[nabs-l] Fwd: [Members] Airline apologizes for forgetting blind teen

Tue May 18 12:56:04 UTC 2010

Hi Jedi,

I won't restate everything I said, but I think some people here are missing the point as to why this news story is so disturbing. It isn't this specific person that is the issue. I don't know her, none of us do, and like you said, victim blaming gets nowhere. However, it is the news story itself that depicts the larger issue here; how we are perceived by a sighted public. The fact that she was seen as a victim is the problem. Whether we have the whole story or not isn't important. The point is that both an airline and media outlets thought it was appropriate to portray blind people as incompetent and in need of custodial treatment by others. This woman wasn't necessarily a victim of the big bad airlines, but she is one of a society that still puts her into that helpless mindset. That is the tragedy of this situation.

Briley 

On May 18, 2010, at 12:08 AM, Jedi wrote:

> I've been reading all these responses with interest and would like to chime in.
> 
> First, I don't think anyone is directly condemning this woman. Instead, I think the real question we're asking is this: what are the systems in place that put this woman in this particular situation? I think the other question some are asking is: what were you (the woman in the plane) thinking? I personally think that's a fair question and one that deserves asking. Surely, self preservation would kick in at some point and allow her to do something for herself whether she had additional disabilities or not. She did eventually, and that's a good thing. Maybe our role as potential mentors is to help her get that self preservation thing going a little sooner. More than that, our role as Federationists is to break down the systems that teach blind people not to think for ourselves in a variety of situations.
> 
> For those of us on list reminding others not to judge, what I'm really hearing is that victim blaming is not helpful. And frankly, it isn't. Victim blaming removes responsibility from the power structures that create situations like these and removes the emphasis on the real question at hand which is, in my opinion, what systems created this situation and perpetuate situations like this and what do we do about them as a Federation and as individual Federationists?
> 
> Respectfully,
> Jedi
> 
> 
> Original message:
>> hello all,
>> I'm   not quite ready to jump to a judgement here,but I certainly can
>> see why some  of  the  responces to this post have  taken  the tone
>> that they have  either way.
>> If it were me, I would have  been off of that plane with the rest of
>> the passangers. But,  it wasn't me; it was  another person with a
>> different background who's  expiriences with their blindness and
>> around blind people are different thanmine.
>> I don't know what  this young lady was thinking at the time; for  all
>> I know, she could be  way more independent than I and for all I know
>> could have other things going on  beyond blindness.
>> I feel like  some of our best work as federationests is in not only
>> education and empowerment, but guideing  others, and  doing  so with
>> a level of understanding and  objective thinking that    is in line
>> with  our movements greatest leaders.  So, if we are to interact with
>> a person such as the person featured in this article, I feel  like we
>> ought to consider how to best communicate that there are  ways to
>> effectivly handle situations like  this one.  If we want to  let  this
>> person know that  the NFB is available  (and I think that we should)
>> given the oppertunity is the right one,  then take advantage of an
>> oppertunity to expose someone  to something different.
>> I know that  if I was  approached by a person who  was to say " why
>> don't you just do ____  this way, it's so  simple", I'm not  too sure
>> I'd want to  hear anything  this  seemingly   judgemental person is
>> saying to me; who do they think they are?
>> Just my two bits and fifty cents
>>  Darian
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On 5/15/10, Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com> wrote:
>>> We need to be careful to lay too much blame on her without more information.
>>> First, we don't know if there were other
>>> disabilities involved.  Second, you have to fiercely fight for any
>>> independence on airlines, and the fact that we do is
>>> largely because of airlines' actions.  Frankly, this might be one of the
>>> more blatent situations I have heard of, but over
>>> the years I've seen and even experienced other cases where one can fall
>>> through the cracks when one turns over
>>> one's independence to the airlines.  The fact is that many blind people see
>>> the airlines as figures of authority who cannot
>>> be challenged.  This is true especially since 9/11.  Let's learn from this
>>> story that we need to control our own destinies
>>> and we need to help others know that is what needs to be done.  Let's be
>>> careful of condemning her, though, without
>>> knowing more.
> 
>>> Best regards,
> 
>>> Steve Jacobson
> 
>>> On Sat, 15 May 2010 20:17:14 -0500, Harry Hogue wrote:
> 
>>>> This is ridiculous.  At least be proactive in mentioning your needs, even
>>>> if
>>>> you are not comfortable with traveling off the plane yourself.  And of
>>>> course, if you make headlines, naturally the airline will apologize; they
>>>> do
>>>> not want the adverse publicity resulting from not apologizing, etc.
> 
> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>> Behalf
>>>> Of Sarah Alawami
>>>> Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 6:19 PM
>>>> To: nabs list list
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Fwd: [Members] Airline apologizes for forgetting blind
>>>> teen
> 
>>>> I think she should have gotten off the plain by her self. How hard can that
>>>> be? just  get off and turn right and go up the ramp thing and turn left and
>>>> get out and then wait for your escort. but here's the story.
> 
>>>> Airline apologizes for forgetting blind teen
> 
>>>> Edmonton Journal , May 15, 2010
> 
>>>> United Airlines has apologized to a blind woman from Vancouver Island who
>>>> was abandoned on an empty plane in Chicago.
> 
>>>> Jessica Cabot of Courtenay, B.C., made headlines this week after she went
>>>> public about being forgotten in an empty United Airlines plane on an April
>>>> 7
>>>> stopover in Chicago.
> 
>>>> The 18-year-old was waiting for flight attendants to escort her to a
>>>> connecting flight to Florida when she heard the plane door seal shut. Ten
>>>> minutes later two maintenance staff happened to find her on an unscheduled
>>>> check of the plane.
> 
>>>> She panicked in the plane, calling for help.
> 
>>>> After a series of complaints, Cabot received a $250 airline voucher and the
>>>> promise of an apology. Five weeks after her flight and a series of news
>>>> stories later, she finally got one.
> 
>>>> "They just called," said Cabot, on the phone from Jacksonville, Fla., where
>>>> she is visiting her fiance. "I can't even count how many times they said
>>>> sorry."
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
>> --
>> Darian Smith
>> Skype: The_Blind_Truth
>> Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
>> “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
>> spiritual beings having a human experience.” - Teilhard de Chardin
> 
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