[Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

Kelby Carlson kelbycarlson at usfamily.net
Sat Apr 30 16:59:17 UTC 2011 

sorry if this reply comes a bit late, Chris.  I had a similar 
experience at a camp in Baltimore, Md, but I was more around your 
age at the time.  I had O and M training, but I usually used 
sighted guides in unfamiliar places.  This time I was expected to 
maneuver through an airport with no sighted guide--I did it, but 
it was kind of scary at the time.  At the same time, though, 
getting to do things like grill and have a fire and do scientific 
projects at that young age independently was rewarding.  It's 
harder to do some of those things now, simply because I don't 
have the practice and/or adaptations.  I think it will get easier 
once I'm out on my own and not relying on my parents as much.  
(The same is true, I think, of most teenagers my age whether 
blind or sighted.)

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
>To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Sat, 30 Apr 2011 11:05:13 -0500 (CDT)
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

>Thank you, Gloria! I totally agree! I went to a camp at Blind
>Industries and Services of Maryland when I was 6 at this big, old
>building in Frederick with a bunch of steps going every which
>way.  Without  any orientation or any O and M teaching whatsoever
>in that building, they expected a bunch of six and seven-year-old
>kids to find their way everywhere totally independently, without
>* anybody * there, blind or sighted.  I remember the first day we
>got there, the councelors were almost shooing the parents away,
>saying "They (the kids) can carry their suitcases up those steps
>by themselves!" Oh, not to mention those bags weighed more than
>me at the time! Also, we had a campfire there one day where the
>children's librarian at the Maryland LBPH came to do
>storytellers, and she happened to be a family friend of ours.
>The camp director dropped me off in the middle of the building
>and told me to find my way outside and meet the rest of the camp
>at the campfire.  Fortunately, the librarian finally came in
>looking for me and helped me find my way out there when I was
>really late.  As you can imagine, I never went back to that camp
>again.  Have any of you had this experience?

>Chris Nusbaum

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

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Gloria Whipple" <ladygloria at webband.com
>To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:34:12 -0700
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

>That reminds me of my childhood.  My baby brother stuck up for me
>also.

>Another thing that bothered me was when my parents went out, my
>younger
>brothers had to baby set me and my twin brother.  I hated it and
>couldn't
>wait until I went back to the state school for the blind.

>My mother expected me to do everything for myself, but how do you
>do that
>when you weren't taught.  I learned though.  I just decided to
>try different
>things on my own and I think I did surprise her years later.  I
>wanted to
>show her that being blind didn't stop me when I made my mind up
>to it.


>Gloria Whipple
>Corresponding Secretary
>Inland Empire chapter
>nfb of WA

>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of nikki Wunderlich
>Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 06:43
>To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

>I can totally relate to that story, because my younger sister
>does the same
>thing, she's also sighted.  She had to stand up for me in
>preschool, and ever
>since she's tried to act like the older sibling.

>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Sherri
>Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 11:43 PM
>To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids

>This is a very personal story that happened to me.  It still
>emotionally
>bothers me.  I have a sister about 17 months younger than me who
>is sighted.
>Up until ai was about 5 years old, we were pretty much equals,
>playing
>together and she didn't seem to see me as different.  We moved to
>a new house

>and went down the street to a park to play.  I must have been
>about 6.  In
>those days, parents could let children do that sort of thing.
>anyway, some
>kids started throwing dirt at me, especially at my face.  I
>remember not
>being able to dodge the dirt and stuff they hurled.  My sister
>grabbed my
>hand and we ran home.  My mom was very upset and from then on, my
>sister felt

>she had to take care of me.  She still tries to act like the
>older sibling
>even today.  It's amazing how the actions of a few thoughtless
>children
>changed her whole attitude about me.

>Sherri



>Please check out the link below and help blind people in your
>local area
>achieve their dreams by visiting
>http://www.raceforindependence.org/goto/Sherri.Brun
>Thank you.

>Character is the side of yourself you choose to show the world.
>Integrity is

>what you do, what you say and how you act when you think no one
>is paying
>attention.
>Sherri Brun
>flmom2006 at gmail.com

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "nikki Wunderlich" <nikki0222 at gmail.com
>To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 10:20 AM
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Blindness Misperceptions from kids


> Hello,

> My name is Nikki and I encounteredsome of the same stuff you're
>talking
> about, so when I was younger, I used to do blindness
>presentations at the
> public school that I used to attend.  And even as an adult I've
>done one or
> two blindness presentations to help kids learn about blindness
>and some of
> the different things we use in our daily life such as the white
>cane,
> computers with speech software, electronic note takers such as
>the Braille
> lite, ect.  Then after I do my presentation I let them ask
>questions, and I
> answer them to the best of my ability.  When I am in public and
>some one
> asks
> me about my cane, I simply tell them that my eyes do not work as
>well as
> theirs, and that my cane helps me see.  I hope this helps you
>out.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of humberto
> Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 10:11 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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