[Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the Dark"
Ray Foret jr
rforetjr at comcast.net
Fri Mar 12 02:04:11 UTC 2010
Well, mere banter is not an issue. It's when it gets personal there's a problem.
Sincerely,
The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!
E-Mail:
rforetjr at comcast dot net
On Mar 11, 2010, at 7:49 PM, Jewel S. wrote:
> As long as it stays civil, yes?
> ~Jewel
>
> On 3/11/10, Steve P. Deeley <stevep.deeley at insightbb.com> wrote:
>> 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
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>> 07:33:00
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> Version: 8.5.436 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2736 - Release Date: 03/11/10
>> 07:33:00
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>>
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>
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