[nabs-l] living in a sighted world

[Teal Bloodworth]

Hello All 

Since i have joined a widely discussed topic has been the treatment of the blind and visually impaired in society. Recently when flying back from New York after recieving my new guide dog i had a very interesting conversation with a woman on the plane about this actual problem. 

This woman was a very intellegent bilingual (not sure of her nationality) whom i suppose was  handicapped. She shared that she had had extreme arthritis since the age of 8 and went through numerous surgeries and years of dialisis (sp?). When first boarding the plane she had already been seated bulkhead and respectfully asked me if she could pet my dog. Replying with a friendly "yes" she informed me of her friend sending her an email informing her of how to act around a service dog because of her frequent traveling.

 Later in the flight since it was long (new york to memphis) we started a conversation about the ACB and NFB. She seemd very well informed however i told her the main differences. The ACB focuses more on changing the world for us, and the NFB has a more realistic approach to the world since we are the minority in helping us adapt to the world. She actually made a very good point that it would be good for the two to work together and create a happy medium, however she doesnt know the controversy between the two. This actually seemed like a good idea when we started talking about the change of money. Word is that the ACB is going to change either the size or the color of the bills. This is more like foreign money and seems useful to some but it is just as useful to ask what the order of your change is and folding the bills or putting them in the appropriate place. We said that it would be a good idea even for the two to work together and keep the bills the same size/color but maybe making them tactile? 

This flight was interesting and this woman made me feel the least uncomfortable and unworthy that anyone sighted has done in my 2 1/2 years of darkness. Also this brought up the previous topic on discrimination or ignorance. This is a very fine line and my current thoughts are this. When we are walking on the street and someone doesnt "think you can do this" maybe they are not informed of our capabilities. Also even something i have said on here before about a landlord not calling me back because of my blindness....perhaps they felt i was a liability issue because i was more likely to be injured? is there really any actual hate towards us because of our physical disadvantage? Or is it simply lack of knowledge? People may not know of the many things that are available to us so that we can gain independence and sense of self sufficiency because not even i knew of these before i needed them.

And as for another question on guide dogs they are allowed anywhere the general public is allowed and no you do not have to pay extra fees for pets because they are not pets. 

If anyone has any thoughts, feelings or comments i would love to hear them. 

            -Teal