[Home-on-the-range] "the right to live in the world…"

[Cindy Ray]

Diane, I will try to read these articles and discuss. Maybe I could get some discussion going at o ur own meeting. GASP! Can't imagine it. LOL.

Cindy

On Oct 8, 2012, at 9:46 AM, Dianne Hemphill wrote:

> ...just completed listening to the October Braille Monitor. Among the fascinating articles are two focusing on our early history and leaders. I didn't know much about Dr. Newll Perry who was a mentor to our founding father Jacobas ten Broek who wrote the still used legal perspective of "the right to live in the world". Perry's perspective and philosophy on the blind participating in the community is just as confusing and misunderstood  today by many as it was at the early 1900's. These articles would make good discussion at local chapter meetings. Such ideas as;
> 1. "don't listen to your parents advise - it will only limit you (as a blind person),
> 2. education is the key to a blind person's ability to contribute to both their own and the communities benefit,
> 3. fear of joining an organization like the NFB, because the school, training facility or workshop would find that it would raise a person's  discontent and  potential   criticism  of their programs (and funding streams),
> 4. see any similarities between  Winnifred and Linda Merrell?
> 5. how have our challenges changed? Have we made progress?  What can we learn from these early leaders?
> 
> These articles could also be the stimulus for home-on-the-range conversations.  It has been my experience that any time a blind person pursues challenges and is successful, many of the sighted contemporaries want to think that you got where you did through  sympathy or as a someone to be manipulated. When a focus is targeted that may not parallel the mainstream thinking, there is great effort to discredit us or make assertions that these ideas are unrealistic and not possible. Though almost everyone loudly proclaims they want change, in the end, few are willing to do so because they don't think what they are personally doing is the problem...we are viewed as "rocking the boat" or cry babies,  and  sometimes as  intimidating and, perhaps, that  we should just be a little more patient or that we need to "know our place" ..It's amazing we've made the progress we have! Having a better foundation of what our founding father's were willing to do may help us all to "further resolve" what we can do "to change what it means to be blind". Dianne
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