[nabs-l] Prejudice, ignorance, and sighted domination

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all,

Of course we want to know that people have certain skills before we
hire them to do things for us or with us. What I take issue with is
why we take for granted that a sighted person can do something, while
still requiring evidence before believing that a blind person can do
it. If we require proof or evidence from anyone (blind or sighted)
that they can do something, that's fine. But assuming that a sighted
companion will be good at hiking, for example, but requiring evidence
from a blind person just because they're blind is discrimination,
whether or not it's justified. And it's rooted in the assumption that
a blind person's abilities are less or at least different from the
abilities of a sighted individual.

Arielle

On 6/18/09, clinton waterbury <clinton.waterbury at gmail.com> wrote:
> I think this is a valid point.  I mean...  I would want to know if a
> doctor had the right skills to treat a broken leg or something like
> that, or even if someone who was fixing my computer wasn't going to
> just screw it up even worse than it was before.
> It's like when I was at the center for the blind here in salt lake
> city.  I tok a woodshop class and managed to make a lamp, and avery
> time someone asks if I got hurt in the process, whitch I did but it
> was vary minor compared to other stuff I've heard about, I just tell
> them what happened and laugh about it seeing as how it was, by all
> accounts, a blunder on my part.
> The thing is though, crying discrimination over just little things is
> there everywhere.
> On the other hand though, if someone is telling me that my imput is
> not valued simpley cause I can't see an image on a screen or anything
> like that, and said individual does research for several large
> companies...  Well then I'm gonna call bs on them.
> On Jun 17, 2009, at 4:41 PM, Jim Reed wrote:
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> I wanted to start a slightly different topic as to how ignorance
>> leads the sighted domination.
>>
>> First of all, sighted domination occurs because sighted people are
>> ignorant of what blind people can do, or how they do it. Therefore,
>> education is one way to avoid sighted domination. The other way is
>> to actually do whatever it is the sighted person thinks you cant do.
>> Part of the problem is that some blind people are so quick to scream
>> "sighted domination" that ignorant sighted people are afraid to ask
>> questions; this does nothing to reduce ignorance or to improve the
>> public preception of blindness and blind people.
>>
>> Second, like it or not, blindness does play a role in defining
>> relationships; it defines how people interact, how they share
>> information, and what activities they participate in. How is a
>> sighted person who has never interacted with a blind person supposed
>> to know what is appropreate to do or say around blind people unless
>> they are free and comfortable enough to ask questions and make
>> mistakes?
>>
>> Much sighted domination occurs because the sighted person does not
>> have the confidence (or the necessary information to be confident)
>> in the skills and abilities of a blind person. I am sorry, but I am
>> not just going to take your word for it that you can be independent
>> until you prove it to me. I am not going to put a blind person
>> through an obstacle course just to decide if I want to be their
>> friend, but it seems like it would be awfully hard to treat a blind
>> person as "one of the guys" until they first prove that they are
>> indeed capable of being just "one of the guys". Similarly, I am not
>> going to go hiking in the wilderness with a blind partner until/
>> unless I knowhow their vision limits their function, and how they
>> have overcome this limitation. This is not a sighted domination
>> issue, this is a practical issue with potential life and death
>> consiquences. Before I break my leg five miles in the backcountry, I
>> need I know if and how my blind partner can
>> handle the situation. If my life is potentially in their hands, I
>> have a need and a right to know that they can do what needs to be
>> done, and I am sorry, but in this situation I am not just going to
>> take your word for it.
>>
>> I guess the bottom line is, in my mind, that equality, confidence,
>> and acceptance, much like respect, are earned, not given. This is
>> not an attitude that I only take towards blind people, sighted
>> people must prove themselves as well.  If you don't want to be
>> dominated, then you need to prove to me that you can handle
>> yourself; until then, try as I might, I am always going to be
>> somewhat doubtful of your abilites, and try as I might, my doubts
>> will be reflected in my actions.
>>
>> One last note on equality. It is common knowledge how sighted people
>> accomplish tasks, and sighted people are routinely required to prove
>> that we do indeed have the skills we claim to have. However, it
>> seems that the sighted are just supposed to accept the blind
>> person's word that they can do the task.  It seems to be one big
>> secret as to how blind people do task, there are laws preventing an
>> employer from asking how the blind person would do the job, some
>> blind people get pissed when you ask them if, or how they can do
>> something, and, god forbid you ask them to prove it.  As a sighted
>> person, everyone knows (with a fair amount of certianty) what your
>> basic skills and abilities are, and they know (with a fair amount of
>> certianty) how you accomplish your task. So, if blind people want to
>> be treated as equals, why shouldnt sighted people have the right to
>> know if, and how you can do something? And, why is it that blind
>> people feel they have the right to
>> get pissed off if I ask them if or how thay can do something,
>> whereas I can ask any of my sighted friends the exact same questions
>> without them thinking I am dominating or custodializing them? If you
>> trueky want to be equals, then you all need to put up with, and
>> handle, the same crap as everyone else, and in the same manner as
>> everyone else. Personaly,  if someone doubts my skills and
>> abilities, I don't cry domination or discrimination, instead I
>> either attempt to prove them wrong, I ignore them, or I tell them to
>> piss off. If I am truely an equal in society, I don't defend myself
>> by crying discrimination, and I don't justify my actions based on
>> the fact that I am "different".
>>
>> I don't know, I guess this is the sighted side of me talking, but
>> these are some of the things I have been thinking about as of late.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>> "From compromise and things half done,
>> Keep me with stern and stubborn pride,
>> And when at last the fight is won,
>> ... Keep me still unsatisfied." --Louis Untermeyer
>>
>>
>>
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