[blparent] Teaching society about blindness

Mon Mar 5 15:15:29 UTC 2012

"I still have just enough sight to be able to use sharp knives"

Your own biases are showing here. :) You have made some good points in this
post and I hope you do not think this is the only thing I have taken from
your response. It is just that I have been totally blind since 1987 and I
use knives regularly. Depending on how much vision you have, you may find
that you are able to move faster with a knife if you give up trying to use
your vision for the task.

Jennifer	
"I still have just enough sight to be able to use sharp knives"

Your own biases are showing here. :) You have made some good points in this
post and I hope you do not think this is the only thing I have taken from
your response. It is just that I have been totally blind since 1987 and I
use knives regularly. Depending on how much vision you have, you may find
that you are able to move faster with a knife if you give up trying to use
your vision for the task.

Jennifer
-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Tay Laurie
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 8:15 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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