[Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the Dark"
Steve P. Deeley
stevep.deeley at insightbb.com
Sun Mar 14 23:04:06 UTC 2010
Marion, I appreciate your point of view.
Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 1:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the Dark"
> Steve,
> Though I appreciate your feelings on this matter, the problem is not
> the
> anger; ratehr, it is how the anger is expressed. Anger is a human emotion
> and it is certainly alright to express one's anger, provided it is done in
> an assertive, rather than agressive manner. I believe most of the anger
> that
> has been expressed over this article is justified and appropriate. After
> all, they are talking about us here!
>
> fraternally yours,
> Marion
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve P. Deeley" <stevep.deeley at insightbb.com>
> To: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>; "Blind Talk Mailing List"
> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 12:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
> Dark"
>
>
>> Thank you Gary. I just don't understand the anger. I've have to work
>> around angry people and it is no picnic.
>>
>> Steve
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 9:45 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>> Dark"
>>
>>
>>> It may be that Steve shares the concern but his first priority is
>>> figuring
>>> out how to make it today and tomorrow. Having a job for 30 years and
>>> family
>>> obligations which tend to match or exceed income can make that the
>>> priority.
>>> We don't really know how he feels - only that this particular article
>>> doesn't bother him as much as other things.
>>>
>>> Warmly,
>>>
>>> Gary
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Graves, Diane" <dgraves at icrc.IN.gov>
>>> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 7:22 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>> Dark"
>>>
>>>
>>>> Exactly, and one of the barriers to a blind person's employment and the
>>>> ability to support his/her family is the attitude and expectations of
>>>> the
>>>> public
>>>>
>>>> I mean no disrespect at all, so please don't take this as bashing, but
>>>> I
>>>> am simply stumped here. If you truly don't care about these kinds of
>>>> issues and changing the way the public perceives the blind and so
>>>> forth,
>>>> then why are you a member of this organization. As you put it, don't
>>>> you
>>>> have "more important things to worry about?"
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>
>>>> Confidentiality Notice: This E-mail transmission may contain
>>>> confidential
>>>> and/or legally privileged information intended only for the individual
>>>> or
>>>> entity(ies)
>>>> named in the E-mail address. If you are not the intended recipient, be
>>>> advised that any unauthorized disclosure, copying, distribution, or
>>>> acting
>>>> in reliance
>>>> upon the contents of this E-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have
>>>> received this E-mail transmission in error, please reply to sender to
>>>> arrange for the return and proper delivery of the transmission.
>>>> Subsequently, delete the message from your system immediately.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>> On
>>>> Behalf Of Steve P. Deeley
>>>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:28 PM
>>>> To: Marion Gwizdala; Blind Talk Mailing List
>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>>> Dark"
>>>>
>>>> As I said, you need to focus your anger on more important issues.
>>>> That is just my opinion; you have the right to be angry. I choose to
>>>> worry
>>>> about employment and the issues with my family.
>>>> Steve
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
>>>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:09 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>>> Dark"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Steve,
>>>>> As the writer of this letter, I am very angry! What is the problem
>>>>> with
>>>>> expressing one's anger over such sensationalized, inaccurate reporting
>>>>> that
>>>>> promulgates the myths and misconceptions that create the sort of
>>>>> discrimination we experience? Should we, in the interest of not
>>>>> upsetting
>>>>> those who offend us, simply sit back and take it without countering
>>>>> their
>>>>> ignorance with rational expressions of dissatisfaction? Should we say
>>>>> to
>>>>> the
>>>>> public, "It's okay to treat us as second-class citizens and generate
>>>>> revenue
>>>>> by lying to the public about who we are and what we can do, cloaking
>>>>> it
>>>>> in
>>>>> the science of medicine?" Every blind person who has been treated like
>>>>> a
>>>>> child simply because they are blind should be angry! It is this sort
>>>>> of
>>>>> drivvle that has caused our blind children to not get the Braille
>>>>> instruction they need and deserve to be literate, fully functioning
>>>>> adults!
>>>>> It is this sort of mythology that has created the 70% unemployment
>>>>> rate!
>>>>>
>>>>> Marion Gwizdala
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Steve P. Deeley" <stevep.deeley at insightbb.com>
>>>>> To: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>; "Blind Talk Mailing List"
>>>>> <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 3:20 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor Concerning "Dining in the
>>>>> Dark"
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>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
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>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>> blindtlk:
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>> 03/11/10
>>>>>> 07:33:00
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>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
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>>>
>>>
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>
>
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