[Cabs-talk] studying "the blind,"
Darian Smith
dsmithnfb at gmail.com
Mon Oct 4 02:27:41 UTC 2010
You will not get an arguement from me there. But what i respectfully
submit for consideration is this:
People of different skin colors/ethnic backgrounds likely don't feel
like they must educate, that it is their responsibility to change the
perceptions of the community around them all by themselves and or
all of the time.
Is this the expectation that any blind person must have? that it is
a birth right/responsibility to educate?
Best,
Darian
On 10/3/10, Aziza C <daydreamingncolor at gmail.com> wrote:
> Women and people of various skin colors and backgrounds may not have to
> assert themselves now, however they did. Every minority has or will go
> through its own revolution. And, some would argue that women, and people of
> various races still do have to assert themselves. I would certainly say that
> as a female and a Hispanic one at that I must assert myself and prove myself
> to others. Just because women are mor accepted in everyday society as
> contributing members nowadays, doesn't mean the fight is over, and this can
> be said for all groups. Just a thought.
>
> -----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 6:54 PM
> To: California Association of Blind Students Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Cabs-talk] studying "the blind,"
>
> I did say that I was shifting things.
> Does a woman, a Latino/ african- american
> have to explain that they have just the same likelyhood to be
> successful that their male or white peers?
> that their skin color, or the way they speak does not determine
> their intelligence?
> does stopping to explain ourselves in fact add more attention to
> ourselves? I think there is something to the idea that we have a
> responsibility to educate, but I am not going to go around
> expecting the next blind person to do what I may be willing to do. I
> think it's important to realize an important fact: we are a minority,
> and speaking as a minority, I understand the ways people look at me,
> but I am not going to always look to change how a person looks at me.
> If I do try to change everyone, or even a majority of people's
> views about that minority group that I belong to, I'm probably not
> taking the time to enjoy life and I'm possibly thinking too much of
> myself as some sort of champion of a cause that has long been in
> affect before I am born and probably will be around long after I'm
> gone.
> personally, do I educate? yes, I do. But, I don't go out of my way
> to do it when I'm not having the paitionce to do it. and I do it
> because I want to.
> So, to bring it back to
> Aziza post 1: If in my judgement
> it's worth my time to do it, then I'll do it. What that means to a
> person is subjective.
>
> respectfully,
> Darian
>
>
>
>
> On 10/3/10, Aziza C <daydreamingncolor at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Darian is a silent commentator? *looks disbelieving* lol
>>
>> -----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 6:16 PM
>> To: California Association of Blind Students Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Cabs-talk] studying "the blind,"
>>
>> 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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>>>> m
>>>>
>>>>
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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
>
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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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