[Blindtlk] Grilling question

Thu Aug 26 13:39:16 UTC 2010

Oh, Mary I am with you. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I grown up in the NFB. I didn't really understand the NFB philosophy and all that it stood for until I was in my mid thirties.  

Oh, I had heard of the organization, but I never knew how powerful it was or how significantly it could change lives.

We are glad you found the list too. You are a part of our family.

Diane Graves
Civil Rights Specialist
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
317-232-2647

"It is service that measures success."
George Washington Carver

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-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mari Hunziker
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 10:10 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Grilling question

Thank you Mike, I appreciate your take on things. It is so true and funny.
If my husband were in my situation, would he know what to do? Know who to
call? I don't imagine so. It is interesting to ponder how each of us is
given a certain amount of gifts and talents (blindness or whatever it may
be) It is up to us how we utilize them. Thank you for the sudden
realization. I LOVE THIS LIST. I WISH I WOULD HAVE DISCOVERED IT MUCH SOONER
IN MY LIFE! Thank you all. Mari Hunziker

On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 5:53 PM, Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com> wrote:

> Mari:
>
> I wholeheartedly agree with Gary's ruminations and advice below. He has
> written so well that I suspect that anything I'll say will be either
> superfluous or overkill. Nevertheless, i have a few observations and,
> perhaps, a slightly different take on the situation.
>
> You ask how we have gotten over the roller-coaster of feelings you're
> currently experiencing respecting your blindness. The short answer is that
> not all of us have and even for those of us who largely have gotten off the
> ride, there are days when most of us would rather not be burdened with some
> of the nuisances of blindness, if only because most of the world is sighted.
> It's an interesting speculation as to whether if most of the world were
> blind, would the sighted feel occasionally frustrated. (H.G. Wells, anyone?)
> The experiences of sighted people at NFB conventions might be of interest
> but even this doesn't answer the question which, in truth, can never be
> answered and therefore provides fodder for the #ingalt_history_what-if
> Usenet newsgroup. (grin)
>
> I certainly do not minimize the difficulties blindness occasionally
> entails. But the secret to getting beyond the preoccupation with the
> problems of blindness is to come to the realization that blindness is not
> the only characteristic of people that can engender difficulties. That's
> where NFB philosophy is unique: we assert that blindness is like any other
> trait of humanity. Like anything else, it's a burden sometimes and, if not a
> blessing, at least neutral at other times. It's easier to talk about this
> than to actually wrap one's mind around the concept, especially when one
> experiences problems in a given situation as you are experiencing re
> transportation. It may help to realize that anyone without a car might have
> the same problem in your area, be such person blind or not. The fallacy many
> of us blind persons fall into is the assumption that were we sighted, we'd
> all be driving.
>
> The person who said that blind people on their own may be more limited than
> are the sighted in choosing where to live is also right, at least if one
> assumes that all sighted persons necessarily drive (which ainT necessarily
> so). There's no question that a blind person often must be a bit creative
> and may have to do things in a different way from the sighted. But this
> isn't necessarily all bad. But that's hard to grasp in your situation, I am
> sure.
>
> The best medicine I can think of for the ups and downs is to realize that
> it's not the blindness per se that's the problem but rather circumstances
> surrounding it and that these may be gotten around with a bit of
> imagination.
>
> You might want to look up Dof. Ternigan's speeen: "The Nature of
> Independence" on the NFB website.
>
> Now I'll get off my soapbox before I suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.
>
> Best of luck.
>
> Mike Freeman
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 5:44:39
> Subject: Re: [Bltlk] Grilling question
>
> >
> >
> > Hi Mari. I think the way most of us get over the ups and downs is by
> living
> > with them so long that they go away, or mostly so. I think there are
> times
> > when everyone of us goes through a day when we say "man, I wish the
> > transportation system were better for blind people. What a bummer it is
> not
> > to be able to drive my own car!" For many of us, however, we've simply
> > learned to plan, to work out arrangements where we pay people to do
> things
> > we can't do or trade them volunteer activities so that what we need gets
> > done. It isn't always easy, and it certainly isn't intuitive. It is
> > something one has to learn, and sometimes it means that we who are blind
> or
> > less spontaneous about things we do. If, for example, you are going to
> use
> > the pear transit system. You won't decide today at two o'clock that you
> are
> > going to the mall and be there by 3:30. You will decide today that you
> would
> > like to go to the mall, and you will go there sometime tomorrow. If you
> get
> > a stack of mail and don't happen to have technology that will let you
> easily
> > read it, you put it in a mail basket and you wait for your weekly visit
> from
> > someone who can sort through it and help you make appropriate responses.
> > These things won't seem normal at first, but they will over time, and
> they
> > are techniques which have been shown to work.
> >
> > If you can arrange it, I think going to an NFB center is a splendid idea.
> > You will learn many techniques, but more importantly you will learn a
> > different way to think about being blind. I think it is a stretch to say
> > that I think of blindness as a blessing, but it is no exaggeration to
> look
> > at my life and admit that though blindness has cost me some
> opportunities,
> > it has also given me some. It has limited some of my decisions and has
> made
> > others possible. I don't know if I would have gone to college were it not
> > for the vocational rehabilitation program that offered to pay every red
> cent
> > that it took to get me through school. I doubt that I would have the
> current
> > job I have, or probably even the jobs before it. Most likely I would have
> > followed in the footsteps of my father who ran a successful excavating
> and
> > construction business, and who knows where I would be now. I might be
> > substantially better off based on thirty-five years of building a quality
> > business, or I might be suffering through the significant recession which
> > now finds many people in the construction industry out of work and
> fighting
> > to keep their own homes.
> >
> > I think the key to being happy is captured, at least to some degree, in
> the
> > words of the serenity prayer, and then having the humility to be thankful
> > for what one has. Maybe if I could write all of the specifications God
> used
> > before placing me on the earth, I'd have designed a human being with the
> > brains of Bill Gates, the looks of Brad Pitt, and the sincerity of Jimmy
> > Stewart. As it is, God did the designing, so I'll just do my best to be
> Gary
> > Wunder.
> >
> > It is very nice to meet you, Mari, and you'll make it through this
> > transition just fine. You have brains and a good heart. Those two assets
> are
> > golden.
> >
> > Gary
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
> > Behalf Of Mari Hunziker
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 6:13 PM
> > To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: [Bltlk] Grilling question
> >
> > Thank you so much for sharing that Mike. I would love to learn more about
> > the NFB centers. I am now needing more assistance in finding creative
> ways
> > of finding transportation for my son to get to and from school each day.
> Not
> > being able to drive or to do other things is a constant struggle. I wish
> > there was someway to get over the emotional roller coaster I ride every
> day.
> > Some days thinking its a blessing to be blind and other days it is a
> curse.
> > How have you all gotten over this?
> > Thanks,
> > Mari Hunziker
> >
> > On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 4:35 PM, Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com> wrote:
> >
> > > As a matter of fact, one of the things done at our NFB centers is to
> > > do some grilling and other chores that involve working with fire
> > > precisely to get people over their fear of being burned. It's not
> > > thatanyone wishes to be burned but (a) blindness doesn't increase
> > > one's risks assuming one is careful and (b) we want to turn that fear
> > > into what might be termed healthy respect for fire which still allows
> > > one to work with it. At the end of the day, it becomes another lesson
> > > that blindness need not prevent us from leading normal lives.
> > >
> > > Mike
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
> > > To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:22 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [Bltlk] Grilling question
> > >
> > >
> > >  A totally blind person can grill or smoke.  i have a gas grill, and a
> > >ar large off-set smoker and use them regularly.  I have also grilled
> > >ar with charcoal -- although the gas grill is easier.
> > >ar
> > >ar There are lots of techniques to do stuff.  One good source is our
> > >ar blind cooks list
> > >ar
> > >ar http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-cooks_nfbnet.org
> > >ar
> > >ar Dave
> > >ar
> > >ar p.s.  You mentioned a "fear of getting burned."  Just like with an
> > >ar oven, a pot of boiling water, a gas stove etc., you can get burned if
> > >ar you don't do stuff carefully and correctly, but like with the other
> > >ar things there are ways.
> > >ar
> > >ar
> > >ar At 08:42 AM 8/24/2010, you wrote:
> > >ar
> > >>> Was anyone of you grillers afraid of the fire and the potential for
> > >>> getting burned. That is what keeps me from doing it. We have a
> > >>> charcoal grill/smoker. My brother, father and husband have mastered
> > >>> the great taste of grilled food. I have always thought that I could
> > >>> not grill or do things of that nature because I am blind(visually
> > >>> impaired). I now think it might just be a fear of getting burned. I
> > >>> do cook fairly well in doors, I never thought about trying it
> > >>> outdoors. The next time we grill out. I will have to pay more
> > >>> attention on how it is done so that I may someday try it. Who knows,
> > >>> I may like doing it.
> > >>>
> > >ar
> > >ar                        David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com Follow me
> on
> > >ar Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920
> > >ar
> > >ar
> > >ar _______________________________________________
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> > >ar bltlk:
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> > >ar
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> > >ar ix.com
> > >ar
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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