[Blindtlk] the handling of Dining in the Dark events re: [blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation

Ray Foret Jr rforetjr at att.net
Wed Dec 14 06:45:14 UTC 2011 

I would second Mike's observations here.  For reference, I should like to direct your attention to our 1988 banquet speech in which this very subject is treated at some length.


Sincerely,
The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!

Now a very proud and happy Mac user!!!

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On Dec 13, 2011, at 11:24 PM, Mike Freeman wrote:

> Chris:
> 
> I'll ask two more questions and then let it rest.
> 
> First, why is it desirable to give the sighted "a glimpse into our world"?
> 
> Second, do "dining in the dark" events really give the sighted a glimpse
> into the world of the competent blind? Or, rather, do such events subject
> the victims to the world of the newly-blind without the opportunity to truly
> become skilled in the techniques of blindness?
> 
> As I said earlier, far better to prepare and serve a gourmet meal to the
> sighted participants. And by "prepare" I mean from set-up to clean-up!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> Mike Freeman
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:43 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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