[Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired

[Carly Mihalakis]

Sing it, my sister!
CarlyAt 02:17 PM 6/21/2013, Gloria Whipple wrote:
>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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>i
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> > >
> >
> >
> >
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