[Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

Thu Apr 28 20:03:55 UTC 2011

Hi, Dianne and all.

I totally agree! You just said what I thought in the first place.  
So, you kind of stole my thunder, LOL.  That's okay! I think that 
kids, especially younger ones, who don't know a lot about blind 
people are really trying to learn about us, and they just say 
what they think, not knowing the truth about blindness.  I think 
a lot of the things we perceive as rude are said with a general 
educational purpose for the sighted person, but just sounds rude 
to us.  Now, don't get me wrong, Dianne.  That kid who was 
throwing rocksChris Nusbaum

"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Graves, Diane" <dgraves at icrc.IN.gov
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:13:32 -0400
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

Hi Humberto,

Well, I have had many similar experiences.  When I was a child I 
was attending a picnic with my family one day in a park and 
several kids began throwing rocks at me until my father 
intervened.  I recall an incident where another boy who attended 
our church asked my sister, "how can your sister be so smart, and 
she is blind?" I think this was definitely an inherited 
perception, something he had heard his parents say.  I remember 
when I was in high school, a friend of mine was walking down the 
street in her neighborhood, and some kids put some logs in her 
way, presumably either hoping to entertain themselves by her 
fall, or wanting to see whether she would maneuver around the 
logs.  Her mom saw what the kids had done, and neither of these 
possibilities occurred.  So, all that to say that I understand 
what you have experienced.

You certainly don't have to accept anyone else's intentional 
cruelty be they child or adult, and you aren't going to have time 
to talk with every kid you pass while walking down the street.  
But if you have a child who really wants to know, I would say you 
should seize the opportunity to teach them.  If you meet up with 
a child who says "why do you have a stick in your hand," you 
might say: "This isn't a stick, this is my white cane and, 
because I can't see, it helps me find my way." If they want to 
know how you manage other tasks, you should explain to them that, 
even though you are blind, you have other senses that work just 
as well.

In my case, since I had retinoblastoma, I usually tell the kids 
that I was very sick, and that is what caused my blindness, but I 
am not sick any more.  You can't preach to them about positive 
attitudes, you have to bring things down to their level.

Believe me, I get extremely impatient and irritated with the 
ignorance I meet with in the adult population every single day, 
and, though I am not proud to admit it, I'm not always very nice 
about it.  By the time someone reaches adulthood, I sort of 
expect them to have some common sense, and, even if they don't 
know how we accomplish everything, there are enough of us around 
that they should know that we can be productive citizens.  But 
the kids on the other hand, really don't know any better, and if 
we have the opportunity to set them straight and teach them when 
they are absorbing information like little sponges, we really 
shouldn't pass up the opportunity.  If they are seeking to 
understand, we should jump on that.

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 humberto
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 11:11 PM
To: blindTlk at nfbNet.org
Subject: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

Hi dear listers:

Some time ago, somebody in here posted a really really
interesting message with an interesting question that caused
threads that hit the list with high fever and great discussions.
Today I'm here to ask you another question and to share my
opinions.  My concerns deal with the statement written in the
subject line, blindness misperceptions coming out of children.
First of all, I have found an essay that was really interesting
that someone posted on the National Students Division (Nabs)
mailing list, that explains that adults have these outdated
negative views about blindness, and kids have better views about
it than adults, especially when they were raised or growing
around blind people.
This person explained that her nephews had a more positive
attitude around her and that they thought she was cool and could
do everything by herself.  They even think that it's not such a
big deal being blind.
In my personal experience, this is not true.  Often kids, when 
I'm
walking by, think I am weird and ask me a whole bunch of
questions that I don't know even how to respond to.  Some kids
think I can not walk, and some even say my disability (blindness)
is an illness, which makes me upset and wanting to advocate them
and their parents.  One day when I was living in California, I
went to a social gathering with my family and one of their
friends had two kids.  I was sitting down and I had my wonderful
trusty white cane folded with me at the side, and one girl asked
"Why is he carrying those four sticks, and why are there for?" Of
course she asked her mom but we quickly told her what it was and
what it was used for.  At the time I didn't know anything about
NFB philosophies and my blindness philosophy was not the one that
it is now, so my Mom had to explain everything.
But now, when I'm walking down the street or even doing something
that other people would do regularly, kids still ask me "Why the
heck you have a stick in your hand?" Some other kids will just
stare at me like non-sense and run away.  Some others will talk,
but yes according to myself, they would talk to themselves
because I don't know if they are talking to me until I tell them
"Are you talking to me?" And yet, when I was little, one day one
kid even tried to hit me with a small rock, because of no reason,
or maybe just because of a sign of disrespect toward people with
disabilities, and even more, blind people.  (or that is what I
think now.)
The problem with kids, I suppose, from my personal experiences,
is that their parents inherit those misperceptions of blindness
into them and / or the kids get them from other people, or
they've never been around blind people before or something.  I 
can
understand how they have never been around people who are blind
before, but the parents issue is what gets me straight the most.
Yet I don't even have the right time to advocate these kids in a
diplomatic way patience being one of the factors.  But the times 
I
try to educate them about my blindness and being just a regular
person, I don't know how to start engaging them, and they keep
asking dumb questions.
Any opinions on how to say to them about positive attitudes of
blindness, or how to diplomatically explain them? Have you had
any similar experiences? Any stories you want to share? Any more
concerns or issues? Any help is appreciated please.

Cheers, Humberto

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