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

[Jedi]

Briley,

Exactly and well stated.

Respectfully Submitted


Original message:
> 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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>>> --
>>> 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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