[Blindtlk] My 2 Cents

Mon Mar 25 08:47:16 UTC 2013

Hi, Diane,

My brain damage came about when I was struck by a light truck while 
living in Littleton, Colorado in the Fall of '03. My problems are 
relatively minimal, my brain doesn't work that fast and I am quite 
"normal" upon the plane of self expression, and I see irony 
everywhere, don't take myself too seriously.
for today, Car

Hi Carly,

>I also have a schoolmate--he was a year behind me in high school-who has
>some brain damage. I believe he had meningitis. He has trouble with
>articulating and I believe with Braille too. But he has a wonderful sense of
>humor and many other skills. He's a great person and is also a
>federationist.
>
>Diane Graves
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carly
>Mihalakis
>Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 11:46 PM
>To: Blind Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] My 2 Cents
>
>Hi, Diane,
>
>What a great message!
>
>I too have a duel disability. Not only am I totally blind since age
>18 months, in 2003, I acquired brain damage, a side effect of which is
>tactal appraxia, the inability for finger  to communicate input to the
>brain. So, essentially, I can not any longer perceive braille although
>complete knowledge of the code including the many rules of writing, does
>endure, held fast in long term memory which, ever miraculously, remains
>untouched.
>
>I too considdered braille one of my lovers, and losing it was akin to losing
>someone with whom you share such intimacies.
>I'd love to talk with you, Diane so gimme a call: 408-209-3239   At
>08:14 PM 3/23/2013, you wrote:
> >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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>
>
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