[Blindtlk] Better Than Simulation!

Wed Dec 14 03:38:24 UTC 2011

Dear All,
    Here is something I proposed to a college class when they discussed with 
me their proposal to blindfold people to show them what it is like to be 
blind. First of all, I told them, living as a blind person entails a set of 
skills that are not learned in a short training session. Blindfolding 
someone and asking them to perform a task is like putting someone in the 
cockpit of a 747 and telling them to fly. The results will be just as 
tragic!
    If you really want to give someone a glimpse into the world of the 
blind, there is no need for them to don a blindfold. Simply give them a 
white cane and ask them to go about their business. Then they will find out 
what it is like to be blind. They will have people treat them like they are 
children, look upon them with pity, and wonder at their ability to do the 
simplest of tasks. The NFB statement of philosophy says it very clearly: The 
real problem of blindness is not the lack of eyesight, but the 
misunderstanding and lack of information that exists. The barriers we face 
as blind people are not physical; they are attitudinal. Dining in the Dark 
only reinforces the negative attitudes.

Fraternally yours,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Wunder" <GWunder at earthlink.net>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 7:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] the handling of Dining in the Dark events 
re:[blindtlk]fw: MIRA Foundation


> Hello my friend.  Since I see you have already gotten a number of comments
> to your post, let me keep mine short.
>
> In the 1960s and 1970s when people in wheelchairs began to demand real
> access from society, they found it quite effective to put people in
> wheelchairs and show them how they couldn't cross streets, couldn't reach
> doorknobs, had no access to buildings with stairs, and the list goes on.
> The message the folks in wheelchairs were trying to send was that if 
> society
> would only modify its environment, something easily done with elevators 
> and
> curb cuts and doorknobs placed at a reasonable level, the world for people
> in wheelchairs would be immeasurably better.  What society was to do was
> clear.  The folks doing the wheelchair user simulation were not trying to
> change the attitude society had about people in wheelchairs.  They were
> trying to suggest to society some very concrete measures it could take.
>
> If we look at dining in the dark, we are not suggesting that society 
> imposes
> a significant barrier to our eating that they could remedy if only they 
> were
> willing to spend a little money.  When we blindfold a person, we 
> immediately
> reinforce what they believe about blindness-- a world of darkness, a world
> without light, and the inability to do almost everything they consider of
> consequence--read, write, drive, cook, clean, and even eat.  If we had
> months to spend with these people, we could make the sleep shade a 
> training
> ally, and remove the mystery and the horror of the dark, but in the
> fundraiser you envision, there will only be one evening.  When the sighted
> person spills, will he intuitively understand that this is because he is
> functioning in conditions that are far different from what real blind 
> people
> experience, or will he be affirmed in his idea that to be blind 
> necessarily
> means to be klutzy and inept?
>
> I really do believe that these dining in the dark experiences would be 
> much
> more productive if, as Mike suggests, blind people cooked and served a 
> meal
> that could be fully observed, both through the eyes and the pallet, as a
> quality meal, a meal competently cooked and supervised by blind people.
>
> I often hesitate to be critical of organizations trying to raise money to
> benefit blind people, but I think we should not confuse trying to raise
> money with trying to achieve some significant level of education.  Dining 
> in
> the dark may well raise money, but I seriously doubt that it will enhance
> the way sighted people think about people who are blind.  Unfortunately,
> some of the most successful fundraising mechanisms do not have as their
> theme the rehabilitation of blind people but our total, continuing
> dependence and hence the need for ongoing financial support.
>
> Warmly,
>
> Gary
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:43 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [Blindtlk] the handling of Dining in the Dark events re:
> [blindtlk]fw: MIRA Foundation
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm just curious; why do you think Dining in the Dark fundraisers
> promote a negative attitude about blindness?  I only ask because
> this is not what we in the I CAN Foundation plan to do at all
> with our Dining in the Dark; quite the opposite.  We want to
> provide an education about blindness and a glimpse into our world
> for the sighted participants, and one that focuses on a positive
> attitude about blindness.  We understand that for many of the
> sighted participants, it will be their first time doing any task
> blindfolded, let alone eating a full meal in the dark.
> Therefore, it is only natural that they'll have some problems
> initially and will probably think, "How in the world does a blind
> person do this? I can't imagine how hard it would be for them."
> The truth, however, is that eating (or performing any routine
> task for that matter) is not easier or harder for a blind person
> than it is for a sighted person, but rather it is just like
> anything else; it's hard the first time someone tries it.  To get
> this message across to our participants, we are planning to do
> two things, which are (1) to have conpetent, confident and
> successful blind mentors from our area at each table, to answer
> any questions the participants may have, and to give them tips
> (although we will leave it mostly up to the sighted person, as we
> want to do a blindness-simulation,) and (2) to have a sort of
> de-brief at the end of dinner (probably during dessert,) which
> will be lead by our blind mentors.  We will talk in this de-brief
> about the participants' experiences, and what they learned about
> blindness from this experience.  We will also field any questions
> they may have about blindness.  All the while we will emphasize
> the capacity and capabilities of the blind, and that blind people
> can in fact be independent and competent members of society.
> During our past few board meetings when we have discussed
> planning for this fundraiser, I and our other blind board member
> have emphasized that we need to handle the event in such a way as
> to give the participants a positive attitude about blindness
> rather than a "this was hard for me, it must be unbearable for a
> blind person" attitude.  This positive attitude about blindness
> is what the I CAN Foundation tries to promote in all of our
> fundraisers and educational events, and this is what we're basing
> our planning and handling of our Dining in the Dark event on.  I
> think that what participants take away from events like Dining in
> the Dark depends on how the organization running the event
> handles it; participants can either come away with a positive
> attitude about blindness, or a negative, "I'm going to donate to
> this organization to help these poor, helpless blind people"
> attitude, all depending on how the event is put on.  While we
> want people to donate to our foundation, we also want them to
> come away with an education that gives them a positive attitude
> about blindness.  If you have any ideas for us on how we can plan
> this event so it gets the right message across, please email me
> or contact the Foundation directly by emailing
> ican4kids at gmail.com.  If you email me, I will pass it on to the
> board.  We welcome your feedback in order to handle our event in
> the best possible way!
>
> Chris
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
> nuisance."
> -- Kenneth Jernigan (President, National Federation of the Blind,
> 1968-1986
>
> The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps blind and visually impaired youth
> in Maryland say "I can," by empowering them through providing
> assistive technology and scholarships to camps and conventions
> which help them be equal with their sighted peers.  For more
> information about the Foundation and to support our work, visit
> us online at www.icanfoundation.info!
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:26:15 -0600
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation
>
> Hello Sheila and everyone,
>
>    The short answer is not at all! Fortunately we'll have a new
> administration elected during our January meeting including a new
> chapter
> president.  Here's hoping the new administration will rethink
> this
> fundraising idea and come up with an alternative that will
> promote a more
> positive view of blindness and the blind.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sheila Leigland" <sleigland at bresnan.net
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 7:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation
>
>
> Hi, I didn't know that nfb chapters ever did them.  How do you
> think they
> should be done?
>
> Sheila Leiglan d
>
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