[Colorado-talk] Folska in Post

James Beal bealcorgi at aol.com
Tue Oct 6 21:35:29 UTC 2015


I am not a Center gr4ad. however, as I see it based upon my years as a teacher of the visually impaired we as instructors or role models have to be careful about how much we teach at one time. it is very easy to overload someone who has little or no experience with discovery learning . For newly blinded people it may take very little exploration before frustration sets in. Part of working through this is knowing your student and picking up on the clues they give you as to the level of frustration he or she may experience. iAt the point of total frustration the student will rebel or refuse to move further. The teacher, I n this case, needs to be there to provide emotional support or to provide at least a clue about an alternative technique that will help him or her work through the frustration. leaving a student alone at this point can do much more harm than good. Sometimes all that is needed is for the lesson to terminat3e and start again when the student has had a little time to think through the problem. Sometimes either a clue to help solve the problem or simply allowing the individual to vent will reduce the stress and allow clear thought to prevail. This may not have happened with the person whose experiences were described in the Post. The rest of us can use this as a learning experience using it to make us more sensitive to our charges.
?
The comments about this Post article are indicative of people who have been around blindness and blind people for a long time. I wonder how the article was perceived by the general public and how different it might be from what we see as Federationists.

James Beal
bealcorgi at aol.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Burke via Colorado-talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: NFB of Colorado Discussion List <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Dan Burke <burke.dall at gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Oct 6, 2015 8:26 am
Subject: Re: [Colorado-talk] Folska in Post

 
 
 
You nailed the problem Nate - it's not the sleep shades that is the 
problem but the arc of the narrative ... which is not *how* blind 
people can do things, but *how hard* it is for blind people  to do 
things.  Read, how hard it is, our daily *struggles* living in this 
world.  Compare that to "Live the life you want!" 
 
Dan 
 
 
On 10/5/15, Beth Taurasi via Colorado-talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
> Claudia? ... Wait a second, she is a lady I saw at the RTD meeting I 
> once attended on silent light rail crossings. That same one? What is 
> going ... Oh, I have to process this for a while, but I see what's up. I 
> would rather my church pastor shadow me like that too, so yeah. My 
> church as well as other places around Colorado ought to know what I can 
> do, what I will do, not what I can't or won't. RTD should know that 
> however they implement their policies, they may serve or not serve us 
> better. Holy crap, it's the same Claudia lady I saw at the meeting. Holy 
> smokes! 
> 
> This email address is used for listserv emails only, comcast stuff only, or 
> if you prefer a more personal touch, and you're Comcast contacting me, a 
> technician's note or two. Please email me at thebluesisloose at gmail.com for a 
> more personal experience. 
> 
> On 10/5/2015 8:34 AM, Nate Trela via Colorado-talk wrote: 
>> I was trying to explain to someone the other day why I had such a 
>> problem with this when my daughter spent a day under sleepshades 
>> shadowing me when I was a CCB student. And the key is she came out of 
>> there with a sense of what I did and how I did it, not this damn sense 
>> of pity that Claudia is creating. Maggie cooked, read some Braille 
>> played with Voiceover and took a cane lesson. She didn't get led 
>> around by sighted guide and get told how how hard everything was. 
>> 
>> As a journalist, I cringed at both the KUSA and Post pieces. I can't 
>> possibly fathom what editor worth their salt can think that portrayal 
>> is OK. If I ever leave the business newswire I work for, a big reason 
>> would be because we need better perspectives in community newsrooms. 
>> 
>> On 10/5/15, Beth Taurasi via Colorado-talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> 
>> wrote: 
>>> I would still advise this Falska lady to resign as her views are 
>>> damaging to Denver's large disabled population. RTD should ask kindly 
>>> this woman to resign so that we can clean up other aspects of the 
>>> business. Not only do we now need to clean up our relationship with RTD, 
>>> but we now may need to clean up Rehab as well. We have a lot of cleaning 
>>> up to do. 
>>> 
>>> This email address is used for listserv emails only, comcast stuff only, 
>>> or 
>>> if you prefer a more personal touch, and you're Comcast contacting me, a 
>>> technician's note or two. Please email me at thebluesisloose at gmail.com 
>>> for a 
>>> more personal experience. 
>>> 
>>> On 10/5/2015 5:47 AM, Gary Van Dorn via Colorado-talk wrote: 
>>>> Ryan, 
>>>> 
>>>> You have a good idea.  I am able to tell you from experience it will 
>>>> not 
>>>> work.  Folska really believes she is doing good.  Her cognitive 
>>>> dissonance 
>>>> will not allow her to listen.  I expressed concerns in the past with 
>>>> her 
>>>> privately about the use of sleep shades in this manner. 
>>>> 
>>>> The next Board meeting is 27 October 2015 at 5:30 p.m.  One may speak 
>>>> three minutes on any topic RTD rated.  Federationists should have a 
>>>> line 
>>>> to speak from the podium to Blake Street. 
>>>> 
>>>> The meetings are at 1600 Blake Street. 
>>>> 
>>>> Gary 
>>>>> On 4 Oct 2015, at 11:24, Ryan O. via Colorado-talk 
>>>>> <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
>>>>> 
>>>>> It's my layman's opinion that we need to get this woman back to 
>>>>> convention and actively challenge her on her beliefs. If we can't 
>>>>> persuade her, then we need to increase our presence in the press as an 
>>>>> alternative view. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> RyanO 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Oct 4, 2015, at 11:19 AM, Dan Burke via Colorado-talk 
>>>>>> <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Another good deed done? 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I have to report that I googled Folska.  It's appalling how much 
>>>>>> press 
>>>>>> she gets in the "expert" role she's placed herself in. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> One of my findings this morning was that yesterday's Uniont 
>>>>>> Stationadventure with the Girl Scouts was also covered by 9News last 
>>>>>> night. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Do not watch this on a full stomach. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> http://www.9news.com/story/life/2015/10/03/union-station-girl-scouts-tour/73294266/ 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On 10/4/15, melissa R green via Colorado-talk 
>>>>>>> <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
>>>>>>> Oh my!  SMH! 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Warmly, 
>>>>>>> Melissa R. Green and Pj 
>>>>>>> It is 'where we are' that 
>>>>>>> should make all the 
>>>>>>> difference, whether we believe 
>>>>>>> we belong there or not. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> -----Original Message----- 
>>>>>>> From: Colorado-talk 
>>>>>>> [mailto:colorado-talk-bounces@ 
>>>>>>> nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dan 
>>>>>>> Burke via Colorado-talk 
>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2015 
>>>>>>> 10:16 AM 
>>>>>>> To: NFB of Colorado Discussion 
>>>>>>> List 
>>>>>>> Cc: Dan Burke 
>>>>>>> Subject: [Colorado-talk] 
>>>>>>> Folska in Post 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> I'm pasting below a portion of 
>>>>>>> an article on a girl scout 
>>>>>>> outing at 
>>>>>>> Union Station yesterday, and a 
>>>>>>> general public activity there 
>>>>>>> of some 
>>>>>>> kind.  The article is kind of 
>>>>>>> out of focus, but this section 
>>>>>>> is 
>>>>>>> clearly in focus.  Every time 
>>>>>>> I read of one of these 
>>>>>>> activities by the 
>>>>>>> RTD board member, I feel sick 
>>>>>>> to my stomach - literally. 
>>>>>>> The message 
>>>>>>> of the Post article on this 
>>>>>>> item anyway is very clear - it 
>>>>>>> would be 
>>>>>>> scary to be blind and blind 
>>>>>>> people have to learn to be 
>>>>>>> dependent. 
>>>>>>> Folska's purpose, as quoted by 
>>>>>>> the Post is to show what blind 
>>>>>>> people 
>>>>>>> have to "go through" every 
>>>>>>> day.  She is doing much damage 
>>>>>>> to blind 
>>>>>>> people. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Here's the portion of the 
>>>>>>> article: 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> A gaggle of Girl Scouts from 
>>>>>>> the metro area made a pit stop 
>>>>>>> at Union 
>>>>>>> Station during a morning 
>>>>>>> lesson from Colorado women 
>>>>>>> transportation 
>>>>>>> engineers. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> "We are teaching young ladies 
>>>>>>> about transportation 
>>>>>>> engineering and 
>>>>>>> introducing them to STEM 
>>>>>>> concepts so they see that this 
>>>>>>> can be a 
>>>>>>> career option for them," 
>>>>>>> said Cassie Slade, a 
>>>>>>> transportation engineer with 
>>>>>>> Fox Tuttle Hernandez. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Another lesson came when RTD 
>>>>>>> board director Claudia Folska, 
>>>>>>> who is 
>>>>>>> vision-impaired, wanted to 
>>>>>>> show the children the 
>>>>>>> struggles that those 
>>>>>>> who are blind 
>>>>>>> face every day. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Donning blindfolds and nervous 
>>>>>>> grins, the girls were led 
>>>>>>> around the 
>>>>>>> transit station platform by a 
>>>>>>> guide buddy. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> "It felt kind of weird because 
>>>>>>> I thought I was going to fall 
>>>>>>> over," 
>>>>>>> said 9-year-old Brynna Hoff of 
>>>>>>> Aurora. "When we went down 
>>>>>>> stairs, it 
>>>>>>> was kind of scary. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Sophia Garcia, 9, said she 
>>>>>>> felt like she better 
>>>>>>> understood some of the 
>>>>>>> obstacles those with visual 
>>>>>>> impairments face. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> "I learned to do teamwork and 
>>>>>>> that it's fun to help each 
>>>>>>> other out," she said. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> -- 
>>>>>>> Dan Burke 
>>>>>>> My Cell:  406.546.8546 
>>>>>>> Twitter:  @DallDonal 
>>>>>>> 
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>>>>>> -- 
>>>>>> Dan Burke 
>>>>>> My Cell:  406.546.8546 
>>>>>> Twitter:  @DallDonal 
>>>>>> 
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--  
Dan Burke 
My Cell:  406.546.8546 
Twitter:  @DallDonal 
 
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