[Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...

Sat Dec 17 02:48:37 UTC 2011

Hello James,

That is very wrong that they wouldn't let you donate blood just because 
you're blind, Not only is that very wrong but it's unconstitutional, because 
you have the right to donate blood just like every one else. Now if they 
told you that you couldn't donate because of meds you're on that would be a 
different story,  but to tell you you can't donate because you're blind 
that's just bull crapp!

Nikki Wunderlich
nikki Wunderlich
myspace, facebook, MSN, and email nikki0222 at gmail.com
yahoo and aim nikkiwunderlich
skype and twitter nikki022285
cell 763-248-0106
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Kelm" <jameskelm at earthlink.net>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 7:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...

> Hello...
>
>    I agree with your statements about not giving up, and continuing to 
> work
> to correct discrimination.  I personally follow a kind of Martin Luther 
> King
> attitude, in that we will not truly be able to get rid of discrimination
> until we change the heart.  I believe in approaching such companies as I
> encountered with politeness and respect, but with a firm conviction that
> policies must change.  My mom use to tell me that you catch more flies 
> with
> honey, than you do with vinegar.  I have found that if you treat people 
> with
> politeness and respect, this alone will often cause them to look 
> differently
> at your particular group of people, whether it is a racial group, a 
> disabled
> group, gender, etc.  This way they can not so easily dismiss your 
> concerns,
> as coming from "just another offensive individual".
>
>    I thank all of you for your input, and I am happy to learn that I am
> correct in thinking that this company's policy of rejecting people just
> based upon their blindness, is wrong and needing to be changed!
>
>
> 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: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 8:05 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...
>
>
>> That is certainly encouraging, although I think we still need to
>> deal with the discrimination at this one company.  Until all
>> discrimination is dealt with and removed from our society can our
>> problems really be solved, in my opinion.
>>
>> 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: "James Kelm" <jameskelm at earthlink.net
>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:12:08 -0600
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...
>>
>> 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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>>
>>
>>
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