[nabs-l] Am I the only one?Two Questions

Tue Mar 16 03:27:10 UTC 2010

I'm perfectly comfortable with my blindness and would have to think long and
hard before undergoing a procedure that could potentially restore my vision.
That said, I am completely in favor of research and procedures to reduce
blindness in future generations.  Even with so-called universal design I
think we will find that technology will outpace accessibility.  Is it
respectable to be blind?  Yes, but it's not exactly a luxury.

Joe Orozco

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Courtney Stover
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 6:19 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Am I the only one?Two Questions

Gen,

Your first question is a complicated one, and the answer will vary
according to who in the blind community you ask.  I'm somewhat of an
anomaly, or at least feel like one, in the sense that not only do I
sometimes "wish" to see, but it's becoming more and more of a goal for
me.  The research/technology for giving blind individuals at least
some vision is progressing at an astonishing rate.  I'm actively
seeking to be part of the movement, through applying for research
trials.. etc. etc.

The reasons I want to see are precisely the ones you innumerated here.
 I know that blind people can be competent travelers and live/work
independently.  But I want to see people dancing across a stage or the
brilliant specail effects in a movie or.. a million things.

As to the second question.. I, too, am overly procedurally reliant.  I
really do believe it's a blindness thing.  We're afraid of missing
visual clues e.g. seeing sighted students taking out their books and
looking incompetent that we tend to follow procedures in the hope that
we don't stand out.  Unfortunately, as I know from personal
experience, that can have the reverse effect.  Oftentimes, you can be
the only person with a book on your desk, which rather defeats the
purpose.
Hope this post answers at least some of your questions,
Courtney

On 3/15/10, Jen <spiderweb1 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 1. Am I the only one who sometimes wishes he / she could see?
>
> I am comfortable with my blindness and would not want to be 
sighted, but
> still wonder and am fascinated by what things look like at times (for
> new members, I have been blind since birth.)
>
> Yesterday, I took my my to a River Dance concert for her birthday. I
> loved the music but wanted to see the dancing that went with 
it as well.
> It was hard to try to picture it based on the music...
>
> 2. I love / cling to procedural order in life - follow all steps, and
> nothing can or will go wrong. I also try to make rules for everything
> that won't change so everything is in a contained "box" in my mind out
> of which it can't escape. I also find rules comforting so I don't have
> to think and can just do something automatically. An example of such a
> rule is "always take out your book in class [even if the 
professor isn't
> using it that day.] If you do this, you will always be a good student.
> If you don't, you are a bad student."
>
> I know there are no guarantees for things but still cling to the
> procedural mind set to keep my mental boxes of rules intact. Is being
> overly procedure-oriented a "blindism" or something with which the
> sighted struggle as well?
>
> Thanks for your input.
>
>
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