[Blindtlk] How do You Find your Interactions with Sighted People?

Wed Nov 14 04:00:17 UTC 2012

This is an interesting question.  I, too, don't really worry about them,
because in my life and world right now, I am surrounded and interact with
sighted people every day.  The same goes for blind people.

I will say this though.  I was once in an interesting situation, and I guess
it was more mental than not, but it woke me up a bit and taught me that even
though I'm blind, I also need to remember that I live in a sighted world and
need to continue to interact in a world that's greater than just my blind
circle of friends.

I was living and working in an area where about 98 percent of my circle was
blind.  I worked as a rehab teacher at an agency for the blind, was active
in the NFB, and hung out with blind friends.  Those who were sighted also
either worked with me or were in my friends circle.  Any activities I did or
places I went involved other blind people, and that was fine.  I thought
absolutely nothing of it.  If anything, it probably made me use and improve
my blindness skills at some point. <grin>

Then, I began wanting to add to the things I was doing.  I remember finding
out that I lived in an area near some pubs that had live Irish and folk
music.  My interest was peeked, even though I was not anywhere near as
active in the folk music world as I am now.  However, my close friends lived
in a city that was an hour away.  I used to go to that city almost every
weekend.  So, I went to the music venues alone.

At first, I literally felt awkward.  For almost two years, all of my
interactions were with blind folks or folks related to the blindness circle
I had.  Then, I was stepping out and by myself.  At first, I went so far as
to think, "My goodness, I hope my social skills are appropriate."
Basically, I was a bit leery about totally jumping back into a world that
was purely sighted folks.  This was MY interest.

I maybe had to polish off some minor things about myself, but I was glad I
did all of that.

Now, I have found the importance of a good balance in my life.  I can't say
I honestly have a ton of blind friends where I live.  However, I work in the
field of blindness and continue to need to keep my skills sharp and my mind
set good.  At this point, most of my friends outside of work are sighted,
and that's fine.  I know who I could talk to about certain things and who
will understand and relate.  In addition, I have a very close circle of
blind friends from around the country that are NFB folks, and I know that I
can always talk to and interact with them.  So, it's taken many years, but I
have a good balance.

So, do I look for interaction with sighted people?  I look for interaction
with people.  Yes, I think it helps to have both blind and sighted in my
life, and it's made me a more well-rounded person.  But, first and foremost,
before looking at blind or sighted, I look at them as people and as folks
who might have something interesting to offer.

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Gloria
Whipple
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 7:44 PM
To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] How do You Find your Interactions withSighted
People?

I don't worry about it

Hahaha!

Gloria Whipple

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike
Freeman
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 19:31
To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] How do You Find your Interactions withSighted
People?

True enough. But I didn't know I was looking for interactions with sighted
people. Therefore, I don't have a method to find them. (har)

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Evans
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 6:42 PM
To: gwunder at earthlink.net; Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] How do You Find your Interactions withSighted
People?

Dear All,

We use to have a saying back in the 1960's to answer those people "who did
not want to get involved in making the World a better place."
The saying was very simple and straight to the point and says it like it is.
"If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem."
If you are staying out of it because you don't know what is right or you
don't want to get your hands dirty and keep your sole lily white you are
just as bad as those you condemn.
You can not make an omelet without breaking a few eggs and you can not
change the World by standing on the sidelines.
Apathy is the fuel of failure and disinterest the biggest barrier to
progress.

David Evans
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 11:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] How do You Find your Interactions withSighted
People?

>I respect your right not to be a member, of course, but what force 
>presses  harder for the elimination of such terms and the integration 
>of the blind  and the sighted than the NFB? To me this integration is 
>central to  everything we do. I do not like the term sighty anymore 
>than I think I  want  to be called a blindy or a blink or a bat. I am a 
>blind person, a person  who  happens to be blind, a person who has 
>blindness as one of his  characteristics, but it is certainly not the 
>dominant one in my life.
>
> Gary
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
> Michelle Medina
> Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 8:30 AM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] How do You Find your Interactions with Sighted 
> People?
>
> Ol' sighty. . . that's a new one. Very original to.
>
> I hate to confess here, but that's one of the reasons I'm not a 
> card-carrying member of any organization to do with us blind folk, 
> because it's the 21st century and myths still abound from both sides, 
> both sighted and non-sighted folks about each other.
>
> On 11/13/12, Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net> wrote:
>> Good morning, W.
>>
>>          Yeah. Ol' Sighty tends to avoid me like the plague although 
>> acquaintances, there are many. It's okay though. What are ya gonna 
>> do, yu want peple to act natural, unincumbered by anything that seems 
>> to incumber these sighted people.PM 11/12/2012, you wrote:
>>>Hi all
>>>
>>>I realize it's probably a strange one but how do you find your 
>>>relationships with sighted people?
>>>
>>>I often find that, while I meet plenty of people through work and so 
>>>on and get to know them quickly, I make very few real friends, more 
>>>aquaintances.
>>>
>>>I was wondering why this is - perhaps it's the nature of my work - 
>>>perhaps my personality and I wondered what the experiences of others 
>>>were?
>>>
>>>W
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>blindtlk mailing list
>>>blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>blindtlk:
>>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/carlymih%40comc
>>>a
>>>st.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindtlk mailing list
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindtlk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/michellem86%40g
>> m
>> ail.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindtlk mailing list
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindtlk:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/gwunder%40earthlink.ne
> t
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindtlk mailing list
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindtlk:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/drevans%40bellsouth.ne
t 

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
blindtlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindtlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/k7uij%40panix.com

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
blindtlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindtlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/glowhi%40centurylink.n
et

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
blindtlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindtlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/portillo.jim%40gmail.c
om