[Blindtlk] "Its not safe for someone who can't see"

Thu Jul 28 14:07:33 UTC 2011

Gary,
    Of course, they "don't mean to discriminate; we're just looking out for 
you because you can't look out for yourself!" I am certain you will help 
them "figure out if they should give her a key!"

Pease!
Marion

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Wunder" <GWunder at earthlink.net>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] "Its not safe for someone who can't see"

> Penny. You aren't alone. This is good and bad. The positive side of not
> being alone is that there are many of us willing to help you. The down 
> side
> is that we get things like this thrown at us all the time. Yesterday we 
> got
> a call from a woman in St. Louis whose apartment complex doesn't want to
> give her a key to the swimming pool area because "she doesn't have a
> service/seeing dog," and without one they can't figure out whether letting
> her in the pool is safe. Oh my, always something to work on.
>
> Gary
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Penny Duffy
> Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 8:49 AM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] "Its not safe for someone who can't see"
>
> Thank you everyone.  I thought I had posted this in blindkid and not here
> but I like your imput too.  It actually is good.  I wanted to say the 
> reason
> I mentioned my daughter was blind was because I was excited.  It seemed 
> like
> a perfect class.
> On Jul 28, 2011 9:41 AM, "Graves, Diane" <dgraves at icrc.in.gov> wrote:
>> Penny,
>>
>> (big hugs) First of all, you should never feel that you are over reacting
> if someone implies that your Abby is unwelcome, or less competent than any
> other child. I completely understand how you feel. Keep in mind that this 
> is
> coming from a person who is very much driven by her emotions, (smile) but 
> I
> will try to step back here and offer a constructive response.
>>
>> You might simply have responded to the artist that Abby's blindness made
> no difference in her ability, and that she was no more unsafe than any 
> other
> child. She just has to employ different techniques to compensate for her
> loss of vision. You've already said that the artist was "odd," so who 
> knows
> what she would have said or done. But, it is also my understanding that 
> she
> wasn't in charge of the enrollments and didn't necessarily have veto 
> power.
>>
>> I understand that you are no longer interested in the class, but if you
> were, I would then go enroll Abby in the class, take her, and try to 
> educate
> by example. If you were turned away, I would then go to a local Civil 
> Rights
> agency and file a complaint with them. As a remedy to that complaint you
> might request that the employees of the park and the administrators 
> undergo
> some education regarding such discrimination and stereotypes.
>>
>> There is just so much I want to say here... If you enrolled Abby in the
> class and weren't sure whether she would be accepted, you might just 
> prepare
> her a little bit. Just talk with her a little bit about the fact that many
> people don't understand that blindness doesn't mean that she is less
> capable, and that they might have these prejudices and might not want her 
> to
> try. Emphasize the fact that these perceptions are wrong, and that people
> sometimes need to be educated, and held accountable when they refuse to be
> educated. Unfortunately she'll meet with this ignorance throughout her 
> life,
> and will need to understand how to handle it, while holding her head up 
> high
> and not letting it stop her. Do you know what I mean?
>>
>> Even if you don't want to have her take the class now, you might still
> call the park administrators, let them know what happened, and find out
> whether this is actually the attitude of the facility, or whether it was
> just the odd artist talking off the top of her head. I think the park 
> needs
> to know that this happened, and that it wasn't acceptable.
>>
>> Diane Graves
>> Civil Rights Specialist
>> Indiana Civil Rights Commission
>> Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
>> 317-232-2647
>>
>> "It is service that measures success."
>> George Washington Carver
>>
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>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Penny Duffy
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:11 PM
>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: [Blindtlk] "Its not safe for someone who can't see"
>>
>> I am still very upset over this but I want to know what a good response
>> would be.
>>
>> Today I had a wonderful visit to an historic site that is part of the
>> National Park service with my son Sam. My daughter Abby who is blind is
>> away this week at the Perkins School. There was an artist in residence
>> there. She was a little odd but i heard her mention that they where 
>> having
>> a class there for children . the children would make casts of their 
>> hands.
>> It seemed like a great activity for Abby.
>>
>> The artist didn't know if there was space or if they where even having 
>> the
>> class (due to no enrollment) really she didn't know anything (there is a
>> number you call to make reservations) When I mentioned my daughter who is
>> blind would really love to go to this class she told me she would NOT
>> recommend it. That it was unsafe for blind person and said but your son 
>> is
>> welcome to take part if there is space and its sill going on. I should
> have
>> responded right away I should have went right to visitor center and
>> complained. I was shocked. I am still shocked. The only reason I didn't
>> talk to someone there is the day was about my son Sam and having an "Abby
>> Free" day. That and honestly I was so taken back by what happened. I 
>> spoke
>> with Sam in the car so he understood that what was said was WRONG.
>>
>> I really don't feel this artist was projecting official national park
> policy
>> but she is still an employee of the park so she should have just not said
>> anything. I would never have mentioned Abby's blindness when making
>> reservations because I would have seen it has irrelevant. If its safe for
> a
>> sighted child 6 to 11 then it would be safe to a blind child 6 to 11. We
> are
>> talking about an art class not driving a car over a single lane bridge
> over
>> glass.
>>
>> We are not really interested in the class anymore (we have a lot of stuff
>> going on) I am just really upset over comments by this artist. I have
> never
>> had any one say Abby couldn't do anything. I know there was people who
>> thought that but no one ever pretty much implied "Your child is not
> welcome"
>> Mind you I am only been dealing with Abby being blind for a year.
>>
>> I feel I should say something. I just don't know what is a proper 
>> response
>> and what is me over reacting.
>> --
>> --Penny
>> ----------
>> Adventures with Abby - visionfora.blogspot.com
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