[Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the Dark"
Steve P. Deeley
stevep.deeley at insightbb.com
Fri Mar 12 01:40:46 UTC 2010
You know what--banter helps understand each others views and opinions.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the Dark"
> Now, now. Let's not start a banter, guys, please?
>
> ~Jewel
>
> On 3/11/10, Ray Foret jr <rforetjr at comcast.net> wrote:
>> Oh yeah, and what will you say when you can't get anybody to hire you?
>> Answer me that.
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!
>>
>> E-Mail:
>> rforetjr at comcast dot net
>>
>> On Mar 11, 2010, at 4:26 PM, Steve P. Deeley wrote:
>>
>>> You are right, however, I have more important things to worry about.
>>> Steve
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Foret jr" <rforetjr at comcast.net>
>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:44 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>> Dark"
>>>
>>>
>>>> ANd why not? It's the truth. What we say is the truth whether anybody
>>>> likes it or not. We're not some boring bunch of people who are all the
>>>> same in every way. Sometimes, I think our so-called society is trying
>>>> to
>>>> make us all in to a bunch of homogenized bunch of people who are all
>>>> the
>>>> same with no difference between any of us; just in case any differences
>>>> might be offensive to somebody. Well, that's just too bad because
>>>> that's
>>>> not the way God made us.
>>>>
>>>> Anyhow, I should have the article here shortly.
>>>>
>>>> When I do, I'll put it up here.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!
>>>>
>>>> E-Mail:
>>>> rforetjr at comcast dot net
>>>>
>>>> On Mar 11, 2010, at 2:20 PM, Steve P. Deeley wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I believe the writer of that letter sounds very angry. That, also,
>>>>> turns sighted individuals off. Let's not go down the race road for
>>>>> our
>>>>> examples.
>>>>> Steve
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary Wunder"
>>>>> <gwunder at earthlink.net>
>>>>> To: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>; "Blind Talk Mailing
>>>>> List"
>>>>> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 1:57 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>>>> Dark"
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> You should be able to get it mailed to your e-mail address on file by
>>>>>> pressing pound 9.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Gary
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marion Gwizdala"
>>>>>> <blind411 at verizon.net>
>>>>>> To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>; "NAGDU List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:54 AM
>>>>>> Subject: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>>>>> Dark"
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Dear All,
>>>>>>> I tried to get a copy of the original article about which I wrote
>>>>>>> this
>>>>>>> letter to the editor; however, it was not available without paying a
>>>>>>> fee.
>>>>>>> The article can be accessed by going to NFB-Newsline and selecting
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> St.Petersburg Times Metro section. If anyone can get access to this
>>>>>>> article, please send it to the list. Pasted below is my letter to
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> editor.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Fraternally yours,
>>>>>>> Marion Gwizdala
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> March 11, 2010
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am writing to comment on the article "Awareness Was the
>>>>>>> Main
>>>>>>> Course" by Laura Reiley that appeared in the March 10 Metro section
>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> St. Petersburg times. As a blind person, I often meet people who are
>>>>>>> amazed by the fact that I can perform even the simplest of tasks.
>>>>>>> Generally this attitude is based on their own experience attempting
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> perform the same task without eyesight and failing at it miserably.
>>>>>>> It
>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>> for this reason that most blind people are opposed to using the type
>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>> simulation exercises featured in this article. Blindfolding a
>>>>>>> sighted
>>>>>>> person and asking them to perform even a simple task does not, as
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> article purports, give a person any awareness of what the life of a
>>>>>>> blind
>>>>>>> person is like. In fact, such exercises only serve to reinforce the
>>>>>>> misconceptions and promulgate the myths about blindness that create
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> social, legal, and economic barriers that prevent us from achieving
>>>>>>> true
>>>>>>> equality with our sighted peers. Those of us who are blind have
>>>>>>> developed
>>>>>>> an array of non-visual techniques to perform activities of daily
>>>>>>> living,
>>>>>>> such as eating, just as effectively as sighted people do using
>>>>>>> eyesight.
>>>>>>> Blindfolding a sighted person and asking them to perform a task is
>>>>>>> like
>>>>>>> putting someone in the cockpit of a jetliner and telling them to
>>>>>>> fly!
>>>>>>> Lacking the proper skills, the results of both would be disastrous!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The real problem of blindness is not the lack of eyesight;
>>>>>>> rather it is the manner in which we are treated as the result of the
>>>>>>> misconceptions people have about blindness. If one really wants to
>>>>>>> find
>>>>>>> out what life is like for a blind person, there is no need to don a
>>>>>>> blindfold! All one needs to do is carry a white cane, the
>>>>>>> international
>>>>>>> symbol of blindness, and go about their everyday life. Then they
>>>>>>> would
>>>>>>> feel the crushing insults of public misperception that blind
>>>>>>> people,
>>>>>>> except for those few who are believed to be amazing and
>>>>>>> extraordinary,
>>>>>>> are
>>>>>>> innately ignorant and helpless. They would experience the waitress
>>>>>>> who
>>>>>>> asks a five year old what the blind adult wants to drink. They would
>>>>>>> encounter the librarian who admonishes them for going out alone,
>>>>>>> thus
>>>>>>> exposing them to the hazards of opening a door. They would be
>>>>>>> confronted
>>>>>>> by the Employer who inquires about who will bring them to work. They
>>>>>>> would
>>>>>>> learn that even well educated doctors are so ignorant as to ask them
>>>>>>> who
>>>>>>> bathes them! Though you might want to minimize these incidents away,
>>>>>>> they
>>>>>>> are examples of the type of ignorance I - and other blind people -
>>>>>>> encounter on a regular, almost daily, basis!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am not asserting that eyesight is not beneficial nor that
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> work of the Foundation Fighting Blindness is not valuable. What
>>>>>>> concerns
>>>>>>> me is that organizations that assert they want to "serve the blind"
>>>>>>> do
>>>>>>> us
>>>>>>> such a disservice by reinforcing the public misconceptions and fears
>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>> create the problems we face. I am all for raising money to cure
>>>>>>> retinal
>>>>>>> degenerative diseases, especially since the condition that has
>>>>>>> caused
>>>>>>> my
>>>>>>> blindness, that of my 14-year-old nephew , and several other members
>>>>>>> of my
>>>>>>> family is retinitis Pigmentosa. I am, however, opposed to creating
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> type of fear and pity that results from blindfolding people for the
>>>>>>> purpose of raising money! Such a practice is as offensive to me as a
>>>>>>> black-faced minstrel would be to an African American! These
>>>>>>> misconceptions
>>>>>>> are the reason fewer than 10% of blind children are learning to read
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> write Braille, producing functionally illiterate blind adults. These
>>>>>>> fears
>>>>>>> and misconceptions are the reason that the unemployment rate among
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> blind is more than 70%!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The veracity of my concerns are supported by the numerous
>>>>>>> inaccurate statements made by the author who has bought into the
>>>>>>> false
>>>>>>> perceptions of the blind. Does she really believe that "other senses
>>>>>>> are
>>>>>>> heightened" by taking away one's sight or "; texture became
>>>>>>> paramount"
>>>>>>> as
>>>>>>> the result of simulated blindness? Does she really believe that
>>>>>>> blindfolding participants "gave all assembled a greater window into
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> world of the sightless"? Does she really believe that blind people
>>>>>>> go
>>>>>>> through life "bumbling" their ways around or did she just
>>>>>>> irresponsibly
>>>>>>> promulgate the pitiful stereotype in an effort to sell your
>>>>>>> newspapers
>>>>>>> like the Foundation Fighting Blindness did to sell themselves and
>>>>>>> selfishly generate revenue with no concern about the social
>>>>>>> consequences
>>>>>>> of their actions?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The belief that blind people are endowed with heightened
>>>>>>> senses
>>>>>>> and special powers is a myth. Blind people simply learn to use their
>>>>>>> other
>>>>>>> senses and alternative techniques to perform the tasks sighted
>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>> do
>>>>>>> with eyesight. Like any skill, these techniques are generally not
>>>>>>> acquired
>>>>>>> in a half-hour nor mysteriously and supernaturally endowed. However,
>>>>>>> these
>>>>>>> skills enable blind people to function independently, efficiently,
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> effectively. In fact, the average blind person can perform the same
>>>>>>> tasks
>>>>>>> as their sighted peers as well, if not better, by employing these
>>>>>>> alternative techniques. Our blindness is not the problem. The real
>>>>>>> problem
>>>>>>> of blindness is the misunderstanding and lack of information that
>>>>>>> exists.
>>>>>>> If a blind person is given proper training and opportunity,
>>>>>>> blindness
>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>> only a physical nuisance.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In the future, when your paper is doing a story about
>>>>>>> blindness, it would be helpful to get accurate information and the
>>>>>>> perspective of a blind person who is qualified to speak to these
>>>>>>> issues by
>>>>>>> being chosen by the blind to speak on their behalf. The National
>>>>>>> Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest organization of
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> blind in the United States. We are not an organization that speaks
>>>>>>> on
>>>>>>> behalf of the blind; we are the blind speaking for ourselves. For
>>>>>>> accurate
>>>>>>> information about blindness or the blind, please feel free to get in
>>>>>>> touch
>>>>>>> with me or visit one of our websites at
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> HTTP://WWW.NFB.ORG
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Or
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> HTTP://WWW.NFB-NAGDU.ORG
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Respectfully yours,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Marion Gwizdala, President
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> National Federation of the Blind
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 813-598-7161
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> President at NFB-NAGDU.ORG
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>>>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>> blindtlk:
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/gwunder%40earthlink.net
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>>> blindtlk:
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/stevep.deeley%40insightbb.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>>>> Version: 8.5.436 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2736 - Release Date:
>>>>> 03/11/10
>>>>> 07:33:00
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> blindtlk:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/rforetjr%40comcast.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> blindtlk:
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/stevep.deeley%40insightbb.com
>>>
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 8.5.436 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2736 - Release Date: 03/11/10
>>> 07:33:00
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> blindtlk:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/rforetjr%40comcast.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindtlk mailing list
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindtlk:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindtlk mailing list
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindtlk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/stevep.deeley%40insightbb.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.436 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2736 - Release Date: 03/11/10
07:33:00
More information about the BlindTlk
mailing list