[Blindtlk] My 2 Cents

Mon Mar 25 08:29:49 UTC 2013

Hi, Peter,

         Are you one of those people contributing to people's 
reluctance to call us what we are, blind? What's in a name, anyway? 
What is the term you like to be called, just so I don't call you BLIND?
Loving, Carfigure out what to call us?  At 06:41 PM 3/24/2013, you wrote:
>Mike,
>
>
>     What is for dinner? I just disagree with the labels of disabled
>people or in fact the world disabled in the first place. What is
>fundamentally broken by a blind person? I don't like handicapped,
>disabled, consumer, client or any of it. I'd rather have participant
>or customer would be okay as well just not consumer. It implies a
>causality that and it reduces you to a number.
>
>
>     First and foremost that we're all individuals right? I've had a
>local taxi company in Auburn of my former college city call me "Blind
>Pete". Can you imagine how enraged that they wouldn't change me for
>two years just tcontiniously calling me "Blind Pete" even saved in
>their contacts as that name too. Its like people attempt to turn you
>into a object that dcan be treated less than a normal homo sapien.
>Anyone else with similar experiences? This drives me insaine that way
>don't usually ever gets to me but lately not as easy to do.
>
>
>Thanks,
>Peter
>
>On 3/24/13, Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com> wrote:
> > Peter:
> >
> > You're obsessing about the word "consumer" too much. In using that word,
> > both rehab and most blind persons merely mean a designation of someone
> > receiving services and, if we are honest, it's also a way to avoid the word
> > "client" which some of us hate. Frankly, I don't care what you call me as
> > long as you call me for dinner. (grin) Our state department of services for
> > the blind calls those whom it serves "customers".
> >
> > Mike Freeman
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter
> > Wolfe
> > Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 8:43 PM
> > To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] My 2 Cents
> >
> >    Why are blind people considered consumers in much of
> > rehabilitation? They aren't producers, therefore, they are deemed
> > inferior even by fellow blind professions who work at such facilities.
> > Sorry the whole conversation is besides the point just a reason to
> > demean someone of another opinion. I'm an atheist-agnostic, so view
> > things in another paradigm than that of yourself in that way. I'm
> > looking at everything extremely logical to a fault that is to say
> > deductive logic not inductive logic as much.
> >
> >
> > sincerely,
> > Peter
> >
> > On 3/23/13, Mark Tardif <markspark at roadrunner.com> wrote:
> >> Diane,
> >>
> >> Absolutely, one hundred percent spot on!!!
> >>
> >> Mark Tardif
> >> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Diane Graves
> >> Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 11:14 PM
> >> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> >> Subject: [Blindtlk] My 2 Cents
> >>
> >> Good Evening,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> For days I have been overwhelmed by the sizable discussion thread on
> >> "Adjustment to blindness training NFB Centers Or Not," and I admit to
> >> having
> >> deleted a good number of the messages without reading, so I apologize in
> >> advance if I missed some things. I changed the subject line on purpose,
> >> just
> >> in case there were others doing the same. However, tonight I am up late
> >> baking and have read a number of the posts, and feel compelled to share
> >> my
> >> sentiments on a few things, or the facts as I see them.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> First of all, I'll say, very respectfully, that there is one participant
> > in
> >> the discussion who has me very confused. On one hand I hear him saying
> > that
> >> we in the federation need to "wake up and smell the coffee" and accept
> >> the
> >> fact that blindness does make us inferior. On the other hand, this same
> >> individual is saying that we need to come together to fight
> >> discrimination
> >> against the blind. If you, yourself, believe that you are inferior, then
> >> why
> >> should society stop discriminating? In fact, how can they stop
> >> discriminating? Why should employers hire us, and lessen that 70%
> >> unemployment rate, if we aren't equal to our sighted counterparts?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Secondly, I'll just say that the notion that NFB believes that one size
> >> fits
> >> all is ludicrous. There are no two blind people that are a like any more
> >> than there are two sighted people who are exactly alike. There are
> >> sighted
> >> people who are excellent construction workers, who do not have the people
> >> skills business prowess and any number of other skills necessary to be
> >> the
> >> CEO of a corporation.  That CEO  might not have the athletic prowess to
> >> fight his way out of a cardboard box.  That doesn't make either one of
> > them
> >> inferior. They're just different.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> The statement that all blind people need to accept the fact that they
> > can't
> >> perform any number of given tasks, is, indeed, arrogant. We are just as
> >> varied in our abilities as the sighted.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I have a dual disability in that I am not only totally blind, but also
> > have
> >> a significant hearing impairment. Therefore, there are a number of blind
> >> people who can run circles around me in the mobility arena, simply
> >> because
> >> they have the benefit of that good hearing. The fact that I have trouble
> > at
> >> times, doesn't mean that they face the same drawbacks and that their
> > skills
> >> are not excellent and far above mine.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On the other hand, I am an avid Braille reader, and much prefer Braille
> >> to
> >> any other media, whereas there are other blind people who prefer to
> >> listen
> >> to tapes and recorded books. My hearing is good enough that I could
> >> certainly use audiobooks if I chose too. I just get more out of a book
> > when
> >> actively reading it myself. Some of those people with the superb mobility
> >> skills may not have the same prowess in Braille that I do. We are all
> >> different.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Mike Freeman and Gary Wunder are both skilled in the area of computer
> >> programming, and, I suspect, could give sighted programmers a run for
> > their
> >> money. I, on the other hand am strictly a computer user. Start talking
> >> about
> >> programming and you've lost me immediately. The fact that I can't do it,
> >> doesn't mean that they're not experts in it.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Don't know if this is making sense or not, but again, on one hand I hear
> >> this person  telling us that we are a cookie cutter organization, while
> >> at
> >> the same time cutting his own cookies by telling us that we are all
> >> severely
> >> limited.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> In our organization we have liberals and we have conservatives. We have
> >> Christians and we have atheists. We have people who are athletes and
> >> those
> >> who are out of shape and proud of it. Lol We have any variation that you
> >> could think of. What unites us is our desire and our intent to fight the
> >> discriminatory barriers which face the blind.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Now I'm not going to tell you that I've never known a federationist who
> >> believed that there was only one way of doing things and one standard as
> > it
> >> relates to blindness skills. But that isn't the mantra of the
> >> organization
> >> at all.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> If you want to "stop dreaming" then that is your choice. But you can't
> > take
> >> my dreams.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Diane Graves
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> > 
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/markspark%40roadrunner
> > .com
> >>
> >>
> >> -----
> >> No virus found in this message.
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> >> Version: 2013.0.2904 / Virus Database: 2641/6195 - Release Date: 03/21/13
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Cordially,
> > Peter Q Wolfe, BA
> > cum laude Auburn University
> > e-mail: yogabare13 at gmail.com
> > "If you don't stand up for something your willing to fall for anything"
> > Peter Q Wolfe
> > "Stand up for your rights"
> > Bob Marley
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>--
>Cordially,
>Peter Q Wolfe, BA
>cum laude Auburn University
>e-mail: yogabare13 at gmail.com
>"If you don't stand up for something your willing to fall for anything"
>Peter Q Wolfe
>"Stand up for your rights"
>Bob Marley
>
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