[Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina Doctors

Wed Feb 22 15:15:30 UTC 2012

Dear All,

Most foundations, that have a fund razing bent for some purpose, use or 
depend upon what is called the "pity factor" to appeal to donors heart 
strings to obtain donations for their cause.
This is just the way it is.  It does not matter what the cause, disabled 
children, the homeless, medical research, save the whales, they all use it 
as this is what brings in the money.
It is not going to change.

David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
Most of these causes are
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 4:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina Doctors

> Johanna,
>
> I don't have much perspective on this issue, as I am totally blind and 
> have been since birth.  In fact, I have gotten so used to life without 
> sight that when people ask me if I would want to regain my sight if that 
> was at all possible, I answer "No." Why? I have gotten used to living 
> without my vision and have learned to adapt; it is the only life I have 
> ever known.  Since I have never had my vision, I can't imagine living with 
> it.  Perhaps I have the same problem of ignorance that my sighted peers 
> have, just in the opposite way; as my sighted peers can't imagine living 
> without vision and therefore have no idea how we (blind people) do even 
> the most routine tasks without vision, so I, as a person who has been 
> totally blind since birth, can't imagine living with vision, and therefore 
> don't know how sighted people do even the most routine tasks with vision. 
> So to answer your question, I really don't know what the benefits would be 
> of gaining my vision back, nor would I even want my vision back if it were 
> possible and I was given the choice.
>
> I would advise you on one thing as you are preparing for your presentation 
> to the medical students.  I have noticed that a lot of presentations given 
> about vision loss itself and by organizations which are either * for * the 
> blind (I emphasize the word "for" to distinguish organizations which are 
> there to help the blind and organizations like the NFB which are the blind 
> speaking for ourselves) place an emphasis on the "advantages" of having 
> vision and the "disadvantages" of life without vision.  As a result, this 
> (most of the time) creates the "imagine being blind" mentality, and as a 
> result of that (again, most of the time) the people who hear these 
> presentations start feeling sorry for the "poor blind people." For 
> example, see any of the presentations/fundraisers put on by the Foundation 
> Fighting Blindness (FFB.) This creates the very misconceptions about 
> blindness and the very discrimination against the blind that organizations 
> such as the Federation are trying to fight! So, although they're asking 
> you to speak to them about the "reality of vision loss" and the benefits 
> of having vision in an effort to inspire medical students to become 
> interested in the area of retinal medicine, I would be careful not to give 
> them the impression of the "helpless" blind, and make sure they're not 
> going into that field of study just because they think blindness is the 
> end of the world.  Don't get me wrong here; I'm not condemning the study 
> of the retinas and vision, in fact I think it's a noble cause.  Blindness 
> is, at the end of the day, a disability, and a cure for it would be a good 
> thing.  All I'm saying (and all I think the NFB is saying too) is that 
> blindness isn't the end of the world, and people who are blind can still 
> be independent, conpetent, and productive members of our society.  I just 
> hope your audience doesn't come away thinking, "I should really get into 
> studying retinas so I can help those poor, helpless blind people, and 
> prevent that awful, unimaginable handicap of blindness for other people." 
> These are just my thoughts, and I hope this helps you in some small way. 
> I'm sorry I don't have more perspective on this, and I will leave the rest 
> of this thread up to those on the list who may have more perspective on 
> this issue.
>
> Chris
>
> Chris Nusbaum
> Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID: 
> dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
> Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum
>
> "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
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Johanna Baccan <24kjo at optonline.net
> To: Blind Talk mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:43:02 -0500
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina Doctors
>
> To All:
>
> I was asked by Dr.  Steven  Sang one of the top Retina Doctors at Columbia
> Presbyterian  Hospital in New York City, new York  to speak to Columbia
> University Medical Students.  He wants me to encourage them to become 
> Retina
> Doctors and Retina Researchers.     I am a 54 year old woman and have a
> unusual form of Stargardt's Disease and have been visually impaired for 34
> years.  I know that we all have mastered some if not all the Techniques of
> Blindness.  But my talk is going to be on what it would mean to regain my
> vision and what I have missed out on for 34 years.  I would like to hear
> from all of you to let me know what it would mean to you to have or regain
> your vision.  What struggles have you had.  There has been a declined in
> Medical Students to become Retina Doctors and Researchers in this country.
> As a whole the Blind Community seems to function in a way that people 
> don't
> realize how difficult it really is.  So instead of talking how I mastered
> the Techniques of Blindness I have to talk about the reality of vision 
> loss.
> These students are exposed to other patients with diseases that are much
> more visible and pronounced then our vision loss.  At times my particular
> eye disease has been called a Hidden handicap.  Because to look at me even
> though I use a cane I do not look visually impaired at all.  Any 
> suggestions
> or comments would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Johanna Baccan
>
>
>
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