefits of carrying a cane outweigh those down sides.
>
> In a speech on the nature of independence, our long-time president Kenneth
> Jernigan pointed out that the white cane and Braille are simply tools that
> can make a person independent and that many blind people find useful. But 
> he
> warned us against defining whether a person was independent based on 
> whether
> or not they chose to use any given tool. Sometimes all of us forget this
> warning, but I still think it is generally what we believe. We do push for
> things like Braille literacy and cane training because those who are blind
> or have low vision should know what all of their options are. It's fine to
> make a choice, but we believe it should be an informed choice, and not one
> that is merely made because one doesn't want to seem blind because of
> society's attitude about blindness. Beyond that, the choice is up to the
> individual blind person.
>
> Chris
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Mark BurningHawk
> Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 5:51 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Pimp My Cane
>
> I'm following this thread, and I know a large percentage of the folks here
> are NFB members; I personally a not, nor any organization, for that 
> matter.
> I find a bit of hypocrisy in this discussion:  First the NFB rails against
> things like audible cross walk signals and so on, claiming that the blind
> don't need them, that it's not what the blind "want," whatever.  Same with
> identifiable currency.  Now, however, I hear a bunch of the same people
> saying, in effect, "I want to carry a symbol of blindness! I want to
> proclaim my blindness to everyone so that they can alter their behaviors
> appropriately in recognition of the fact that I'm blind!"  I should think
> the true spirit of the NFB might be to use a black cane and give no
> indication whatsoever of blindness, except on a purely voluntary basis.  I
> just don't understand this.
>
> Mark BurningHawk
> Skype and Twitter:  BurningHawk1969
> Home:  Http://MarkBurningHawk.net/
> Namaste!
>
>
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