[Blindtlk] My 2 Cents

Mon Mar 25 10:32:40 UTC 2013

    How about just call me by my given name? A unique concept that is
something that people must label people that I find appalling myself.
We should be progressing like I wouldn't see it possible to call
someone a racial derogatory word that someone shouldn't call me
something beyond my control. I don't call someone that so deserve
respect like a normal human being not an animal. Not that much to ask
for in a civilized society that is why we have hate crime legislation
and specially protected people like women, racial minorities or sexual
deviants like me too!

On 3/25/13, Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net> wrote:
> 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.
>> >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> >> 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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>
>
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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