[Blindtlk] assumtions at the workplace

[Sarah Baughn]

Bob, I went to bingo last Saturday, and as I was sitting there talking to my 
boyfriend on the phone, I was approached by this lady who had talked to me a 
couple of times before, and she said to me:  "I am legally blind.  Isn't 
that the pits?".  I tried not to let my irritation show as I told her, I 
think pretty politely given my irritated state, that no, it wasn't the pits, 
it was only the pits if I made it the pits, which I choose not to, so it's 
not.  Life is what you make of it.  I told her that if she made her life as 
a legally blind person the pits, then yes, it would be the pits.  I then 
proceeded to tell her of the many things that she could do independently, 
and tried to convince her that she needed to go through training to learn to 
live as a blind person, and she needed to learnto read Braille, but, for 
whatever reason, she walked away about five minutes later, unconvinced.
Sarah
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert J Smith" <rsmith247 at csc.com>
To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 5:07 AM
Subject: [Blindtlk] assumtions at the workplace


> Speaking about assumptions made about us when we're walking -- one day I
> had two in one day.  In the morning, when i was approaching the
> badge-driven entrance gate at the plant where I work, someone asked me if
> I was looking for my dad.  I was in my early fifties at that time.  I
> calmly replied "no, I work here" as I moved the badge through the reading
> slot and the gate let me in.
>
> Then, at the tail end of the day, I was starting to go down the big main
> hallway which goes all the way across the building and then out.  I
> realized that I forgot something at my desk and abruptly turned around and
> started walking back the other way to go back to the desk.  I take quick,
> confident steps when I get to know a route.  However, someone who saw me
> do the quick turnaround said "It must be bad not knowing where you are all
> the time."  I said in an irritated, clipped voice "I forgot something at
> my desk."  I actually felt like saying "I know where the HELL!!! I am, I
> forgot something at my desk just as you could".  Getting hit with it twice
> in one day added up for me and workwise, I didn't have that great a day
> anyway.  Fortunately this doesn't happen often!
>
> Then another time a number of years ago, somebody told me on the way in
> that he couldn't imagine anything worse than being blind.  I would have
> tollerated it but the way he said it was particularly condesending so I
> said "I don't know, being parilized from the neck down ought to be pretty
> good".  He then actually replied "Well, I could still watch TV.  I gave up
> with him at that point.  I wanted to say "Oh, wow, how long would that
> have lasted for you before you started going insane with bordom -- maybe
> two weeks?"
>
> Bob Smith
>
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