[Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...

Fri Dec 16 19:51:56 UTC 2011

I to have given blood, but only to the Red Cross through my school
when I was in high school. I didn't have a problem though.
I'm glad to hear that you followed up with this and have a Desire to
resolve it!!!
Chelle

On 12/16/11, James Kelm <jameskelm at earthlink.net> wrote:
> I did want to offer a positive detail to this story.  My wife and I went
> this week to another, competitor, blood donating facility.  They not only
> accepted me, but were extremely nice and welcoming, and told me that they
> had several blind donators.  For curiosity, I also telephoned a number of
> other places around town.  I did not give them any background, but simply
> asked if they accepted visually impaired individuals.  Every one of them
> said that they would be happy to accept a blind donor, and actually sounded
> a little surprised that I would ask such a question.  So I can only conclude
> that the discriminative policy is, at least locally, simply an issue with
> the one business.
>
>
> Your Brother in Christ,
> Pastor James Kelm
> True Hope Church of Duluth
> Web Site: www.thcduluth.org
> Office E-mail: office at thcduluth.org
> Phone: 218-727-4186
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "James Kelm" <jameskelm at earthlink.net>
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 2:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...
>
>
>> I also have a brother who has some of the same attitudes as yours do.  He
>> tells me that I am too sensitive, and may see discrimination where there
>> isn't any.  His favorite expression is that "you have to understand where
>> they are coming from".  Of course he lives on the other side of the
> country,
>> so does not experience life with a blind person on a day-to-day basis.  He
>> often tells me that people do not discriminate against the disabled, but
>> rather usually go out of their way to accommodate them.
>>
>>
>> Your Brother in Christ,
>> Pastor James Kelm
>> True Hope Church of Duluth
>> Web Site: www.thcduluth.org
>> Office E-mail: office at thcduluth.org
>> Phone: 218-727-4186
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jessica Kostiw" <jessicac.kostiw at gmail.com>
>> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 1:03 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...
>>
>>
>> > I find this very interesting and forwarded it to both my brother and
>> sister,
>> > who are sighted lawyers.  Sometimes I think my family thinks I just make
>> > this stuff up.
>> >
>> > I wonder how new this policy is.  LCB staff and students donate blood
>> > regularly.  This is just awful.
>> >
>> > Jessica
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
>> > Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
>> > Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 1:50 PM
>> > To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>> > Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...
>> >
>> > I have given blood here in Minnesota through my employer to the red
> cross
>> > and I am finding it
>> > increasingly difficult to donate.  We have had other problems in the
> Twin
>> > Cities in the past that we
>> > tried to address, but I must say, not having an emergency exit policy is
>> > about the most blatent and
>> > least defensible thing I have heard.  Certainly you have a right to feel
>> > frustrated, but it does seem
>> > that there is work to be done as well.  I can't help but wonder what
> their
>> > general policy is to deal
>> > with someone who is half through giving blood and who might be dizzy if
>> > forced to stand in a hurry.  I
>> > would think that blindness would be the least of the problems that one
>> might
>> > have.  <smile>
>> >
>> > You might be interested to know that it is now common practice to not
>> permit
>> > someone you know to fill
>> > out the paperwork with you.  The justification is that you might not be
>> > honest with them in your
>> > answers.  This requires you to take the time of a staff person, and even
>> if
>> > they are willing, they are
>> > often required to tend to other tasks.
>> >
>> > Were you working with a branch of the Red Cross there in Duluth or is it
>> > another type of blood bank?
>> >
>> > Best regards,
>> >
>> > Steve Jacobson
>> >
>> > On Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:22:35 -0600, James Kelm wrote:
>> >
>> > >Dear friends,
>> >
>> > >    Well an interesting thing happened to my wife and I last Friday,
> and
>> I
>> > >thought that I'd see what you all thought.  It seemed to be a relevant
>> > >story, based upon the recent conversations here on this list.
>> >
>> > >    Wanting to do something good for our fellow human beings, my wife
> and
>> I
>> > >decided that we would donate blood at one of our local blood banks.  We
>> > >arrived, filled out the necessary paper work, and waited in the waiting
>> > room
>> > >to do our duty.
>> >
>> > >    After a few minutes, a gentleman came out and requested that we
>> follow
>> > >him to his office.  I am assuming that this gentleman was some kind of
> a
>> > >manager.  After entering his office, he politely informed us that he
> had
>> > >spoken to his corporate office, and learned that they currently had no
>> > >policy in place to assure my safety in the case of an emergency, so
>> > >unfortunately they did not allow blind people to donate blood.  He then
>> > >turned to my wife, who is sighted but like many middle-aged people,
> wears
>> > >reading glasses.  The gentleman went on to explain that unless my wife
>> went
>> > >home to retrieve her reading glasses and thereby demonstrating that she
>> was
>> > >not blind, they also would not allow her to donate.  I politely
> explained
>> > >that the corporate office should be aware that their company policy
>> > violated
>> > >Federal anti-discrimination laws, and they did not have the legal
> luxury
>> of
>> > >determining which laws they were, or were not prepared to follow.  The
>> > >gentleman told me that he understood, but that he had to comply with
> his
>> > >corporate office's instructions to not allow the blind to donate blood.
>> >
>> > >    This situation came as a bit of surprise to me.  Of course most of
> us
>> > >blind folks are use to vague and concealed discrimination, but I was
>> caught
>> > >off guard to face such an open and obvious demonstration of one's civil
>> > >rights being disregarded.  It was rather shocking to be directly told
> by
>> a
>> > >business, that they did not want the blind!
>> >
>> >
>> > >Your Brother in Christ,
>> > >Pastor James Kelm
>> > >True Hope Church of Duluth
>> > >Web Site: www.thcduluth.org
>> > >Office E-mail: office at thcduluth.org
>> > >Phone: 218-727-4186
>> >
>> > >_______________________________________________
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>> > >blindtlk at nfbnet.org
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>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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