[blparent] Teaching society about blindness

Wed Mar 7 17:45:48 UTC 2012

I had something to cut french fries, and carrot strips, but yeah I know the 
thin you're talking about.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Teaching society about blindness


>I picked up on the knife thing, too.  It's probably scary to think about 
>using sharp knives with no vision if you've gotten accustomed to doing it 
>sighted.  Actually, a sharp knife is safer than a duller one because you're 
>less likely to cut yourself with it.  You can also get knives with guides 
>on them so that you can cut straight slices without putting your fingers 
>near the blade.  The one I used to have, and really liked, was called the 
>Magna Wonder Knife, and I got it from one of those catalogs of independent 
>living aids.  It broke, and I haven't been able to find it again, but I 
>bought a SliceOMatic, maybe you've seen it on TV.  It's wonderful.  You 
>just put a potato or whatever you want to cut in the top, press it down, 
>and move the handle.  Bingo!  Perfect slices end up in the tray at the 
>bottom.  Hopefully those are some ideas.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 
> compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant 
> of the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been 
> all of these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 9:21 AM
> To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Teaching society about blindness
>
>> Yup, I picked up on that too and my first response was the three letter 
>> response.
>> Thank you for showing us your own biases. Let's hear it for education 
>> folks.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf Of Jennifer Jackson
>> Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 10:15 AM
>> To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Teaching society about blindness
>>
>> "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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>>
>>
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