[Blindtlk] blind people being loners

Sat Jan 26 05:04:02 UTC 2013

Hello, Diane and all,

I have also read, statistics, that most people have many more acquaintances 
than they have friends, and the close friends are very few, maybe only one 
or two.  Again, these are general statistics.

Judy
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane Graves" <princess.di2007 at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] blind people being loners

> Hi Steve and All,
>
> I would agree with Steve. I think that my blindness is a contributing 
> factor
> to why I often have trouble making friends with sighted people, but it 
> isn't
> the characteristic itself. It goes much deeper than that. Even at work, I
> have good working relationships with most all of the people in my office,
> but not many who I would really call friends.
>
> My blindness is a factor because I didn't get the support and affirmation
> that I needed growing up. I know that my family loved me, but it was clear
> that they sometimes felt my blindness made me inferior. Thus, they did
> little to combat similar perspectives of the other sighted people who
> surrounded me at church and other places. This, among other things, eroded
> my self-esteem over the years, and has made me somewhat introverted. I 
> have
> a hard time with chit chat and taking the initiative. Because of many of 
> the
> misconceptions and attitudes that others have about blindness, it is often
> necessary for us to take that initiative in order to form friendships.
>
> I know a good many totally blind people who do not face these barriers at
> all. They are extroverted, outgoing and confident. So, in a roundabout 
> way,
> blindness isolates me on the social scene sometimes, but again, it isn't 
> the
> fact that I am blind. It is the way I have developed emotionally and come 
> to
> see myself as a person.
>
> In my case, my hearing impairment plays a role in the situation also, I'm
> sure.
>
> Diane Graves
> ----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jesse
> Johnson
> Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 6:51 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] blind people being loners
>
> Thanks Steve. I couldn't have put it nearly as well.  Jaybee Jesse Johnson
> jayjohnson66 at me.com
>
>
>
> On Jan 25, 2013, at 10:59 AM, Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
> wrote:
>
>> My guess is that he probably had something in mind when he asked this
>> question.  While I don't think all blind persons are loners, I
>> definitely think that there are definite barriers to become a part of
>> a group of sighted persons.  In my case, some of the barriers may well
>> be of my own making, I won't claim otherwise, but not all of them.  I
>> also think that blind kids are often forced to find their own way of
>> entertaining themselves unless they are particularly lucky.  There are
>> many variables involved in looking at what makes each of us what we
>> are, and there are many dangers in drawing conclusions based upon one
>> characteristic, but I think it is wrong to deny that blindness can
>> sometimes isolate one even if one is not naturally a loner.
>> Transportation can by itself be a key factor in being isolated.  While
>> I don't think it makes sense that being isolated is something that should
> be denied or swept under the rug, I also don't feel one should just sit
> around being isolated and feeling sorry for oneself.  There are things 
> that
> one can do about it.  Also, realizing that it simply happens sometimes and
> not getting all bent out of shape about it helps.  Finally, I believe
> strongly that being comfortable with other blind people is not a bad 
> thing.
> I am not saying that one needs to stick to socializing with blind people 
> and
> forget about those who are sighted, but neither should one feel that 
> getting
> support from others who share one's characteristic is a bad thing.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Steve Jacobson
>>
>> On Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:03:15 -0600, Chasity Jackson wrote:
>>
>>> I do not agree with this either.
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
>>> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 4:00 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] blind people being loners
>>
>>
>>>> Hi, RJ. I do not. Do you?
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of RJ
>>>> Sandefur
>>>> Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 3:48 PM
>>>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>>>> Subject: [Blindtlk] blind people being loners
>>>>
>>>> Why do you think a lot of blind people are loners? In other words
>>>> icelated?
>>>> RJ _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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