[blparent] Teaching society about blindness

Wed Mar 7 04:31:16 UTC 2012

Y'know, I haven't gotten questions like that, except from my garndparents 
who took me in as a kid, they wanted to know how I ate and didn't stuff the 
fork up my nose. So I told them to close their eyes and try it. My 
grandfather ended up with mashed potatoes in his hair. I guess it takes 
getting used to the spacial difference by touch rather than sight.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Veronica Smith" <madison_tewe at spinn.net>
To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 9:02 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Teaching society about blindness


> The stupid question in my book is the one that isn't asked.  No matter how
> hard we try, peeps are curious and want to know anything and everything 
> the
> way someone that is different than they are will do what ever.
> I really  really try not to make my voice sound rude.  I want peeps to 
> learn
> about blindness, not try to shove it in their face.  Heck, I am curious
> about others, aren't you.  Don't you want to know how a deaf person 
> listens
> to a radio or how he knows to answer his telephone.  If we don't ask, we
> won't know.
> If I didn't ask, I wouldn't of known that my sister's brother, who is 
> deaf,
> listens to the radio by feeling the vibrations.  I thought that was cool 
> and
> he didn't think it was a stupid question.
> Kids, especially, ask the most interesting questions.  Like Mrs. Smith, 
> how
> do you open your front door or how do you put your sock on?  How do you 
> know
> where your car is parked or do you burn yourself when you cook?
> They may be silly questions to us as we've been doing them all our lives,
> but to a child or someone who doesn't know blindness, putting on socks 
> need
> vision or putting your key in the lock needs vision.  Well, not to me.  So
> instead of ignoring them, I show them right there in the classrooms, I 
> take
> off my shoes and socks and then put them on again and for emphasis, I 
> close
> my eyes and look at the ceiling.  I want them to really know I am not
> looking or as one of the kids said to me, "cheating."
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Tay Laurie
> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 7:15 AM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Teaching society about blindness
>
> Usually, I don't mention my blindness unless it's asked about,. It's not a
> sticking my head in the sand approach, it's the same attitude I adopted 
> with
> my wheelchair and other things. I see my disabilities as inconveniences, 
> not
> a hindrance. Ok, I may never be able to drive or run a mile for a while, 
> if
> ever, but that's ok. There are other ways of getting around.
> If asked how I do such and such, i.e "How do you maneuver around the 
> house?"
>
> I answer in a similar vein to, "Well, how do you?" IF the person says "I
> walk", I say, then I wheel, or if it's a very short distance, I walk. I 
> know
> where corners are, and unless there's a stray piece of laundry, my 
> husband's
> foot, etc in the way, I can usually do it relatively well. I've learned 
> how
> to open doors and back up, using the chair's pull as the strength to open
> doors if I can't. I also know how to operate my chair, i.e folding 
> footrests
> in or tucking arms in, to keep it tight enough to fit through the doroway.
> And I still have just enough sight to be able to use sharp knives, and 
> I've
> only cut myself once, in the ten years I've done cooking.
>
> I don't say this to brag, but I'm trying to point out that some of the 
> more
> obvious questions come from someone who may not have logically thought 
> about
> the issues. I had someone in the third grade ask if my eyes were clear. I
> made sure they were opened, turned to her and asked, "Well, do they look
> clear to you?" Because I wanted her to think about what she'd asked. I 
> know
> some folks's eyes lose colour or look damaged, but save for the size being
> mismatched, mine don't. I try to teach people to think, not to ask stupid
> questions.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Eileen Levin" <eileenlevin at comcast.net>
> To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 6:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Teaching society about blindness
>
>
>>" When I run into females, even blind parents, I often break the ice
>>with  what I call a "conversation starter."  For people I meet, I tell
>>them  about  my blindness after I introduce myself.  "
>>
>> Dear Eric,
>> First, I have no idea why you single out females for this approach.
>> From a female perspective,  that's a bit weird!
>>
>> Second, being passionate about something can be very constructive. It
>> also indicates a certain amount of need to deal with the subject one
>> is passionate about. I'll be the first to admit that I am still
>> dealing with my blindness. However, when I meet people I want them to
>> understand that my life is not consumed by blindness. I'm blind.
>> Blindness has forced me to adjust and change so that I can provide for
>> my family and parent my children. However, when I'm talking with other
>> parents I want to talk about our kids, current events, normal stuff
>> that the average person likes to chat about. If blindness happens to
>> make it's way into the conversation I'm OK with explaining how I cope
>> with this or that. People who confide in me say that I don't seem
>> blind, which is silly since my eyes look damaged and I very much need
>> a dog or cane to stay safe!  One thing I have noticed over the years
>> is that the folks most likely to talk to me already have someone in
>> the family with some kind of issue beyond the scope of "normal". It's
>> not the first thing they talk about. I usually discover the fact
>> aftger knowing them for quite some time.  Sometimes they want to know
>> why their loved one doesn't come across as capable as I do. I do my
>> best to find out the facts.
>> Generally the loved  one is newly blinded or having medical problems
>> that consume all of their energy leaving very little space for adapting 
>> to
>> blindness.   I also let them know that I had years of mobility and other
>> adaptvie techniques training which really helps.
>>
>>
>> Have fun educating the world about blindness. I would also encourage
>> you to try a conversation that is blindness free. The results may
>> surprise you.
>> Have a great day,
>> Eileen
>>
>>
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