[nabs-l] Help-Philosophy Question

[Briley Pollard]

Good morning,

I wasn't there, so I can't speak to how your friend handled the situation. The fact of the matter is though that allowing airline personel to take our mobility aids awe frm us is, A, illegal, and B, degrading. It also sets a bad precedent for blind people that may be traveling with them in the future. That said, it is of course better to use a calm professional tone when dealing with this kind of situation. There is a quiet way to insist that our rights as blind people be respected. Also explaining the why's of a certain ideal often help. This wasn't a situation where your friend should've just "let it go" for the sake of peace, but perhaps she could've handled it in a calmer way. 

The Throw the Nickel principal applies more to accepting help I think than having our rights ignored. In that situation, it was better to accept the kindness of a stranger than to make a fuss. This has to do with the airplane rights of a lot of people, and while we should always be calm and professional, but sometimes confrontation is required to bring about change.

Just my 10 cents.

BrileyOn Apr 19, 2010, at 10:34 PM, Candice Chapman wrote:

> 
> Dear NABS members, 
> 
> I recentally was in a situation where my NFB philosophy was put to the test. I was travelling with a friend who is totally blind by airplane and we got into a confrontational situation with the flight attendant. She insisted upon taking my friend's straight cane, but didn't have a problem with mine since it was teloscopic. Perhaps she assumed that storing the straight cane would be a hazard. My friend proceeded to have a loud, obnoxious verbal confrontation, that resulted in hold up of traffic and embarrassment on my part. Eventually the conflict, due to time constraint, my friend was finally mollified and allowed to keep her cane. However I can't help but wonder if there was a more diplomatic way to handle the situation. It brings to mind an article by Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, perhaps you guys know it, it's in The Master, The Mission, The Movement. The article is titled, "Don't Throw the Nickel." 
> 
> How do you think the confrontation could have been handled more delicately? In the above article Dr.Jernigan referenced many situations in which you could choose your battle. Perhaps it's true that you can make a situation worse by escalating a said situation with a sighted person, rather than taking the high road. What are your thoughts on the art of negotiationg NFB philosophy? What might you suggest as potential alternatives to the above confrontation? I would like to hear all of your thoughts on the importance of our philosophy in the lives of blind people. 
> 
> Best,
> Candice Chapman
> 
> P.S. The Article is attached for your convience. 		 	   		  
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