[nabs-l] Charlie Wilks- blind football player. (asfeatured onESPN360)

[Jedi]

Oh, there's no doubt about that. Sighted people do tend to be, excuse 
the pun, short sighted about our abilities. On the other hand, they are 
learning and they'll continue to learn if we give the chance and 
opportunity. Does that mean that we should put ourselves on display and 
make a big deal of things for their educational benefit? No. Absolutely 
not and you'll never hear me advocate that. However, this kid has an 
opportunity to show what blind kids can do, and it sounds like he's 
headed for a career in football whether it's on the field or on the 
cameras. In either case, his is one more example of what we can be 
expected to do. The more sighted peoeple become aware of us, the easier 
it is for them to believe that we're normal and just like them. Yes, 
they may continue to see us as both supernatural and subhuman at the 
same time for quite some time. But little steps do matter a great deal. 
While they did make that kid seem much more amazing that he is, he at 
least understands that he's just a normal kid which is saying 
something. Am I making sense?

Respectfully Submitted


Original message:
> I have to agree with Dave's salient points.  Those same people who find 
> us "so amazing" will quickly turn around and make statements such as 
> "how do you know" "you can not see" or deny us employment, housing, etc.


> --- On Thu, 11/12/09, David Dunphy <djdrocks4ever at gmail.com> wrote:

>> From: David Dunphy <djdrocks4ever at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Charlie Wilks- blind football player. (asfeatured 
>> onESPN360)
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 2:27 AM
>> I guess I'm just put off by this
>> whole perception of how amazing we are in the eyes of others
>> when it comes out that we can do something. A guy who can
>> see finds out a blind person plays football, and that person
>> is a super hero who should have a hole story done on him. To
>> me, he is just an everyday person that found a way to play
>> football that I don't think he'll get far with based on what
>> I heard in the article. Sighted people find ways and
>> solutions to problems of how they're going to accomplish
>> something all the time, and a second thought is not even
>> given to it. We do it, and we're amazing. And the fact that
>> he made such a big deal out of something like this, by this
>> I mean mingling with his peers, whether it was by playing a
>> sport or what ever, suggests that the writer thought that
>> was incredible that a blind person can do that. As Harry put
>> it, that to me shows a bias there on the part of the writer
>> or a misconception about us. People mingle with their peers
>> and find ways to have fun everyday. I personally thought the
>> whole thing was corny.
>>> From David


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