[Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...

Chris Nusbaum dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Sat Dec 17 02:05:31 UTC 2011 

No, how about another "condemn and deplore," coupled with another 
"strongly urge" or "demand." As in, "We condemn and deplore all 
discrimination against blind people wishing to donate blood," "we 
demand all businesses and organizations facilitating blood drives 
or the giving of blood by any means accept blind donors and deal 
with them in accordance with all of their normal policies and 
rules."

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: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:50:50 -0600
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...

hi,

great, another 'we strongly urge'.
i 'strongly urge' you to send me $20.

Bryan Schulz

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Mike Freeman
  To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
  Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 1:12 PM
  Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...


  AARRGG! Shades of the 1957 banquet speech, "The Cross of 
Blindness".  I have
  never given blood but checked the last time there was a blood 
drive at my
  place of employment and was told that there would be no 
problems even though
  I am an insulin-dependent diabetic.  Dr.  Maurer should be 
informed of this
  and perhaps a resolution for Dallas is in order.

  Incidentally, I believe the good pastor is in error: I do not 
believe there
  is a Federal antidiscrimination statute that applies in this 
instance unless
  a blood drive can be classified as a place of public 
accommodation, program
  or service.  I hope I'm wrong.

  Mike


  -----Original Message-----
  From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
  Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
  Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 10:50 AM
  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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