[blparent] Not quite OT, self-defense for the blind...

Mon Mar 21 05:35:34 UTC 2011

For those who may have missed it at last years National convention the 
system I spoke of offered by the Enabling Safety project, is quite 
effective, and I can personally vouch for that. It is not a martial art, but 
rather a system of self-defense drawing from the martial arts and other 
relevant tactics for assessing and dealing with possible threats. I strongly 
recommend that you check this out for those of you with or without martial 
arts experience. They will be back at this years convention and are looking 
for those who would like to train in this system as well as those who would 
like to teach it.

I'm writing this, not as an advertisement, but as I feel that the more blind 
people that are trained and better prepared to defend themselves would 
assuredly have a further positive effect on others' views as to our 
potential, as well as cut down the belief that we are "easy targets."

I have had the misfortune of having to put my training to use in a number of 
situations. I will say from the heart, it's much better to train, be 
prepared and never have to use what you've learned, but it's much worse to 
be caught ill-prepared.

If anyone has any questions about the system or anything else on this topic, 
you can contact me on or off list.

Thanks,
-Mark

Veronica Smith writes:

> Personally, guns terrify me and I will never ever permit one in my home. I
> agree, that for a blind person to carry one  with the intent of using it
> against someone would be crazy.  Unless, you have some pretty good vision,
> how would someone know or what I am saying, how would you know where you
> are aiming it.  I know I hear pretty darn good, but aiming a gun and
> shooting it at someone without seeing them. Well...
> Other kinds of self defense sound safer for all involved.  
> Gabe, I am not saying you are bad parent in any way, shape or form, but
> have you really thought how safe that thing is for your family and perhaps
> their friends who might happen upon it.  Kids are kids and no matter what
> you think, they do the strangest things when you least expect it. V
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tammy
> Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 12:44 AM
> To: Deborah Kent Stein; NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Not quite OT, self-defense for the blind...
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am amazed that any person who is blind would be able to buy a gun
> anywhere let alone carry it around with them and their children.  This not
> only speaks to the irresponsibility of the person selling the gun, but
> also the person or parent who thinks their safe just because they’re
> carrying one.  One wrong move by either you or your child and you could be
> responsible for killing your own child.  Guns are very unpredictable
> things, and I don’t believe they’d be a safe form of self defense for any
> blind person.  Better off learning a form of karate, Judo, or aikido, that
> way you’re taught to use your own body to defend yourself, and use your
> opponent’s body against them.  This way you keep control of the fight, and
> you know where you are, and where your oponent is at all times.  If you
> ask for it, your teacher can teach you how to disarm your oponent if they
> have a knife or a gun, as well as how to use points that will blind your
> opponent, or disable them in many other ways as well.  I’m happy to talk
> about this subject offlist, or on, if it’s permitted, as I’ve been a
> martial artist for 15 years.  I can’t teach through the computer, but I
> can answer questions about self defense if you have them. 
> 
> hth
> 
> Tammy
> 
> From: Deborah Kent Stein 
> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 10:21 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List 
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Not quite OT, self-defense for the blind...
> 
> 
> 
> National Braille Press offers a book by Wendy David called Safe without 
> Sight.  It is available in several formats and includes a lot of great 
> suggestions for dealing with dangerous situations or avoiding them in the 
> first place.
> 
> Debbie
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Gabe Vega" <theblindtech at gmail.com>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 5:14 AM
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Not quite OT, self-defense for the blind...
> 
> 
>> this is an interesting topic. one that I want to read and contribute to 
>> with great interest.
>>
>> I am a business owner CEO of two technology firms one specializing in 
>> government/disability/assistive technology and the other for corp tech 
>> implimentation, security and support.
>>
>> for this reason, I carry a 38 special snub, 5 shot Taurus m85.
>>
>> I often have my daughter Kayla with me age 10, while just on a family 
>> outing, on the bus, or train and maybe with me at a meeting a time or two 
>> and although I am confident of defending myself alone I often have feared 
>> the what ifs, on being attacked, robbed or simular while with my daughter.
>>
>> She is no stranger to guns, yet doesn't find them to be her big thing, 
>> believe it or not, although attending multiple gun safety classes and 
>> being around the firearms I have owned cemi-autos, bult-action rifles, 
>> revolvers, etc she is actually not curious about them which is a good 
>> thing, as a matter of fact the training I put her through at a local shop 
>> in phoenix has gotten her curiocity settled, but again, she freely admits 
>> that she's not in to them.
>>
>> sorry for going off topic, I say all that to say this, my daughter and I 
>> have a rule, or understanding that with or with out my gun being present 
>> in a hostile environment, she is to get behind me if and when possibleso 
>> that if anything were to go flying, fists or led, she would be out of the 
>> way, thankfully I haven't had to pull my 38 out while she has been around 
>> but there has been situations where the probablility for it was very high. 
>> I am deffinetly interested in others peoples stories about self defense 
>> around children. just to know that I am not the only one to stress on it.
>> On Mar 19, 2011, at 2:52 AM, Mark Melonson wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> All,
>>>
>>> I wanted to see who of you attended last year's self-defense seminar at 
>>> National convention and also pick the brains of those who did not. I am 
>>> one of those unfortunate people who has found himself in situations 
>>> whereas I've had to defend myself physically. Thankfully, it was not when 
>>> traveling with my children, but I often consider what it would have been 
>>> like if I was traveling with them. I do a lot of traveling, but not often 
>>> with my girls. However, I want to broach the concerns and possible 
>>> solutions of traveling with our children as they relate to possible 
>>> threats.
>>>
>>> I personally found the seminar useful and have since attended their 
>>> instructor training, having studied the base art of the system for many 
>>> years. As a blind parent, I want to hear your experiences, and fears so 
>>> that I can help in establishing a curriculum that properly serves it's 
>>> intended audience.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> -Mark
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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