[Community-service] Maybe we can't do service work.

[Darian Smith]

  A few years ago I, along with some friends set out  to address the idea that blind people are  typically  not expected to take an active part in addressing the needs of their  communities.
 this was fueled  by personal experience  in  that when I wanted to take on tasks  not typically  thought of as tasks blind people could do, I was turned away or told what others thought or felt comfortable I could do.
 as i went on, I found that this has not been an isolated case, that there have been people who have wanted to serve in state and national service programs that have been denied the opportunity  solely based upon their blindness.
 So you tell me that this can't possibly be  the case if you want  to spend  a few hours on a saturday doing something good, right?
 I tell you  that considering most state and national programs take on tasks  like park clean-ups,  reading to, teaching/mentoring children and youth, organizing  food, painting or working on houses and the like, and  blind folks are getting turned  away from that.  Even still,  local agencies  have been known to turn blind people away sighting safety concerns, I would tell you that discrimination in the service field does take place.
 Does it matter that  the blind are not allowed equal access and opportunity  to carry out their responsibilities  as citizens?  Is it acceptable for us to be expected to  disclose  our blindness, made  to bring a sighted assistant/ supporting documentation  in order to get the potential  for  a chance which by this point is not a fair one?
 do we want to decide that we want to help out at the local homeless shelter and walk in the door  knowing that we wan't be forced to the sidelines or ran through a extra battery of tests to judge our "fitness" to serve?
 Do we believe in blind people, and the collective action of the National Federation of the blind?
 
 Today, what is the message the community service group, our group is sending? 
  Darian