[blparent] Fw: Story about Blind Dad, Ryan Knighton

[Deborah Kent Stein]

Well, I finally took the plunge.  I just sent off a letter to This American 
Life, inspired by the Ryan Knighton excerpt we were subjected to a couple of 
weeks ago.  Maybe if they hear from a lot of us, they will take my 
suggestion seriously and consider doing a real story.  Please write to them, 
too!  We have power in numbers!

Debbie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deborah Kent Stein" <dkent5817 at att.net>
To: <web at thislife.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 11:03 AM
Subject: Story about Blind Dad, Ryan Knighton


>
>
> Dear This American Life Team,
>
> A few weeks ago I listened to your broadcast of a reading from Ryan 
> Knighton's memoir, C'Mon, Papa: Dispatches from a Dad in the Dark. 
> Knighton's writing is superb and the reader did an excellent job of 
> bringing his words to life.  However, I was appalled by the content of 
> this excerpt. It portrays a blind father as severely inept and willing to 
> endanger his vulnerable young child in a world he has not learned to 
> navigate on his own. This TAL episode goes a long way to promote the most 
> egregious stereotypes about blind people, and blind parents in particular.
>
> I am the totally blind mother of a now-grown daughter.  For the past 
> fifteen years I have chaired the Blind Parents Interest Group of the 
> National Federation of the Blind, and I am in contact with hundreds of 
> blind parents across the US and Canada.  For most of us, blindness 
> presents occasional challenges, such as finding a reliable talking 
> thermometer or figuring out how to teach our kids to recognize colors. 
> However, the toughest problems we face come from the doubts and fears of 
> friends, family members, professionals, and the general public.  Blind 
> parents are not infrequently investigated by child protective services, 
> even though there are no signs of neglect or abuse - they are investigated 
> simply because of their blindness. In divorce cases, blindness has often 
> been used as a reason to remove a child from a blind parent's custody.
>
> I have the greatest respect for the quality of reporting that has become 
> the TAL hallmark.  I urge you to consider doing a serious story about 
> blind parents.  Please listen to us.  Visit us and meet our children. 
> Learn about the incidents that fill our day-to-day lives - including the 
> sometimes painful, sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious encounters we 
> have with people who cannot conceive of how we manage to survive, intact 
> and smiling. We have a world of stories to share, and our experiences are 
> a facet of this American life that your audience might come to understand. 
> Please help us set the record straight!
>
> Deborah Kent Stein
> 5817 N. Nina Ave.
> Chicago, IL 60631
> dkent5817 at att.net
> 773-203-1394
>
> P.S.  For more information about blindness, visit the website of the 
> National Federation of the Blind, www.nfb.org.