[Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired

Fri Jun 21 21:40:06 UTC 2013

Got it, sorry for the confusion:).
Thanks!
Chris
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "kelby carlson" <kelbycarlson at gmail.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 5:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Use of the Term Visually Impaired


> 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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>>>yema
>> i
>>>l.osu.edu
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>> t
>>
>>
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