[Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired

Fri Jun 21 21:37:39 UTC 2013

Chris,

Let me clarify what I was attempting to get at. When I say something
like "he is tall", I am attributing something to myself--the
characteristic of the identity particulate of "tallness." The same
goes for an adjective like "blind." In arguing that person-first
language unnecessarily separates the person from the disability and
thus is exemplary of the attitude that disability is "bad" and
something to be wished away, I do not wish to argue that one's
disability--or any other part of one's identity for that matter--is de
facto formative. I differ from many in the NFB in that I consider my
blindness to be an integral part of my identity formation, and I do
not want to articulate this in an overly negative or self-pitying way.
It is this precise concern that leads me to conclude that normalizing
person-first language is in reality counter-productive to its stated
purpose. I would not argue that person-first language is inherently
morally objectionable; what I would argue is that to make it morally
obligatory is in itself an ableist and unnecessary position.

On 6/21/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> If you are writing on the master's level, then you can't.  In normal
> everyday speech, I wouldn't, but in writing, I would; you can't get
> published.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Gloria
> Whipple
> Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 5:17 PM
> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired
>
> That is what my late husband and I would tell people. We are blind and that
> is that!
>
> What in the world is wrong with the word blind for heaven sakes!
>
> Gloria Whipple
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carly
> Mihalakis
> Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 14:09
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List; 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired
>
> Here in Berkeley, they routinely ram that person first shit down our
> throats
> but I have to say, i am enucleated and therefore am not "impaired" by any
> strech of anyone's imagination, but am stone ass BLIND. When, in public
> people refer to my blind partner and I as "visually in paired" or
> "unsighted" I quickly correct them by  saying "no, I'm blind." People feel
> seem to feel so strongly about such an issue yet, those who conceivers of
> this so called People First lingo,to the best of my knowledge, are not
> themselves effected by anything separating them from the main stream.
> Oughtn't effected people be them deaf, blind  or  crippled, inform society
> as to how they would like to be referred?
> for today, Car
>>From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>Christine Szostak
>>Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 4:38 PM
>>To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired
>>
>>Hi,
>>   I suspect that actually the issue was not really with the term
>>visually impaired, but rather with the order. When you say a "visually
>>impaired person" the disability comes first as  opposed to saying a
>>"person with a visual impairment". Thus, having the disability first is
>>objected to, at least this is what I am assuming the blogger was getting
> at.
>>Happy Friday!
>>Chris
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Kelby Carlson" <kelbycarlson at gmail.com>
>>To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 4:24 PM
>>Subject: [Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired
>>
>>
>> > Hi everybody!
>> >
>> > So, since I'm not aware of any incendiary debates flaring up around
>> > here recently, I thought I'd bring up something I read recently that
>> > I found utterly baffling.  This was on a blog thread about proper
>> > etiquette
> around
>>
>> > people with disabilities.  Towards the end, a discussion of language
>> > appropriateness came up, and someone said that "visually impaired"
>> > was
> an
>> > unacceptable term that should not be used.  Instead, one should say
> "with
>> > a visual impairment." I have heard similar things regaring the
>> > phrasing
> of
>>
>> > a "blind person" versus "a person with blindness", but this was
> especially
>>
>> > perplexing because I can't recall ever meeting someone in my entire
>> > life who was opposed to the term "visually impaired", at least when
>> > it was
> used
>>
>> > to describe someone who had some functional vision.  I don't have
>> > strong feelings either way, but I would actually lean more to
>> > towards
> preferring
>> > visually impaired than "partially sighted", though I think neither
>> > one
> is
>> > more linguistically accurate than the other.
>> >
>> > I have encountered the issue of language surrounding disability many
>> > times, and it's always been a bit strange-don't we, as blind people
> (among
>>
>> > other people with various kinds of disabilities) have higher
>> > priorities
> on
>>
>> > our lists of "things to fix in the world"? These are just my
>> > thoughts on the matter.
>> >
>> > Kelby S.  Carlson
>> >
>> > Vanderbilt University
>> >
>> >
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>> >
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>>
>>
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