[Cabs-talk] studying "the blind,"

[Darian Smith]

On 10/3/10, Aziza C <daydreamingncolor at gmail.com> wrote:
> Judgement defines intent. You can tell a lot about someone on how they
> approach you. I think. If someone is truly interested in blindness it is
> noticeable.
>
> If it isn't our responsibility to educate, who's is it? It may not be by
> default ours, but we have taken it on for the entire blind community, and
> tend to pass it on with what we've learned about the responsibility to those
> blind people we meet.
>
> Not really sure how to respond to the third.
> AC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cabs-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:cabs-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Darian Smith
> Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2010 5:53 PM
> To: fowlers at syix.com; California Association of Blind Students Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Cabs-talk] studying "the blind,"
>
>  slightly shifting the topic:
> I pose these questions  for consideration to the list.
> 1. how can we   realisticly judge  intent?
> 2. what"makes it" our "responsibility" to educate?
> 3. when does education end and living our lives as the fully
> functioning, desire-having, dream-seeking human beings that we are
> begin?
> Darian
>
> On 10/3/10, Angela Fowler <fowlers at syix.com> wrote:
>> Aziza brings up a question which I've been wrestling with off and on for
>> almost a year.
>> At times I receive emails from people wanting to interview a blind person
> as
>> part of some project they are doing, or seeking information about some
> other
>> aspect of life as a blind person. I rarely respond to such a request, as
>> much as anything because I can't verify that the person making it is
>> legitimate.
>> 	The dilemma however, is this. If the person making the request has
>> preconceived notions about blind people, and is trying to reinforce those
>> notions, nothing we say or do is likely to have any effect. On the other
>> hand, if the person making the request is open-minded, thoughtful, and is
>> undertaking a project which is going to be seen by a wide variety of
> people,
>> we have a good opportunity to educate.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: cabs-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:cabs-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
>> Behalf Of Darian Smith
>> Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2010 1:39 PM
>> To: California Association of Blind Students Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Cabs-talk] studying "the blind,"
>>
>> Aziza,
>>  this is a very interesting topic, and I want to thank you for bringing it
>> up.  I, like alot of us on this list  are subscribed to alot of
>> blindness-related list serves and I find it  interesting that  some
> amungst
>> the sighted public turn to  the blind as a sort of  case study hot bed.
>>  This said, it is difficult to say what is the case with  the
> communication
>> you recieved,  because only you have the ability to make
>> the determination with regards to what you  have   been approached
>> with.  I guess it is really a judgement call.  If you really  think that
>> someone  is  taking interest in blindness  just  as a case study,  you
>> obviously  don't need to assist them,  nor do you if they  seem to  have a
>> good cause behind their wishing to survay-interview  you.
>>   Basically, it's a subjective thing  as I personally see it.
>>  respectfully,
>>   Darian
>>
>>
>> On 10/3/10, Aziza C <daydreamingncolor at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi guys,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> So I may be completely off based, but I will let you decide.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I got a message on facebook from an individual who wants to write a
>>> paper on a blind person. Personally this infuriates me. It frustrates
>>> me that the only reason someone would contact me is to try and make
>>> their misconceptions fit into my life so they can write their paper
>>> and pretend they actually understand what its like to be blind.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Now don't get me wrong, I love to inform and teach, but there is a
>>> difference in sitting down and discussing blindness as a whole with
>>> someone pursuing an education in disability services, or allowing
>>> someone to document what kind of lives we lead, or even working with
>>> children who want to learn how to develop something to help the blind
>>> community. These kinds of efforts, in my opinion, are helping us.
>>> However, when someone contacts me, as if I am a rare case study they
>>> must speak with because I am blind, I get a little frustrated.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Where does general affective curiosity cross the line into rude
>>> invasion of our blindness? How do we decide who to help with projects
>>> like these, and who is not really interested in blindness, but just
>>> wants a good topic to bluff his/her way through with preconceived false
>> notions?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Aziza
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Darian Smith
>> Skype: The_Blind_Truth
>> Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
>> Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/goldengateace
>>
>>
>> "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
>> spiritual beings having a human experience." - Teilhard de Chardin
>>
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>
>
> --
> Darian Smith
> Skype: The_Blind_Truth
> Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
> Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/goldengateace
>
>
> "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
> spiritual beings having a human experience." - Teilhard de Chardin
>
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-- 
Darian Smith
Skype: The_Blind_Truth
Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/goldengateace


“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
spiritual beings having a human experience.” - Teilhard de Chardin