[Faith-talk] The proper introduction to blindness.
Rob Kaiser
rcubfank at live.com
Mon Dec 16 23:10:30 UTC 2013
Jenny: Have you considered one of the nfb centers for your husband? If this
is old stuff, I'm really sorry. Contact me off list or call me
@(847)989-0768.
Thanks. I'm just trying to help.
-----Original Message-----
From: Faith-talk [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Snow
White Dove
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 2:10 PM
To: Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion
Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The proper introduction to blindness.
People who are blinded like my husband by diabetes that don't get the
mobility help they need don't know how to get around in a fashion that makes
them independent.
Sadly, when he asks for so much help getting to and from the store and
having someone like friends who don't know much about blindness to help all
the time instead of using paratransit or getting some kind of mobility
training somewhere else makes people who don't know better think that we
aren't normally independent.
to me, independent behavior makes people think that we are quote normal and
are like they are, quote.
Unfortunately, there isn't somewhere he can go to just learn mobility
without having to learn things he already knows, like cooking, cleaning, and
braille is not an option because of severe cal acing and neuropathy in his
hands. A lot of rehab centers have issue with that one.
Having been blind all my life and been to a rehab center or two, I have seen
that many times and it frustrates and discourages the person who cannot feel
braille.
they need to focus their training on things the person needs to know, not
things they can't learn for physical reasons, or that they already know.
Jenny
On Dec 16, 2013, at 6:35 AM, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com>
wrote:
> I don't understand how behaving normally and being equal means not being
able to get around. Those organizations are crazy.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Faith-talk [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kirt
> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 7:27 AM
> To: Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The proper introduction to blindness.
>
> Jenny,
> I mostly agree with you and, as an active and proud Federationist, I
really have no idea what organization you might be referring to because it's
certainly not one I'm familiar with. Asking questions and getting directions
is something I do all the time and I would agree it's absolutely invaluable.
The only caveat I would include hear is that, for me at least, asking
questions and getting information from people rarely involves having them go
out of their way and take me where I want to go, though a lot of that is
personal preference more than anything else.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 15, 2013, at 6:44 PM, Snow White Dove <jlperdue3 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I find that the ability to ask questions of people while you are out in
unfamiliar circumstances is vital.
>>
>> My husband has only been blind for about sixteen years, and our mobility
training in this state is so bad that he hasn't been able to get it for that
long. He is not able to go anywhere by himself in sixteen years.
>>
>> Asking questions of your surroundings, as I've told him, is the best way
to figure out where you are and need to be in a situation. Such as getting
off paratransit and finding your way into a doctor's office and finding the
counter for check-in.
>>
>> also, instead of not going to the grocery store himself, he can take
paratransit, having them drop him off at the door, and then ask someone
where the customer service counter is.
>>
>> It helps if you have been given decent cane travel skills, but that's
another thing that our state really lacks in considering the lack in O&M
training.
>>
>> I come from Florida where when people go blind they can get training in
that area pretty fast.
>>
>> It's a sad situation when the one thing I was most taught from the time I
was a small child by my mobility teacher is not employed by blind people
either by pride or for whatever reasons.
>>
>> There are organizations which frown on that behavior because of their
belief that we must behave as normally as possible to appear and be equal to
our sighted counterparts.
>>
>> I believe, that to be equal to our sighted counterparts, we must be able
to maneuver within the necessities of our lives by whatever means necessary
to get it done and safely.
>>
>> All I can say about it is what my mobility teacher taught me. If you
don't know, ask, ask, ask.
>>
>> Jenny
>>> On Dec 13, 2013, at 8:43 AM, Paul <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> First of all, Mustafa, your English was very good, though I'm speaking
not as a teacher of English or even a grammarian but as an average person.
>>>
>>> I get those same kinds of questions myself such as how I do what I do on
the computer, as I'm sure others do. However there is one particular area
of communication which we blind people, and especially those of us who are
totally blind, are unaware of, and that is the subject of body language.
I've read somewhere that over 70% of all communication is done through body
language or with eye contact. Not being an expert on those things, I'll
just leave it to them, though I'd like to know personally what is acceptable
or unacceptable to sighted people. Now I know that rocking back and forth
and putting one's fingers in his eyes are probably the most obviious
unacceptable behaviors, which I learned over time to not do, but perhaps
there are other, not so obvious, forms of unacceptable behavior.
>>>
>>> Another form of unacceptance with some blind folks is that of attitudes
on both sides of the coin, the blind person and his or her sighted
acquaintance. There is a verse in the biblical book of Proverbs which
directly addresses this question: "He who would want friends must show
himself friendly." There is much more in this verse than meets the eye or
goes beyond the words. I thank God that I have some off line sighted
friends with whom I can interact. Of course, one might relate that to one's
personality, and that is a factor to consider as well.
>>>
>>> Well, I'll close my essay for now. Hope you and other list members got
something out of what I wrote here. Paul
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mostafa" <mostafa.almahdy at gmail.com>
>>> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
>>> Sent: Friday, December 13, 2013 9:17 AM
>>> Subject: [Faith-talk] The proper introduction to blindness.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hello.
>>>>
>>>> I hope you all are keeping really well.
>>>>
>>>> This is part of my daily writing practice.
>>>>
>>>> Please, feel free to share, agree or disagree.
>>>>
>>>> You may correct my English where that is relevant.
>>>>
>>>> So, to the core of the subject then.
>>>>
>>>> Some of you may have assumed that I am going to write a piece of
composition on blindness.
>>>>
>>>> Well, not exactly but, I want to have a sort of a conversation with my
friends, in many different parts of the world.
>>>>
>>>> As blind people, we always complain that we are misunderstood by the
mainstreamed social arena, and that sighted people are constantly
presupposing our inadequacy.
>>>>
>>>> Um, well, that holds to be true to some extent but, it's not perfectly
accurate.
>>>>
>>>> I am surrounded by my private social life, that includes my parents,
siblings, and my close friends.
>>>>
>>>> They all believe I am fully capable of being totally independent.
>>>>
>>>> I have the secondary social level, that includes my acquaintances, and
they all think I am just equal to them, in both my rights and duties.
>>>>
>>>> The third and final social level I am surrounded by, is the public
class.
>>>>
>>>> People who don't know me, but they may possibly communicate with me on
a regular basis.
>>>>
>>>> Such as, at the workplace, at the Gym, at the Mosque, at the grocery
store, or anywhere else.
>>>>
>>>> At this point, we need to develop a mental intellligence.
>>>>
>>>> I go to the Gym here on almost a daily basis.
>>>>
>>>> Well, I currently resident in Jedah, where I don't have much friends or
family members.
>>>>
>>>> I am surrounded by my neighbors here at the compound, and most of them
are not in a regular communication with me.
>>>>
>>>> But, I really enjoy going to the Gym on a daily basis, where I can
exercize and expand my social communication at the same time.
>>>>
>>>> Everyday, I meet with new people, and we variously exchange mass
benefits in a friendly way.
>>>>
>>>> Generally speaking, people are interested to learn how a blind person
can cope with his demands.
>>>>
>>>> They may curiously ask; How do you use your computer?
>>>>
>>>> How do you follow up the forecast on your cellphone?
>>>>
>>>> How do you determine what the next step is going to be whilst walking
around?
>>>>
>>>> I personally think that these questions are representing a tremendous
opportunity to significantly educate the masses about blindness.
>>>>
>>>> We as blind people ought to appreciate this attitude, and we should not
treat that with skepticism or irrational sensitivity.
>>>>
>>>> To the contrary, we should treat that with much open-mindedness and
empathy.
>>>>
>>>> Sometimes, I just feel that some blind people are ashamed to admit they
might be in need to assistance before their sighted counterparts.
>>>>
>>>> Well, to appositely speak the truth, yes, we do have to rely on sighted
assistance in the case of lacking the sufficient accessibility, whether in
the digitalized world, or just in our casual life.
>>>>
>>>> What matters is, that we should not take advantage of their good
intentions, to gradually develop a mental laziness.
>>>>
>>>> There where it comes the real catastrophe, when we take advantage of
their innocence to assist, to develop the quick excuse attitude.
>>>>
>>>> But, I shamelessly ask for the sighted help whenever I need it.
>>>>
>>>> For instance, I may want to check the calorie burn rate whilst I jog on
the treadmill platform.
>>>>
>>>> I obviously can't do that on my own, at least for the time being.
>>>>
>>>> Thus, I immediately refuge to the sighted assistance.
>>>>
>>>> Please, would you mind checking the calorie burn rate for me?
>>>>
>>>> He will probably appreciate to do so.
>>>>
>>>> Well, here I am.
>>>>
>>>> I went out for fun, exercized, and increased my social network.
>>>>
>>>> It is absolutely okay to ask for help.
>>>>
>>>> Conditionally, to not have a way to do this task on your own, and to
preserve your dignity, to make sure it's not jeopardized by any manner.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for joining me for this concise essay.
>>>>
>>>> Mostafa.
>>>>
>>>> The only worse thing than being blind, is having sight and no vision.
>>>> ____
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ail.com
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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