[Blindtlk] Letter to the Editor: Dining in the Dark events re:[blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation
Marion Gwizdala
blind411 at verizon.net
Wed Dec 14 14:09:07 UTC 2011
Dear All,
The foundation Fighting Blindness uses "Dining in the Dark" events to
raise money for their research. their intention seems to create pity for the
blind in an effort to raise money to fund their research an eliminate the
scourge of blindness. One such event was held in Tampa last March and an
article appeared in the St. Petersburg Times about the event. Here is a
letter I wrote to the editor concerning this event.
March 12, 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 training 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
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ray Foret Jr" <rforetjr at att.net>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 1:45 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] the handling of Dining in the Dark events
re:[blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation
>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!!!
>
> Skype name:
> barefootedray
>
> Facebook:
> facebook.com/ray.foretjr.1
>
>
>
> 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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