[blparent] [Bulk] "General public" and their impressions
trishs
slosser at metrocast.net
Tue Jun 9 11:58:56 UTC 2009
Nice!
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jennifer Massey"<renandstimpy3 at comcast.net
>To: blparent at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 23:13:43 -0400
>Subject: Re: [blparent][Bulk] "General public" and their
impressions
>that is true, My soon to be husband is blind and I have 2 small
children.
>We were on our way to Kings Dominion last year with my 3 year old
son. We
>stopped in Quantico to get something to eat we were getting
hungry and the
>man who waited on us was very rude. He would ask me all of the
questions
>and I finally had enough of it. First, I politly asked him if
you have a
>question for my partner please ask him directly. Of course the
next time he
>came over to ask something he ignored Dustin and I asked to speak
to the
>manager. When the manager came out Dust told him what the man
had done and
>we ended up with a free dinner that night.
>Jennifer and Dustin
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Leanne Merren" <leemer02 at gmail.com
>To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org
>Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 9:12 PM
>Subject: Re: [blparent] [Bulk] "General public" and their
impressions
>> But that is why we can't sit back and let them ignore us. My
mom has
>> gotten in the habbit of telling people to talk to me, not her.
She tells
>> them that I'm the parent. My mother-in-law does too. We
deserve the same
>> respect and recognition as parents. We just have to earn it,
instead of
>> it coming naturally like it does for so many other parents.
Blind parents
>> aren't the only parents in this position, I'm sure.
>> Leanne
>> "Faith is being sure of what we hope for
>> and certain of what we do not see."
>> Hebrews 11:1
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Eileen Levin" <eileenlevin at comcast.net
>> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org
>> Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 4:14 PM
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] [Bulk] "General public" and their
impressions
>>> Like JoElizabeth my sighted husband was there and we received
no visit
>>> from
>>> a social worker at all. I hadn't taken any classes, asked to
leave the
>>> day
>>> after my son was born, and the staff all seemed to be directing
their
>>> lessons to my extremely anxious sighted husband. The staff's
tendancy to
>>> ignore me while teaching my husband never meant anything to me
since I
>>> already knew how to change a diaper and bathe a baby from
helping my
>>> mother
>>> with my two younger sisters. I think there was a note posted on
my door
>>> from
>>> the staff about my blindness which my husband questioned as soon
as he
>>> saw
>>> it.
>>> So, is there discrimination? From all this anecdotal evidence it
appears
>>> the
>>> answer is YES YES and YES.
>>> Eileen
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
>>> Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 12:56 PM
>>> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] [Bulk] "General public" and their
impressions
>>> I was lucky enough not to get much interference from social
workers when
>>> Sarah was born. I don't know if it was because her sighted
father was
>>> there
>>> most of the time or what. There was a doctor who asked if I
would have
>>> help
>>> at home. I said yes, and he didn't ask any more questions.
(Personally,
>>> I
>>> think whether there will be help is a valid question for any new
mom,
>>> sighted or blind, especially now that I've been through the
newborn phase
>>> myself.) Nobody asked me if I had everything ready for the
baby, which I
>>> did, and the nurses spent a lot of time trying to help me get
nursing
>>> established, with no comment about my blindness. The only
social worker
>>> I
>>> saw asked me about financial issues, but Gerald and I made too
much to
>>> qualify for the hospital's sliding scale. It was nice to have
such a
>>> positive experience at the hospital. I think part of the reason
>>> everything
>>> went so well is that I took not only the childbirth classes, but
also the
>>> baby care and breastfeeding courses, and I had a tour of the
maternity
>>> ward
>>> and asked a lot of questions, so by the time I delivered my
baby, I was
>>> kind
>>> of a familiar face to many of the staff, and they knew I was
taking my
>>> new
>>> role as a mother seriously.
>>> Jo Elizabeth
>>> "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be
changed
>>> until it is faced."--James Baldwin
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Melissa Ann Riccobono" <melissa at riccobono.us
>>> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org
>>> Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 6:47 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] [Bulk] "General public" and their
impressions
>>>> It's interesting about hospital social workers. I actually was
lucky
>>>> enough
>>>> to have a good experience with the social worker who visited me
after
>>>> Austin
>>>> was born. She seemed to stick to standard questions. She did
ask if I
>>>> had
>>>> everything ready for the baby; actually she didn't quite put it
that
>>>> way.
>>>> She asked if we had a crib or a bassinette, a car seat, etc. I
could
>>>> hear
>>>> that she was taking notes and checking things off a list. The
hospital
>>>> where Austin was born often deals with high risk and very poor
moms and
>>>> dads, so I felt a lot of the questions were based on the fact
that so
>>>> many
>>>> people who pass through really do need a lot more help and
services. I
>>>> was
>>>> also offered WIC. I don't know if this was standard or not, but
I just
>>>> said
>>>> I knew we made too much to qualify and I was left alone. The
person who
>>>> made me the most nervous was a doctor--not the one who delivered
>>>> Austin--who
>>>> kept asking if I had help at home, and if I thought I could
manage
>>>> because
>>>> of my "handicap." Luckily, even though I was still in labor and
not in
>>>> the
>>>> best mood, I managed to answer him calmly and firmly and nothing
else
>>>> was
>>>> said. Then there was this extremely annoying nurse who was
completely
>>>> thrilled because I could find the toilet paper in the bathroom
and I
>>>> "navigated so well!" She questioned my ability to nurse because
it's "a
>>>> very visual thing to know when the baby's mouth is open so you
can stick
>>>> the
>>>> nipple in. Are you really committed to nursing?" Thank
goodness I knew
>>>> my
>>>> sister, who is also blind, nursed three babies successfully, and
that I
>>>> was
>>>> committed to nursing unless there really was a reason I
couldn't--such
>>>> as
>>>> my
>>>> body not making enough milk, or Austin really having
difficulties of
>>>> some
>>>> other kind. So, I was firm on that point as well. It is
amazing though
>>>> simply how uneducated the public is! I love the people who ask
me if I
>>>> had
>>>> someone come in to "adapt" my house for the baby. Yes, there
are child
>>>> proofing companies and they are great if you want to use them,
but I
>>>> think
>>>> it's crazy for people to believe that just because we're blind
we don't
>>>> know
>>>> what is dangerous for a baby or small child.
>>>> Melissa
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blparent mailing list
>>> blparent at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
>>> blparent:
>>>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/eileenl
evin%40comc
>>> ast.net
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.54/2158 - Release
Date:
>>> 06/06/09
>>> 05:53:00
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blparent mailing list
>>> blparent at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
>>> blparent:
>>>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/leemer0
2%40gmail.com
>> _______________________________________________
>> blparent mailing list
>> blparent at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
>> blparent:
>>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/renands
timpy3%40comcast.net
>> _______________________________________
>> No viruses found in this incoming message
>> Scanned by iolo AntiVirus 1.5.3.5
>> http://www.iolo.com
>_______________________________________
>No viruses found in this outgoing message
>Scanned by iolo AntiVirus 1.5.3.5
>http://www.iolo.com
>_______________________________________________
>blparent mailing list
>blparent at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
for blparent:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/slosser
%40metrocast.net
More information about the BlParent
mailing list