[Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina Doctors

[Chris Nusbaum]

Wow! Sheila and Desiret, I'm very sorry to hear you had to go 
through all that! Hearing these stories makes me thank God that I 
have been so fortunate to have a cooperating school system which 
(most of the time) willingly provides the accomodations I need, 
an accepting family who accepts and encourages my independence 
(in fact, sometimes they insist on my being independent in doing 
whatever skill it is when I don't really want to be,) and 
teachers who have accepted me as another student in the class, 
not just "the blind kid." But what stories! I really feel for you 
guys, and I'm sorry to hear these stories.  I also hope that you 
don't feel isolated and stop interacting with your fellow blind 
people in the NFB because you think we'll judge you if we hear 
these stories.  Yes, sometimes people in the Federation do judge, 
and I don't really think we should do that so I don't hang around 
with those people (I'm not naming names,) but this isn't true for 
the NFB at large or the majority of its members.  We're not only 
an advocacy group, but I think we're also a support network; a 
mentoring network of sorts.  That's what I love about the NFB; 
I've found the support network that the NFB provides to be 
comforting in hard times that we deal with, because people can 
just tell us "Yeah, it sucks; I've been there, too." An example 
of this is when I was having the problem with the guy putting 
pretzels in my water bottle as a "practical joke," and I put it 
up on the NABS list.  I needed to vent, and talk with other blind 
people who could empathise with me and say "You're not alone." 
That's the beauty of the NFB lists, in my opinion.  I hope this 
makes sense, and I hope you don't isolate yourselves from the 
blind community just because you went through these expwiences; 
the NFB is a great network of support, so I encourage you to use 
it to your advantage!

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: Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:57:57 -0700
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina 
Doctors

Hi there, I've been where you are and I do understand.  I really 
didn't know how to chage my situation on my own so let oour 
vocational rehab agency look for an apartment for me.  To put it 
lightly my parents were furious.
They didn't understand my feelings at all.  When the rehab 
teacher came to discuss the situation, I was made to look totally 
helpless and incapable of doing anything at all.  I was hurt and 
angry.  I didn't understant that was how they felt until that 
happened.  It was worth it though to take the risks.  I didn't 
know how else to handle things any other way.  I had gone to 
college and taught for a year and felt like a child again after 
being away at school.  I felt like I couldn't breathe.  I didn't 
trust people easily after that especially sighted people.  It 
took me a long time to begin to trust again.  I held people at 
arms lenght because I wouldn't risk loosing my freedom again.  It 
is hard for me to accept help expecially if I don't ask for it.

Sheila Leigland

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