[nabs-l] Accessible

[Renee Jones]

On 9/28/10, nabs-l-request at nfbnet.org <nabs-l-request at nfbnet.org> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. ms word comments feature (bookwormahb at earthlink.net)
>    2. Re: Accessible Games (Nicole B. Torcolini)
>    3. Re: Accessible Games (RJ Sandefur)
>    4. Re: Accessible Games (Nicole B. Torcolini)
>    5. Re: Accessible Games (Julie McGinnity)
>    6. Announcing a Unique Travel & Leadership Program for B/VI
>       Youth (Riccobono,	Mark)
>    7. Re: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS? (Joe Orozco)
>    8. Re: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS? (Mark J. Cadigan)
>    9. Re: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS? (Marc Workman)
>   10. Re: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS? (Dennis Clark)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:15:54 -0400
> From: <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [nabs-l] ms word comments feature
> Message-ID: <E4D9A35B49B545B9ACCC0A3B1F8D5EF6 at Ashley>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="Windows-1252"
>
> Hi all,
>
> I use Windows xp and jaws 11.  My MS word still has menus since I haven't
> updated.  How do I read the comments in word documents?
>
> How do I insert comments in an existing document?
>
> Thanks!
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:46:19 -0700
> From: "Nicole B. Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
> Message-ID: <5F9A669E0DB749D58E65CA68034CDFAF at stanford.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> Did you mean Monkey Business and Shades of Doom?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:54 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>
>
>>I have played a number of audio games, since I have a bit of interest
>> in it. Everything from Palace Punch-up (shooting at each other's
>> castles and trying to repair your own before  it is destroyed) to
>> Dynoman (which I didn't really get into. It seemed quite complicated).
>> My favourites are a simple game called Finger Panic (free from GMA
>> Games, I blieve) and Sara and the Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
>> also from GMA Games I think. I also like the audio Simo Says games out
>> there, and Kitchens Inc's DOS audio games, including Monopoly and
>> Yahtzee (among others.
>>
>> I tend to prefer the non-3D audio games because the 3D ones just
>> confuse me, like Monkey Madness and Shadows of Doom. Sara and the
>> Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the only one I could figur out
>> sorta, and I kept getting lost and confused in that one, too. I think
>> it'd just take a lot of practice, but should a game require a lot of
>> practice just so you don't get lost in the game or don't run into
>> walls all the time?
>>
>> I miss Super Mario Brothers and Yoshi *pout*
>>
>> On 9/26/10, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I used to play an audio game called TopSpeed 2. It was actually pretty
>>> good.
>>> You can find it at www.playinginthedark.net.
>>> On Sep 26, 2010, at 10:47 AM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>>
>>>> I played one of these audio games on the computer and wasn't completely
>>>> sold
>>>> on it.  The soundtrack was fantastic with a great pair of headphones,
>>>> but
>>>> the game itself wasn't all that flexible.  I could be wrong, but I think
>>>> it's name was Tomb or Entombed.  Note, however, that my lack of
>>>> enjoyment
>>>> may have also been owed to my lack of experience playing it.  Best of
>>>> luck
>>>> in helping to expand that field while simultaneously finding some good
>>>> uses
>>>> for your laboratories.
>>>>
>>>> Joe
>>>>
>>>> "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 Chrys Buckley
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 2:07 PM
>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>>
>>>> Hi NABS list,
>>>>
>>>> Do you play or use any accessible, sound-based computer games? If so,
>>>> please tell me about them, as it may help with an accessibility
>>>> project for blind college students. Feel free to do this off-list if
>>>> you prefer at cbuckley at pdx.edu. Tell me all about any games you play!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> My name is Chrys and I'm a blind biology student working with a
>>>> software company that is trying to create more accessible virtual
>>>> science labs. One of the challenges is that the virtual labs have a
>>>> big visual component, and they aren't fixed like a video that would
>>>> play the same way every time. In these labs, different things happen
>>>> every time, so we are thinking that computer games, which also are
>>>> unpredictable and aren't the same every time you play them, might be a
>>>> good model.
>>>>
>>>> So, if you play any computer games that are accessible and that convey
>>>> the information in non-visual ways, it would be really helpful to the
>>>> development of this project if you could tell me about them. I am just
>>>> not a computer game person myself, so I need your help if you are!
>>>>
>>>> This project is really exciting and will be unveiled at next year's
>>>> Youth Slam!
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Chrys
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> http://chrysanthymum.blogspot.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>>>> info for nabs-l:
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jsorozco
>>>> %40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
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>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> ~Jewel
>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
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>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:23:56 -0400
> From: "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
> Message-ID: <BF815961B27F483C993BF25A59E2C006 at hometwxakonvzn>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=response
>
> What is shades of doom, and where do you get it?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Nicole B. Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>
>
>> Did you mean Monkey Business and Shades of Doom?
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:54 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>
>>
>>>I have played a number of audio games, since I have a bit of interest
>>> in it. Everything from Palace Punch-up (shooting at each other's
>>> castles and trying to repair your own before  it is destroyed) to
>>> Dynoman (which I didn't really get into. It seemed quite complicated).
>>> My favourites are a simple game called Finger Panic (free from GMA
>>> Games, I blieve) and Sara and the Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
>>> also from GMA Games I think. I also like the audio Simo Says games out
>>> there, and Kitchens Inc's DOS audio games, including Monopoly and
>>> Yahtzee (among others.
>>>
>>> I tend to prefer the non-3D audio games because the 3D ones just
>>> confuse me, like Monkey Madness and Shadows of Doom. Sara and the
>>> Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the only one I could figur out
>>> sorta, and I kept getting lost and confused in that one, too. I think
>>> it'd just take a lot of practice, but should a game require a lot of
>>> practice just so you don't get lost in the game or don't run into
>>> walls all the time?
>>>
>>> I miss Super Mario Brothers and Yoshi *pout*
>>>
>>> On 9/26/10, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I used to play an audio game called TopSpeed 2. It was actually pretty
>>>> good.
>>>> You can find it at www.playinginthedark.net.
>>>> On Sep 26, 2010, at 10:47 AM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I played one of these audio games on the computer and wasn't completely
>>>>> sold
>>>>> on it.  The soundtrack was fantastic with a great pair of headphones,
>>>>> but
>>>>> the game itself wasn't all that flexible.  I could be wrong, but I
>>>>> think
>>>>> it's name was Tomb or Entombed.  Note, however, that my lack of
>>>>> enjoyment
>>>>> may have also been owed to my lack of experience playing it.  Best of
>>>>> luck
>>>>> in helping to expand that field while simultaneously finding some good
>>>>> uses
>>>>> for your laboratories.
>>>>>
>>>>> Joe
>>>>>
>>>>> "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 Chrys Buckley
>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 2:07 PM
>>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi NABS list,
>>>>>
>>>>> Do you play or use any accessible, sound-based computer games? If so,
>>>>> please tell me about them, as it may help with an accessibility
>>>>> project for blind college students. Feel free to do this off-list if
>>>>> you prefer at cbuckley at pdx.edu. Tell me all about any games you play!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> My name is Chrys and I'm a blind biology student working with a
>>>>> software company that is trying to create more accessible virtual
>>>>> science labs. One of the challenges is that the virtual labs have a
>>>>> big visual component, and they aren't fixed like a video that would
>>>>> play the same way every time. In these labs, different things happen
>>>>> every time, so we are thinking that computer games, which also are
>>>>> unpredictable and aren't the same every time you play them, might be a
>>>>> good model.
>>>>>
>>>>> So, if you play any computer games that are accessible and that convey
>>>>> the information in non-visual ways, it would be really helpful to the
>>>>> development of this project if you could tell me about them. I am just
>>>>> not a computer game person myself, so I need your help if you are!
>>>>>
>>>>> This project is really exciting and will be unveiled at next year's
>>>>> Youth Slam!
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>> Chrys
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> http://chrysanthymum.blogspot.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>>>>> info for nabs-l:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jsorozco
>>>>> %40gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ignasicambra%40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nabs-l:
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> ~Jewel
>>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/joltingjacksandefur%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:27:59 -0700
> From: "Nicole B. Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
> Message-ID: <FAF4B63677874425BD997D449743FFC8 at stanford.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=response
>
> Shades of Doom is an accessible version of Doom, hence the pun. It is
> available as both a demo and as a for sale full version from GMA Games at
> www.gmagames.com.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 7:23 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>
>
>> What is shades of doom, and where do you get it?
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Nicole B. Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:46 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>
>>
>>> Did you mean Monkey Business and Shades of Doom?
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:54 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>
>>>
>>>>I have played a number of audio games, since I have a bit of interest
>>>> in it. Everything from Palace Punch-up (shooting at each other's
>>>> castles and trying to repair your own before  it is destroyed) to
>>>> Dynoman (which I didn't really get into. It seemed quite complicated).
>>>> My favourites are a simple game called Finger Panic (free from GMA
>>>> Games, I blieve) and Sara and the Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
>>>> also from GMA Games I think. I also like the audio Simo Says games out
>>>> there, and Kitchens Inc's DOS audio games, including Monopoly and
>>>> Yahtzee (among others.
>>>>
>>>> I tend to prefer the non-3D audio games because the 3D ones just
>>>> confuse me, like Monkey Madness and Shadows of Doom. Sara and the
>>>> Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the only one I could figur out
>>>> sorta, and I kept getting lost and confused in that one, too. I think
>>>> it'd just take a lot of practice, but should a game require a lot of
>>>> practice just so you don't get lost in the game or don't run into
>>>> walls all the time?
>>>>
>>>> I miss Super Mario Brothers and Yoshi *pout*
>>>>
>>>> On 9/26/10, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I used to play an audio game called TopSpeed 2. It was actually pretty
>>>>> good.
>>>>> You can find it at www.playinginthedark.net.
>>>>> On Sep 26, 2010, at 10:47 AM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I played one of these audio games on the computer and wasn't
>>>>>> completely
>>>>>> sold
>>>>>> on it.  The soundtrack was fantastic with a great pair of headphones,
>>>>>> but
>>>>>> the game itself wasn't all that flexible.  I could be wrong, but I
>>>>>> think
>>>>>> it's name was Tomb or Entombed.  Note, however, that my lack of
>>>>>> enjoyment
>>>>>> may have also been owed to my lack of experience playing it.  Best of
>>>>>> luck
>>>>>> in helping to expand that field while simultaneously finding some good
>>>>>> uses
>>>>>> for your laboratories.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "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 Chrys Buckley
>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 2:07 PM
>>>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi NABS list,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Do you play or use any accessible, sound-based computer games? If so,
>>>>>> please tell me about them, as it may help with an accessibility
>>>>>> project for blind college students. Feel free to do this off-list if
>>>>>> you prefer at cbuckley at pdx.edu. Tell me all about any games you play!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My name is Chrys and I'm a blind biology student working with a
>>>>>> software company that is trying to create more accessible virtual
>>>>>> science labs. One of the challenges is that the virtual labs have a
>>>>>> big visual component, and they aren't fixed like a video that would
>>>>>> play the same way every time. In these labs, different things happen
>>>>>> every time, so we are thinking that computer games, which also are
>>>>>> unpredictable and aren't the same every time you play them, might be a
>>>>>> good model.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, if you play any computer games that are accessible and that convey
>>>>>> the information in non-visual ways, it would be really helpful to the
>>>>>> development of this project if you could tell me about them. I am just
>>>>>> not a computer game person myself, so I need your help if you are!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This project is really exciting and will be unveiled at next year's
>>>>>> Youth Slam!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>> Chrys
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://chrysanthymum.blogspot.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>>>>>> info for nabs-l:
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jsorozco
>>>>>> %40gmail.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ignasicambra%40gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> ~Jewel
>>>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>>>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nabs-l:
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.com
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/joltingjacksandefur%40gmail.com
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.com
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:39:02 -0500
> From: Julie McGinnity <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
> Message-ID:
> 	<AANLkTikVgomkUZKWfgw2MzpVAih55_fgcwexCNuW2-fW at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Have any of you ever played termite torpedo?  I had it on my computer
> when I was little.  I could never figure it out, but I never really
> tried too hard.  My sighted friends used to get confused because they
> had to use the arrow keys and things to kill the termites.  Lol!
>
> On 9/27/10, Nicole B. Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
>> Shades of Doom is an accessible version of Doom, hence the pun. It is
>> available as both a demo and as a for sale full version from GMA Games at
>> www.gmagames.com.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 7:23 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>
>>
>>> What is shades of doom, and where do you get it?
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Nicole B. Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:46 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>
>>>
>>>> Did you mean Monkey Business and Shades of Doom?
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:54 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>I have played a number of audio games, since I have a bit of interest
>>>>> in it. Everything from Palace Punch-up (shooting at each other's
>>>>> castles and trying to repair your own before  it is destroyed) to
>>>>> Dynoman (which I didn't really get into. It seemed quite complicated).
>>>>> My favourites are a simple game called Finger Panic (free from GMA
>>>>> Games, I blieve) and Sara and the Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
>>>>> also from GMA Games I think. I also like the audio Simo Says games out
>>>>> there, and Kitchens Inc's DOS audio games, including Monopoly and
>>>>> Yahtzee (among others.
>>>>>
>>>>> I tend to prefer the non-3D audio games because the 3D ones just
>>>>> confuse me, like Monkey Madness and Shadows of Doom. Sara and the
>>>>> Castle of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the only one I could figur out
>>>>> sorta, and I kept getting lost and confused in that one, too. I think
>>>>> it'd just take a lot of practice, but should a game require a lot of
>>>>> practice just so you don't get lost in the game or don't run into
>>>>> walls all the time?
>>>>>
>>>>> I miss Super Mario Brothers and Yoshi *pout*
>>>>>
>>>>> On 9/26/10, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> I used to play an audio game called TopSpeed 2. It was actually pretty
>>>>>> good.
>>>>>> You can find it at www.playinginthedark.net.
>>>>>> On Sep 26, 2010, at 10:47 AM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I played one of these audio games on the computer and wasn't
>>>>>>> completely
>>>>>>> sold
>>>>>>> on it.  The soundtrack was fantastic with a great pair of headphones,
>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>> the game itself wasn't all that flexible.  I could be wrong, but I
>>>>>>> think
>>>>>>> it's name was Tomb or Entombed.  Note, however, that my lack of
>>>>>>> enjoyment
>>>>>>> may have also been owed to my lack of experience playing it.  Best of
>>>>>>> luck
>>>>>>> in helping to expand that field while simultaneously finding some
>>>>>>> good
>>>>>>> uses
>>>>>>> for your laboratories.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> "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 Chrys Buckley
>>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 2:07 PM
>>>>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Accessible Games
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi NABS list,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Do you play or use any accessible, sound-based computer games? If so,
>>>>>>> please tell me about them, as it may help with an accessibility
>>>>>>> project for blind college students. Feel free to do this off-list if
>>>>>>> you prefer at cbuckley at pdx.edu. Tell me all about any games you play!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My name is Chrys and I'm a blind biology student working with a
>>>>>>> software company that is trying to create more accessible virtual
>>>>>>> science labs. One of the challenges is that the virtual labs have a
>>>>>>> big visual component, and they aren't fixed like a video that would
>>>>>>> play the same way every time. In these labs, different things happen
>>>>>>> every time, so we are thinking that computer games, which also are
>>>>>>> unpredictable and aren't the same every time you play them, might be
>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>> good model.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So, if you play any computer games that are accessible and that
>>>>>>> convey
>>>>>>> the information in non-visual ways, it would be really helpful to the
>>>>>>> development of this project if you could tell me about them. I am
>>>>>>> just
>>>>>>> not a computer game person myself, so I need your help if you are!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This project is really exciting and will be unveiled at next year's
>>>>>>> Youth Slam!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> Chrys
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://chrysanthymum.blogspot.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>>>>>>> info for nabs-l:
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jsorozco
>>>>>>> %40gmail.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ignasicambra%40gmail.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> ~Jewel
>>>>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>>>>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nabs-l:
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/joltingjacksandefur%40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.com
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/kaybaycar%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
> --
> Julie McG
>  Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in Opera
> Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of Guiding
> Eyes for the Blind
>
> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
> life."
> John 3:16
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:46:17 -0500
> From: "Riccobono,	Mark" <MRiccobono at nfb.org> (by way of David Andrews
> 	<dandrews at visi.com>)
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Announcing a Unique Travel & Leadership Program for
> 	B/VI	Youth
> Message-ID: <auto-000170741607 at mailfront2.g2host.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
>
>
>
> Announcing a Unique Travel & Leadership Program for B/VI Youth
>
> Do you know an exceptional student who would
> benefit from a unique travel and leadership
> program?  Nominate that student for the Global
> Explorers Leading the Way program at
> <http://www.globalexplorers.org/programs/forms/nominate/grandcanyon/>http://www.globalexplorers.org/programs/forms/nominate/grandcanyon/.
> Developed in partnership with world-renowned
> blind athlete Erik Weihenmayer, Leading the Way
> brings together blind and sighted youth ages
> 14-21 for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure
> combining leadership, science, culture, and
> service.  Specifically, the program aims to achieve the following:
>
> ?       Provide unparalleled leadership skills by
> learning about and practicing No Barriers Leadership.
>
>
>
> ?       Develop confidence, independence,
> self-awareness, and curiosity about the world in participants.
>
>
>
> ?       Promote peer relationships am
>
> --------- ong youth of different backgrounds and abilities.
>
>
>
> ?       Equip participants with the tools they
> need to step up and make a difference in the world.
>
>
>
> ?       Prepare participants to act on the passions they discover.
>
>
>
> ?       Spread messages of hope by breaking down
> barriers between those with and without disabilities.
>
>
> Our summer 2011 Leading the Way destination is
> one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World ? the
> majestic Grand Canyon!  To learn more or to
> apply, please visit
> <http://www.globalexplorers.org/>www.globalexplorers.org
> and click "Leading the Way."  The application
> deadline is Monday, November 15.  For more
> information, please contact Laura at
> <mailto:laura at globalexplorers.org>laura at globalexplorers.org or 877.627.1425.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 4:59 PM, Riccobono, Mark
> <<mailto:MRiccobono at nfb.org>MRiccobono at nfb.org> wrote:
> Dear Laura,
>
> Please send an e-mail announcement we can send around.
>
> Mark
>
>
> ----------
> From: Laura Portalupi [mailto:laura at globalexplorers.org]
> Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 5:24 PM
> To: Riccobono, Mark
> Subject: The Global Explorers Leading the Way Program
>
> Dear Mark:
> My colleague Shannon has been in contact with you
> the past two years about the Global Explorers
> Leading the Way program.  I'd like to introduce
> myself as the coordinator of Leading the Way for 2010-2011.
> I am so impressed with the work of the Jernigan
> Institute and feel our program closely aligns
> with the Institute's mission.   Developed in
> partnership with world-renowned blind adventurer
> Erik Weihenmayer, the Global Explorers Leading
> the Way program joins blind, visually impaired,
> and sighted individuals between the ages of 14
> and 21 for the adventure of a lifetime. Leading
> the Way integrates science, service, leadership,
> and culture in a 3-phase program that includes
> pre-travel preparatory curriculum, a
> life-changing travel experience, and a follow-up
> service leadership project.  Specifically, the
> program aims to achieve the following:
>
>
> ?       Provide unparalleled leadership skills by
> learning about and practicing No Barriers Leadership.
>
>
>
> ?       Develop confidence, independence,
> self-awareness, and curiosity about the world in participants.
>
>
>
> ?       Promote peer relationships among youth of
> different backgrounds and abilities.
>
>
>
> ?       Equip participants with the tools they
> need to step up and make a difference in the world.
>
>
>
> ?       Prepare participants to act on the passions they discover.
>
>
>
> ?       Spread messages of hope by breaking down
> barriers between those with and without disabilities.
> Our summer 2011 destination is the majestic Grand
> Canyon.  The application deadline is Monday, November 15.
> Would you be willing to share information about
> Leading the Way among your network?  If so, I can
> provide you with an announcement for distribution
> via e-mail.  I can also send you informational
> fliers as an attachment or via snail
> mail.  Braille and large print materials are available upon request.
> Thank you so much for your time and
> assistance!  I look forward to hearing from you.
> Kind regards,
> Laura Portalupi
> Leading the Way Fellow
> Global Explorers
> 420 S. Howes St. Suite B300
> Fort Collins, CO 80521
> (office) 877.627.1425
> (fax) 970.672.1073
>
> <http://www.globalexplorers.org>www.globalexplorers.org
> "This is a life-changing trip ... you will walk
> away as a different person." -Leading the Way Rim to River Participant, 2010
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:38:18 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
> Message-ID: <68DDDEF2C01E4BB6B1EA53A9DE4BB636 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="US-ASCII"
>
> Darrel,
>
> I'm a little late in entering the thread, but excellent post as is typical
> when you can be coaxed to come out of lurking. (grin)
>
> I agree with Darrel's viewpoint.  I'm a little bummed by people who do not
> chalk up this lady's success to be anything special, because to a certain
> extent blind people need some type of media coverage to report on what blind
> people are doing.  Unless a blind reporter is capturing the story, we can't
> count on a perfect story to be told, and isn't it better for the public to
> hear stories of blind people actively working in the general public than to
> continue to rely on perceptions that blind people are still helpless and
> unemployable?
>
> I do not agree with this notion that blind people should try to blend in so
> much that our individual achievements are overshadowed by a persistent need
> to be thought of as "normal."  Normal is an elusive concept, and I
> personally celebrate anyone's accomplishment whether it's graduating from
> high school or learning the first six letters in the Braille alphabet.  If
> people's individual successes are so mundane, the kernel books were a waste
> of time and resources, and we may as well stop publishing most of the
> Braille Monitor...
>
> Alternatively, if the media is not covering the types of success we want the
> public to hear about, why aren't we doing more to get out there and convey a
> more positive image?
>
> Best,
>
> Joe
>
> "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 darrel kirby
> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:22 AM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>
> I have been watching this thread closely and I find it very
> interesting. I
> feel that my current employment is rather normal. I strive to do my job
> well. I am currently employed full-time as a therapist within the
> Psychiatric Services Department of a large hospital. I often hear things
> like "you are so amazing" and so on. I know that what I do is quite
> ordinary. I use blind-skills in my life and at my job, but my
> education and
> practice to become a great therapist is not learned through
> instruction/education focused on visual techniques.  I do my
> job well and
> strive to be the best therapist I can be, but acknowledge that
> blindness is
> not a significant factor in becoming the therapist I want to become.
>
> However, when I read this article, I was amazed with this
> woman. I thought
> her courage and hard work in overcoming  barriers is very
> impressive. I also
> recognize that she has dove into a profession that very few blind people
> have had the courage to explore. I asked a friend of mine about
> the teaching
> approaches of instructors in a Culinary School. He stated that the
> techniques are presented in mostly visual methods, but also
> recognized the
> importance of "hands-on" learning. My point being, I do thing
> this woman's
> ability to gain the skill and knowledge  of professional cooking from
> "standard" methods of Culinary Arts instruction is
> extraordnary. I do not
> believe that it takes a "super blind" person to become a blind chef or a
> "super genious" to do what this young woman has accomplished,
> but I think
> from her story that she has a drive and determination that is amazing -
> whether she has sight or not.
> With all that being said, the author of the article should not
> be expected
> to know what it means to be blind by spending a few moments
> with one blind
> person. The over-all theme of the article gave credit to this
> individual and
> her drive to not let her blindness slow her down. Although not
> the perfectly
> written article from a blind person's perspective, it was an
> inspirational
> and educational article to read.
>
> Just My Opinion,
>
> Darrel Kirby
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Mary Fernandez
> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 2:25 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>
> 				Hey all,
> Thanks Jedi for the .input   I could not have said it better. I truly
> understand how strong and incredible this woman 	is.
> Think about it.
> Her primary challenge wasn't so much that she was blind, but her life's
> circumstances, over coming poverty, language barrier, not getting
> appropriate services and such. Add to that her blindness and
> you really have
> to possess a lot of determination to do what she has. But this
> article in my
> opinion , makes it sound like if it hadn't been for the sighted
> assistants
> and what not, she wouldn't have made it. The whole holding your
> hands out
> and being lost in your own home, and the way they described her
> searching
> for the right knife is just 	not right. I mean, you don't see many
> articles saying, oh look, Emerald peered closely at his knifes, being
> careful not to touch the blade unless he cut himself. Just my thoughts.
> Mary	
> On Sep 24, 2010, at 2:29 PM, Jedi wrote:
>
>> Hey, didn't you happen to notice that the things she could do were
> attributed to some superhuman ability to touch or smell or
> hear, and that
> the writer described her movements around the kitchen at school
> and home in
> much the same way the stereotypical blind person is thought to
> move around
> (helpless, lost, hands out in front of them, etc). That's
> pretty southward
> to me. I doubt that's how Martinez wanted to be portrayed.
> While the article
> doesn't minimize her accomplishments, it's definitely a juxtiposition
> between her real capability and what people really think
> blindness is all
> about. Did you also happen to notice the whole Helen Keller theme where
> Martinez was sort of brought into the world by an ever-patient sighted
> mentor? Hmmmm. I can understand why Andy feels angry.
>>
>> Respectfully,
>> Jedi
>>
>> Original message:
>>> Hello Andy,
>>> I thought it was excellent.  I kept waiting for it to go
> South but in my
>>> opinion it didn't.  I do not think any of us who are totally
> blind are
> ever
>>> going to impress sighted people more than this woman has
> done.  Blindness
> is
>>> a disability, even though many blind people argue that it
> isn't.  When I
>>> hear that argument being made, it  is always clear to me that its
> proponent
>>> is trying to convince him or her self of its truth.  No
> sighted person is
>>> ever going to buy it.  This woman is at the top of her game, and for
> those
>>> not familiar with Chicago, this restaurant is extremely
> exclusive, and
> this
>>> article will do a lot to help us as a group be perceived as
> having the
>>> ability to be competent despite blindness.  Most sighted
> people know that
>>> this blind woman is outperforming them, because they themselves could
> never
>>> get a job as a chef at a restaurant like this one.
>>> Happy cooking,
>>> Dennis
>>
>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Andi" <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 3:16 PM
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>>
>>>> i   read this article, and was excited about this womans
> success but was
>>>> angry about how the writer of the article portrayed her!  I
> have also
> been
>>>> rongly portrayed in newspaper articals as I am sure many of
> you have.  I
>>>> find news papers like to make a spectical of any one with a
> "disability"
>>>> that does anything remotely normal and even more of a side show of
> someone
>>>> who does something most "able bodied" people would have
> trouble doing.
>>>> This makes me angry because they take a positive advancement for the
> blind
>>>> and turn it in to a condescension of the blind.  How do you all feel
> about
>>>> this and other articals like it.  Do you have any
> sugjestions on how to
>>>> redirect it back to a positive to the world?
>>
>>
>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame
>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame end
>>>> the quad-city times
>>
>>>> FORMER MOLINE RESIDENT COOKS AT GOURMET RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO
>>
>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>
>>>> Kay Luna | Posted: Sunday, April 25, 2010 2:15 am
>>
>>>> Laura Martinez reaches out her hands, delicately running her fingers
> atop
>>>> the kitchen counter and across several sharp knives and a vegetable
>>>> grater.
>>
>>>> She isn't afraid of getting cut.
>>
>>>> She never does, Martinez says.
>>
>>>> Picking up a very large knife, she feels the top of the blade.
>>
>>>> "This one is for vegetables," the 25-year-old former
> resident of Moline
>>>> softly says. "It has ridges."
>>
>>>> The other knife is even longer and heavier. She picks it
> up, explaining
>>>> that this one is called a chef's knife and she uses it to cut meat.
>>
>>>> But right now, Martinez needs to dice some fresh parsley.
> So, she feels
>>>> around on the counter again for the cutting board, using
> her sense of
>>>> touch to make
>>>> sure the parsley is lined up just right.
>>
>>>> Then, without an ounce of fear, she begins chopping up the
> parsley with
>>>> the fast-moving technique employed by professional chefs -
> because she
> is
>>>> one.
>>
>>>> Martinez works as a chef in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter's, an
> exclusive
>>>> gourmet restaurant in Chicago.
>>
>>>> She also happens to be blind.
>>
>>>> Fast learner gets inspiration
>>
>>>> When Martinez was little, she did not realize she was different from
>>>> anyone else. She thought everyone lived in darkness. She
> adapted to it.
>>
>>>> She wanted to become a surgeon someday.
>>
>>>> "I always liked knives," she said with a smile.
>>
>>>> When she got older, she learned that she had been diagnosed
> with retinal
>>>> blastoma, a type of cancer of the eyes, as a very young
> child. That is
>>>> what caused
>>>> her blindness.
>>
>>>> Doctors removed one eye. Then the chemotherapy and radiation used to
> treat
>>>> the cancer ultimately ruined the vision in her other eye.
>>
>>>> Martinez cannot see anything. She cannot even detect light.
>>
>>>> In fact, she cannot remember ever seeing anything at all.
> She uses her
>>>> active imagination instead.
>>
>>>> She is also a fast learner, which came in handy after
> spending her early
>>>> childhood in a Mexican town that did not have a school for
> the blind or
>>>> special
>>>> education classes. The closest school she could have attended was a
>>>> three-hour car ride away.
>>
>>>> So, she stayed home and never learned to read or write in Spanish,
> English
>>>> or Braille until the family moved to Moline. She began her formal
>>>> education at the
>>>> age of 10.
>>
>>>> Martinez caught up eventually, blossoming even more when she reached
>>>> Moline High School and met her one-on-one education aide,
> Pam McDermott.
>>>> The two spent
>>>> every school day together, starting when Martinez was 15, and they
> remain
>>>> very close.
>>
>>>> McDermott spent a lot of time talking to Martinez,
> describing situations
>>>> and reading her books about the blind-and-deaf pioneer
> Helen Keller and
>>>> other people
>>>> who overcame life's challenges.
>>
>>>> Martinez's mother does not speak English. Neither did her
> late father.
>>
>>>> McDermott found herself explaining so many unexpected things to the
> quiet,
>>>> shy teenager - such as what flirting is and how some people have
> different
>>>> skin
>>>> colors. She hated to be the one to tell her, but the
> subject came up at
>>>> school.
>>
>>>> Martinez began to dream about her future, but she faced
> people who told
>>>> her, "You can't do that. You're blind. There's no way," she said.
>>
>>>> "Kids would not come near me," Martinez said. "I was afraid
> to talk or
> do
>>>> anything. But I don't give up."
>>
>>>> McDermott's influence helped open a whole new world of
> possibilities for
>>>> her, Martinez said.
>>
>>>> She learned to play piano. She moved away to take
> life-skills classes
> for
>>>> the blind. She took community college classes.
>>
>>>> She dreamed about becoming a psychologist.
>>
>>>> Eventually her interest turned to cooking. She figured it might be a
>>>> little like surgery. Why not give it a try?
>>
>>>> Martinez knew she would have to work harder than most to
>>
>>>> convince people that she could work as a chef. And she was up to the
>>>> challenge.
>>
>>>> "I don't give up," she said.
>>
>>>> Culinary school brings challenges
>>
>>>> Martinez applied to the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in
> Chicago, an
>>>> open-enrollment institution where most people are accepted
> as students
> but
>>>> not everyone
>>>> graduates from the program, said Marshall Shafkowitz, the
> school's vice
>>>> president of academic affairs and student services. The
> curriculum is
>>>> tough.
>>
>>>> So was Shafkowitz, who admits he was "the biggest skeptic"
> when it came
> to
>>>> considering how a blind student could succeed at Le Cordon Bleu. The
>>>> school had
>>>> never enrolled a visually impaired student before Martinez, he said.
>>
>>>> Initially, he was concerned how her presence in the classroom might
> impact
>>>> the other students' learning. Then he worried about how the teachers
> could
>>>> present
>>>> the same curriculum, without lowering their standards, but
> do so in a
> way
>>>> that would accommodate her.
>>
>>>> He did not know whether she could handle the fast-paced
> environment of
>>>> working in a commercial kitchen, which is so much different
> than cooking
>>>> at home.
>>
>>>> "It's a faster pace, with bigger knives and a lot more
> fire," he said.
>>
>>>> After watching Martinez at school and witnessing her "drive
> and desire"
> to
>>>> become a chef, Shafkowitz said he was amazed. He said her heightened
> focus
>>>> via
>>>> the other senses, in the absence of sight, is her "superpower."
>>
>>>> "Her sense of touch is amazing," he said. "The only way I
> can describe
> it
>>>> is the touch that a surgeon has when they're working on
> your organs. She
>>>> just
>>>> has that delicate way with a knife."
>>
>>>> "She's not going to let anything hold her back," he added. "I think
> that's
>>>> 90 percent of who Laura is. Nobody's going to tell her no."
>>
>>>> The school hired an aide to help her get around. She
> labeled things in
>>>> Braille.
>>
>>>> Mostly, though, she learned by using her hands to feel everything -
>>>> especially the food she was preparing and cooking. She uses
> her sense of
>>>> smell to figure
>>>> out which spices to use. She uses both senses to determine
> whether meat
>>>> and other dishes are done.
>>
>>>> Her favorite culinary class was the one in which she learned how to
> debone
>>>> chicken and take the fat off beef before cutting it into chunks and
>>>> feeding it
>>>> into a grinder. The teacher asked everyone to close their
> eyes and feel
>>>> the joints and bones, the meat and the fat. That's how they learned
> where
>>>> and what
>>>> to cut, Martinez said.
>>
>>>> "Fat feels different. It feels slippery, kind of like
> Jell-O," she said.
>>>> "I focus on the smell, sound and the feel."
>>
>>>> An article about the school's first blind student was
> published in the
>>>> Chicago Tribune during December, which inspired the "CBS
> Evening News"
> to
>>>> feature
>>>> her on national television. During the filming of that segment, CBS
>>>> brought along internationally famous chef Charlie Trotter.
>>
>>>> They hoped he would observe Martinez in the kitchen and
> maybe give her
>>>> some advice.
>>
>>>> What he ended up giving her was a job offer: to work as a
> chef at his
>>>> exclusive Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago. No one
> expected that,
>>>> least of
>>>> all Martinez.
>>
>>>> "It's a big honor for me," she said. "It's very exclusive."
>>
>>>> Rochelle Smith Trotter, a spokeswoman for the Charlie Trotter Corp.,
> said
>>>> Chef Trotter was very taken by Martinez's
>>
>>>> passion for food and her strong determination - "two
> attributes which he
>>>> utilizes to evaluate any potential team member," she said.
>>
>>>> Martinez graduated Feb. 11 from Le Cordon Bleu. A week
> later, she began
>>>> working at Trotter's, where she is familiarizing herself with the
> kitchen
>>>> and the
>>>> restaurant's French-contemporary gourmet cuisine.
>>
>>>> "We use very expensive herbs from all over the world," she said,
> sniffing
>>>> assorted spices in plastic containers at her childhood home
> in Moline.
>>
>>>> She kept picking up the spices and putting them down,
> hunting for just
> the
>>>> right one to season the sauce for her lasagna.
>>
>>>> "Where's the salt?" she asked.
>>
>>>> Still dreaming
>>
>>>> Reaching her arms out in front of her, feeling for walls or other
>>>> obstacles she might bump into, Martinez moves around the kitchen in
>>>> Moline. She is lost
>>>> because her family recently remodeled.
>>
>>>> "Where is the trash can?" she asks.
>>
>>>> She feels around until she finds the sink to wash her
> hands, which she
>>>> does repeatedly. She needs to stay cleaner than a sighted
> person, she
>>>> says, for food
>>>> safety and sanitation reasons. That is because she touches
> the food that
>>>> she cooks a lot.
>>
>>>> Sometimes she browses cookbooks written in Braille or
> recorded on CD,
> but
>>>> she likes to make up her own dishes or give her own special
> twist to an
>>>> old favorite.
>>>> For example, she added grated jalapeno pepper to her
> lasagna, just to
> give
>>>> it some kick, she said.
>>
>>>> She imagines herself someday opening a restaurant in Miami,
> offering a
> mix
>>>> of French, Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisines. She would
> call the place
>>>> La Diosa,
>>>> which, she said, is Spanish for "The Goddess."
>>
>>>> To those who might scoff at the idea, she says, "I'm not giving up."
>>
>>>> Skeptics don't discourage her. They just "give me the
> energy to fight,"
>>>> she added.
>>
>>>> "I just say, 'I have to work harder to show you that I can.' "
>>
>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>>> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:42 PM
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness
>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>
>>>>> I use my cane while holding someone's arm all the time.
> However, I do
>>>>> not consider it "sighted guide" so much as keeping with my
> friend who
>>>>> knows the way...especially since the person who usually
> does this with
>>>>> me is my legally blind boyfriend. I hold his arm for balance
>>>>> primarily, and to keep track of where he is, as I have no
> peripheral
>>>>> vision. As we walk, he might point things out to me that I
> would miss
>>>>> with my cane no matter what (the mailboxes that stick out at
>>>>> head-height, the wet branches in front of my face,
> etcetra). I use my
>>>>> cane so he can concentrate on where we are going and
> things in front
>>>>> of us. I find the curbs and steps on my own, and sometimes if the
>>>>> light is too low, I find curbs and such for the both of
> us, as he is
>>>>> not as good with the cane (lack of practice!).
>>
>>>>> I find that if I take someone's arm, I am far less likely
> to learn the
>>>>> route. I have done entire routes on someone's arm that,
> looking back,
>>>>> I couldn't tell you the first thing. This is partly
> because of my poor
>>>>> memory, but also because when I hold someone's arm, unless I'm in
>>>>> charge of navigation (which does occur sometimes), I let
> that work go,
>>>>> and concentrate more on balance, what my cane is finding,
> and sounds.
>>>>> I can enjoy myself a bit better this way.
>>
>>>>> Personally, I think holding someone's arm and using a cane
> at the same
>>>>> time is perfectly fine. That's just my opinion, so feel
> free to shoot
>>>>> me down, but that won't stop me from doing it myself! I
> don't like to
>>>>> put all the responsibility on the other person, no matter
> how good a
>>>>> guide they are...though there is one exception. My O&M instructor
>>>>> would do sighted guide with me to get quickly to a location, and my
>>>>> cane just got in his way, and he was very good at guiding
> (he better
>>>>> be, since he teaches other people how to be sighted
> guides, too!), so
>>>>> I allow my cane to remain at my side, ready to pull out if I should
>>>>> need it, but I put my trust in him.
>>
>>>>> ~Jewel
>>
>>>>> On 5/3/10, clinton waterbury <clinton.waterbury at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> As far as the cane issue goes, when I was about three
> years of age, I
>>>>>> started learning how to use the cane.
>>
>>>>>> The only problem was that I would flat out refuse to use
> it until the
>>>>>> time I
>>>>>> was about five.
>>
>>>>>> The travel instructor finally said "Ok, you don't want to use it?
> I'll
>>>>>> take
>>>>>> it from you."
>>
>>>>>> At that point, I tried and faled miserably to walk around
> without it!
>>
>>>>>> At the day's end, I did get the cane back, and have been
> using it ever
>>>>>> since.
>>>>>> On May 2, 2010, at 4:49 PM, Gerardo Corripio wrote:
>>
>>>>>>> Hi guys: I'm curious as to is it fine to use a cane while going
> sighted
>>>>>>> guide with someone? for instance suppose the person whom
> I'm going
> with
>>>>>>> has
>>>>>>> never done sighted guide with a blind person, thus
> doesn't know to
>>>>>>> alert
>>>>>>> us
>>>>>>> of steps and the like. So I was thinking that if this
> technique is
> fine
>>>>>>> to
>>
>>>>>>> use it can serve two purposes:
>>>>>>> 1.-Be able to go along sighted guide but at the same
> time being able
> to
>>>>>>> oneself find and sort obstacles the sighted person might
> not have the
>>>>>>> mind
>>
>>>>>>> to let us know.
>>>>>>> 2.-Be able to start mapping in our minds the route
> following, thus
> make
>>>>>>> it
>>
>>>>>>> easier to get to know the route by ourselves.
>>>>>>> Also I've got another subject on my mind, thus sending
> in the same
>>>>>>> email:
>>>>>>> Is
>>>>>>> it normal that when using a cane I have conflict in
> using it? though
> I
>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>> the cane is how we get around by ourselves thanks to a
> bad experience
>>>>>>> while
>>>>>>> studying for a diploma in Humanistic Therapy some years
> ago in that
>>>>>>> when I
>>
>>>>>>> wanted to use the cane again after some years of having
> it dusting, I
>>>>>>> held
>>
>>>>>>> it in my hand but wasn't able to use it at ease because
> memories of
> the
>>>>>>> experience came flooding back. fortunately I've been able to work
> them
>>>>>>> out
>>
>>>>>>> but am curious as to know if this has happened to you
> guys? It's a
>>>>>>> conflict
>>>>>>> because for one I'm aware that the cane makes us unique as blind
> people
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> lets us move around by ourselves but also because here
> in Mexico the
>>>>>>> blind
>>
>>>>>>> aren't viewed as equals in some respects, thus when
> using the cane
>>>>>>> gives
>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>> the feeling that lets blindness show even more, making
> the sighted
>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>> feel ill at ease; speaking from experience in another
> country when I
>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>> the US you guys don't have to cope with these things
> because of how
>>>>>>> advanced
>>>>>>> you guys are in the work you've done all these years.
> some day I hope
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>> able to be like you guys and really live by your standards, thus
> hoping
>>>>>>> these questions bring on a good discussion from which
> more than one
>>>>>>> might
>>>>>>> learn something new and enrich the topic of appreciating
> our roots
>>>>>>> brought
>>
>>>>>>> on recently.
>>>>>>> Gerardo
>>
>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your
> account info for
>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/clinton.
> waterbury%40
> gmail.com
>>
>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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> ykat2%40gmai
> l.com
>>
>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:44:11 -0400
> From: "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com>
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>, "National Association of Blind Students
> 	mailing list"	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
> Message-ID: <A3896B8CB4184807B4AB2146330D9911 at SonyPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> The solution is, we need blind reporters. This way, we can have stories
> about the blind reported in a manner that portrays the story the way we
> want. Does any one know of a blind reporter that works for a large news
> outlet?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 11:38 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>
>
>> Darrel,
>>
>> I'm a little late in entering the thread, but excellent post as is typical
>> when you can be coaxed to come out of lurking. (grin)
>>
>> I agree with Darrel's viewpoint.  I'm a little bummed by people who do not
>> chalk up this lady's success to be anything special, because to a certain
>> extent blind people need some type of media coverage to report on what
>> blind
>> people are doing.  Unless a blind reporter is capturing the story, we
>> can't
>> count on a perfect story to be told, and isn't it better for the public to
>> hear stories of blind people actively working in the general public than
>> to
>> continue to rely on perceptions that blind people are still helpless and
>> unemployable?
>>
>> I do not agree with this notion that blind people should try to blend in
>> so
>> much that our individual achievements are overshadowed by a persistent
>> need
>> to be thought of as "normal."  Normal is an elusive concept, and I
>> personally celebrate anyone's accomplishment whether it's graduating from
>> high school or learning the first six letters in the Braille alphabet.  If
>> people's individual successes are so mundane, the kernel books were a
>> waste
>> of time and resources, and we may as well stop publishing most of the
>> Braille Monitor...
>>
>> Alternatively, if the media is not covering the types of success we want
>> the
>> public to hear about, why aren't we doing more to get out there and convey
>>
>> a
>> more positive image?
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "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 darrel kirby
>> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:22 AM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>> I have been watching this thread closely and I find it very
>> interesting. I
>> feel that my current employment is rather normal. I strive to do my job
>> well. I am currently employed full-time as a therapist within the
>> Psychiatric Services Department of a large hospital. I often hear things
>> like "you are so amazing" and so on. I know that what I do is quite
>> ordinary. I use blind-skills in my life and at my job, but my
>> education and
>> practice to become a great therapist is not learned through
>> instruction/education focused on visual techniques.  I do my
>> job well and
>> strive to be the best therapist I can be, but acknowledge that
>> blindness is
>> not a significant factor in becoming the therapist I want to become.
>>
>> However, when I read this article, I was amazed with this
>> woman. I thought
>> her courage and hard work in overcoming  barriers is very
>> impressive. I also
>> recognize that she has dove into a profession that very few blind people
>> have had the courage to explore. I asked a friend of mine about
>> the teaching
>> approaches of instructors in a Culinary School. He stated that the
>> techniques are presented in mostly visual methods, but also
>> recognized the
>> importance of "hands-on" learning. My point being, I do thing
>> this woman's
>> ability to gain the skill and knowledge  of professional cooking from
>> "standard" methods of Culinary Arts instruction is
>> extraordnary. I do not
>> believe that it takes a "super blind" person to become a blind chef or a
>> "super genious" to do what this young woman has accomplished,
>> but I think
>> from her story that she has a drive and determination that is amazing -
>> whether she has sight or not.
>> With all that being said, the author of the article should not
>> be expected
>> to know what it means to be blind by spending a few moments
>> with one blind
>> person. The over-all theme of the article gave credit to this
>> individual and
>> her drive to not let her blindness slow her down. Although not
>> the perfectly
>> written article from a blind person's perspective, it was an
>> inspirational
>> and educational article to read.
>>
>> Just My Opinion,
>>
>> Darrel Kirby
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Mary Fernandez
>> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 2:25 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>> Hey all,
>> Thanks Jedi for the .input   I could not have said it better. I truly
>> understand how strong and incredible this woman is.
>> Think about it.
>> Her primary challenge wasn't so much that she was blind, but her life's
>> circumstances, over coming poverty, language barrier, not getting
>> appropriate services and such. Add to that her blindness and
>> you really have
>> to possess a lot of determination to do what she has. But this
>> article in my
>> opinion , makes it sound like if it hadn't been for the sighted
>> assistants
>> and what not, she wouldn't have made it. The whole holding your
>> hands out
>> and being lost in your own home, and the way they described her
>> searching
>> for the right knife is just not right. I mean, you don't see many
>> articles saying, oh look, Emerald peered closely at his knifes, being
>> careful not to touch the blade unless he cut himself. Just my thoughts.
>> Mary
>> On Sep 24, 2010, at 2:29 PM, Jedi wrote:
>>
>>> Hey, didn't you happen to notice that the things she could do were
>> attributed to some superhuman ability to touch or smell or
>> hear, and that
>> the writer described her movements around the kitchen at school
>> and home in
>> much the same way the stereotypical blind person is thought to
>> move around
>> (helpless, lost, hands out in front of them, etc). That's
>> pretty southward
>> to me. I doubt that's how Martinez wanted to be portrayed.
>> While the article
>> doesn't minimize her accomplishments, it's definitely a juxtiposition
>> between her real capability and what people really think
>> blindness is all
>> about. Did you also happen to notice the whole Helen Keller theme where
>> Martinez was sort of brought into the world by an ever-patient sighted
>> mentor? Hmmmm. I can understand why Andy feels angry.
>>>
>>> Respectfully,
>>> Jedi
>>>
>>> Original message:
>>>> Hello Andy,
>>>> I thought it was excellent.  I kept waiting for it to go
>> South but in my
>>>> opinion it didn't.  I do not think any of us who are totally
>> blind are
>> ever
>>>> going to impress sighted people more than this woman has
>> done.  Blindness
>> is
>>>> a disability, even though many blind people argue that it
>> isn't.  When I
>>>> hear that argument being made, it  is always clear to me that its
>> proponent
>>>> is trying to convince him or her self of its truth.  No
>> sighted person is
>>>> ever going to buy it.  This woman is at the top of her game, and for
>> those
>>>> not familiar with Chicago, this restaurant is extremely
>> exclusive, and
>> this
>>>> article will do a lot to help us as a group be perceived as
>> having the
>>>> ability to be competent despite blindness.  Most sighted
>> people know that
>>>> this blind woman is outperforming them, because they themselves could
>> never
>>>> get a job as a chef at a restaurant like this one.
>>>> Happy cooking,
>>>> Dennis
>>>
>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Andi" <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 3:16 PM
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>>
>>>
>>>>> i   read this article, and was excited about this womans
>> success but was
>>>>> angry about how the writer of the article portrayed her!  I
>> have also
>> been
>>>>> rongly portrayed in newspaper articals as I am sure many of
>> you have.  I
>>>>> find news papers like to make a spectical of any one with a
>> "disability"
>>>>> that does anything remotely normal and even more of a side show of
>> someone
>>>>> who does something most "able bodied" people would have
>> trouble doing.
>>>>> This makes me angry because they take a positive advancement for the
>> blind
>>>>> and turn it in to a condescension of the blind.  How do you all feel
>> about
>>>>> this and other articals like it.  Do you have any
>> sugjestions on how to
>>>>> redirect it back to a positive to the world?
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame
>>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame end
>>>>> the quad-city times
>>>
>>>>> FORMER MOLINE RESIDENT COOKS AT GOURMET RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO
>>>
>>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>
>>>>> Kay Luna | Posted: Sunday, April 25, 2010 2:15 am
>>>
>>>>> Laura Martinez reaches out her hands, delicately running her fingers
>> atop
>>>>> the kitchen counter and across several sharp knives and a vegetable
>>>>> grater.
>>>
>>>>> She isn't afraid of getting cut.
>>>
>>>>> She never does, Martinez says.
>>>
>>>>> Picking up a very large knife, she feels the top of the blade.
>>>
>>>>> "This one is for vegetables," the 25-year-old former
>> resident of Moline
>>>>> softly says. "It has ridges."
>>>
>>>>> The other knife is even longer and heavier. She picks it
>> up, explaining
>>>>> that this one is called a chef's knife and she uses it to cut meat.
>>>
>>>>> But right now, Martinez needs to dice some fresh parsley.
>> So, she feels
>>>>> around on the counter again for the cutting board, using
>> her sense of
>>>>> touch to make
>>>>> sure the parsley is lined up just right.
>>>
>>>>> Then, without an ounce of fear, she begins chopping up the
>> parsley with
>>>>> the fast-moving technique employed by professional chefs -
>> because she
>> is
>>>>> one.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez works as a chef in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter's, an
>> exclusive
>>>>> gourmet restaurant in Chicago.
>>>
>>>>> She also happens to be blind.
>>>
>>>>> Fast learner gets inspiration
>>>
>>>>> When Martinez was little, she did not realize she was different from
>>>>> anyone else. She thought everyone lived in darkness. She
>> adapted to it.
>>>
>>>>> She wanted to become a surgeon someday.
>>>
>>>>> "I always liked knives," she said with a smile.
>>>
>>>>> When she got older, she learned that she had been diagnosed
>> with retinal
>>>>> blastoma, a type of cancer of the eyes, as a very young
>> child. That is
>>>>> what caused
>>>>> her blindness.
>>>
>>>>> Doctors removed one eye. Then the chemotherapy and radiation used to
>> treat
>>>>> the cancer ultimately ruined the vision in her other eye.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez cannot see anything. She cannot even detect light.
>>>
>>>>> In fact, she cannot remember ever seeing anything at all.
>> She uses her
>>>>> active imagination instead.
>>>
>>>>> She is also a fast learner, which came in handy after
>> spending her early
>>>>> childhood in a Mexican town that did not have a school for
>> the blind or
>>>>> special
>>>>> education classes. The closest school she could have attended was a
>>>>> three-hour car ride away.
>>>
>>>>> So, she stayed home and never learned to read or write in Spanish,
>> English
>>>>> or Braille until the family moved to Moline. She began her formal
>>>>> education at the
>>>>> age of 10.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez caught up eventually, blossoming even more when she reached
>>>>> Moline High School and met her one-on-one education aide,
>> Pam McDermott.
>>>>> The two spent
>>>>> every school day together, starting when Martinez was 15, and they
>> remain
>>>>> very close.
>>>
>>>>> McDermott spent a lot of time talking to Martinez,
>> describing situations
>>>>> and reading her books about the blind-and-deaf pioneer
>> Helen Keller and
>>>>> other people
>>>>> who overcame life's challenges.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez's mother does not speak English. Neither did her
>> late father.
>>>
>>>>> McDermott found herself explaining so many unexpected things to the
>> quiet,
>>>>> shy teenager - such as what flirting is and how some people have
>> different
>>>>> skin
>>>>> colors. She hated to be the one to tell her, but the
>> subject came up at
>>>>> school.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez began to dream about her future, but she faced
>> people who told
>>>>> her, "You can't do that. You're blind. There's no way," she said.
>>>
>>>>> "Kids would not come near me," Martinez said. "I was afraid
>> to talk or
>> do
>>>>> anything. But I don't give up."
>>>
>>>>> McDermott's influence helped open a whole new world of
>> possibilities for
>>>>> her, Martinez said.
>>>
>>>>> She learned to play piano. She moved away to take
>> life-skills classes
>> for
>>>>> the blind. She took community college classes.
>>>
>>>>> She dreamed about becoming a psychologist.
>>>
>>>>> Eventually her interest turned to cooking. She figured it might be a
>>>>> little like surgery. Why not give it a try?
>>>
>>>>> Martinez knew she would have to work harder than most to
>>>
>>>>> convince people that she could work as a chef. And she was up to the
>>>>> challenge.
>>>
>>>>> "I don't give up," she said.
>>>
>>>>> Culinary school brings challenges
>>>
>>>>> Martinez applied to the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in
>> Chicago, an
>>>>> open-enrollment institution where most people are accepted
>> as students
>> but
>>>>> not everyone
>>>>> graduates from the program, said Marshall Shafkowitz, the
>> school's vice
>>>>> president of academic affairs and student services. The
>> curriculum is
>>>>> tough.
>>>
>>>>> So was Shafkowitz, who admits he was "the biggest skeptic"
>> when it came
>> to
>>>>> considering how a blind student could succeed at Le Cordon Bleu. The
>>>>> school had
>>>>> never enrolled a visually impaired student before Martinez, he said.
>>>
>>>>> Initially, he was concerned how her presence in the classroom might
>> impact
>>>>> the other students' learning. Then he worried about how the teachers
>> could
>>>>> present
>>>>> the same curriculum, without lowering their standards, but
>> do so in a
>> way
>>>>> that would accommodate her.
>>>
>>>>> He did not know whether she could handle the fast-paced
>> environment of
>>>>> working in a commercial kitchen, which is so much different
>> than cooking
>>>>> at home.
>>>
>>>>> "It's a faster pace, with bigger knives and a lot more
>> fire," he said.
>>>
>>>>> After watching Martinez at school and witnessing her "drive
>> and desire"
>> to
>>>>> become a chef, Shafkowitz said he was amazed. He said her heightened
>> focus
>>>>> via
>>>>> the other senses, in the absence of sight, is her "superpower."
>>>
>>>>> "Her sense of touch is amazing," he said. "The only way I
>> can describe
>> it
>>>>> is the touch that a surgeon has when they're working on
>> your organs. She
>>>>> just
>>>>> has that delicate way with a knife."
>>>
>>>>> "She's not going to let anything hold her back," he added. "I think
>> that's
>>>>> 90 percent of who Laura is. Nobody's going to tell her no."
>>>
>>>>> The school hired an aide to help her get around. She
>> labeled things in
>>>>> Braille.
>>>
>>>>> Mostly, though, she learned by using her hands to feel everything -
>>>>> especially the food she was preparing and cooking. She uses
>> her sense of
>>>>> smell to figure
>>>>> out which spices to use. She uses both senses to determine
>> whether meat
>>>>> and other dishes are done.
>>>
>>>>> Her favorite culinary class was the one in which she learned how to
>> debone
>>>>> chicken and take the fat off beef before cutting it into chunks and
>>>>> feeding it
>>>>> into a grinder. The teacher asked everyone to close their
>> eyes and feel
>>>>> the joints and bones, the meat and the fat. That's how they learned
>> where
>>>>> and what
>>>>> to cut, Martinez said.
>>>
>>>>> "Fat feels different. It feels slippery, kind of like
>> Jell-O," she said.
>>>>> "I focus on the smell, sound and the feel."
>>>
>>>>> An article about the school's first blind student was
>> published in the
>>>>> Chicago Tribune during December, which inspired the "CBS
>> Evening News"
>> to
>>>>> feature
>>>>> her on national television. During the filming of that segment, CBS
>>>>> brought along internationally famous chef Charlie Trotter.
>>>
>>>>> They hoped he would observe Martinez in the kitchen and
>> maybe give her
>>>>> some advice.
>>>
>>>>> What he ended up giving her was a job offer: to work as a
>> chef at his
>>>>> exclusive Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago. No one
>> expected that,
>>>>> least of
>>>>> all Martinez.
>>>
>>>>> "It's a big honor for me," she said. "It's very exclusive."
>>>
>>>>> Rochelle Smith Trotter, a spokeswoman for the Charlie Trotter Corp.,
>> said
>>>>> Chef Trotter was very taken by Martinez's
>>>
>>>>> passion for food and her strong determination - "two
>> attributes which he
>>>>> utilizes to evaluate any potential team member," she said.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez graduated Feb. 11 from Le Cordon Bleu. A week
>> later, she began
>>>>> working at Trotter's, where she is familiarizing herself with the
>> kitchen
>>>>> and the
>>>>> restaurant's French-contemporary gourmet cuisine.
>>>
>>>>> "We use very expensive herbs from all over the world," she said,
>> sniffing
>>>>> assorted spices in plastic containers at her childhood home
>> in Moline.
>>>
>>>>> She kept picking up the spices and putting them down,
>> hunting for just
>> the
>>>>> right one to season the sauce for her lasagna.
>>>
>>>>> "Where's the salt?" she asked.
>>>
>>>>> Still dreaming
>>>
>>>>> Reaching her arms out in front of her, feeling for walls or other
>>>>> obstacles she might bump into, Martinez moves around the kitchen in
>>>>> Moline. She is lost
>>>>> because her family recently remodeled.
>>>
>>>>> "Where is the trash can?" she asks.
>>>
>>>>> She feels around until she finds the sink to wash her
>> hands, which she
>>>>> does repeatedly. She needs to stay cleaner than a sighted
>> person, she
>>>>> says, for food
>>>>> safety and sanitation reasons. That is because she touches
>> the food that
>>>>> she cooks a lot.
>>>
>>>>> Sometimes she browses cookbooks written in Braille or
>> recorded on CD,
>> but
>>>>> she likes to make up her own dishes or give her own special
>> twist to an
>>>>> old favorite.
>>>>> For example, she added grated jalapeno pepper to her
>> lasagna, just to
>> give
>>>>> it some kick, she said.
>>>
>>>>> She imagines herself someday opening a restaurant in Miami,
>> offering a
>> mix
>>>>> of French, Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisines. She would
>> call the place
>>>>> La Diosa,
>>>>> which, she said, is Spanish for "The Goddess."
>>>
>>>>> To those who might scoff at the idea, she says, "I'm not giving up."
>>>
>>>>> Skeptics don't discourage her. They just "give me the
>> energy to fight,"
>>>>> she added.
>>>
>>>>> "I just say, 'I have to work harder to show you that I can.' "
>>>
>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>>>> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:42 PM
>>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness
>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>
>>>>>> I use my cane while holding someone's arm all the time.
>> However, I do
>>>>>> not consider it "sighted guide" so much as keeping with my
>> friend who
>>>>>> knows the way...especially since the person who usually
>> does this with
>>>>>> me is my legally blind boyfriend. I hold his arm for balance
>>>>>> primarily, and to keep track of where he is, as I have no
>> peripheral
>>>>>> vision. As we walk, he might point things out to me that I
>> would miss
>>>>>> with my cane no matter what (the mailboxes that stick out at
>>>>>> head-height, the wet branches in front of my face,
>> etcetra). I use my
>>>>>> cane so he can concentrate on where we are going and
>> things in front
>>>>>> of us. I find the curbs and steps on my own, and sometimes if the
>>>>>> light is too low, I find curbs and such for the both of
>> us, as he is
>>>>>> not as good with the cane (lack of practice!).
>>>
>>>>>> I find that if I take someone's arm, I am far less likely
>> to learn the
>>>>>> route. I have done entire routes on someone's arm that,
>> looking back,
>>>>>> I couldn't tell you the first thing. This is partly
>> because of my poor
>>>>>> memory, but also because when I hold someone's arm, unless I'm in
>>>>>> charge of navigation (which does occur sometimes), I let
>> that work go,
>>>>>> and concentrate more on balance, what my cane is finding,
>> and sounds.
>>>>>> I can enjoy myself a bit better this way.
>>>
>>>>>> Personally, I think holding someone's arm and using a cane
>> at the same
>>>>>> time is perfectly fine. That's just my opinion, so feel
>> free to shoot
>>>>>> me down, but that won't stop me from doing it myself! I
>> don't like to
>>>>>> put all the responsibility on the other person, no matter
>> how good a
>>>>>> guide they are...though there is one exception. My O&M instructor
>>>>>> would do sighted guide with me to get quickly to a location, and my
>>>>>> cane just got in his way, and he was very good at guiding
>> (he better
>>>>>> be, since he teaches other people how to be sighted
>> guides, too!), so
>>>>>> I allow my cane to remain at my side, ready to pull out if I should
>>>>>> need it, but I put my trust in him.
>>>
>>>>>> ~Jewel
>>>
>>>>>> On 5/3/10, clinton waterbury <clinton.waterbury at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> As far as the cane issue goes, when I was about three
>> years of age, I
>>>>>>> started learning how to use the cane.
>>>
>>>>>>> The only problem was that I would flat out refuse to use
>> it until the
>>>>>>> time I
>>>>>>> was about five.
>>>
>>>>>>> The travel instructor finally said "Ok, you don't want to use it?
>> I'll
>>>>>>> take
>>>>>>> it from you."
>>>
>>>>>>> At that point, I tried and faled miserably to walk around
>> without it!
>>>
>>>>>>> At the day's end, I did get the cane back, and have been
>> using it ever
>>>>>>> since.
>>>>>>> On May 2, 2010, at 4:49 PM, Gerardo Corripio wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>>> Hi guys: I'm curious as to is it fine to use a cane while going
>> sighted
>>>>>>>> guide with someone? for instance suppose the person whom
>> I'm going
>> with
>>>>>>>> has
>>>>>>>> never done sighted guide with a blind person, thus
>> doesn't know to
>>>>>>>> alert
>>>>>>>> us
>>>>>>>> of steps and the like. So I was thinking that if this
>> technique is
>> fine
>>>>>>>> to
>>>
>>>>>>>> use it can serve two purposes:
>>>>>>>> 1.-Be able to go along sighted guide but at the same
>> time being able
>> to
>>>>>>>> oneself find and sort obstacles the sighted person might
>> not have the
>>>>>>>> mind
>>>
>>>>>>>> to let us know.
>>>>>>>> 2.-Be able to start mapping in our minds the route
>> following, thus
>> make
>>>>>>>> it
>>>
>>>>>>>> easier to get to know the route by ourselves.
>>>>>>>> Also I've got another subject on my mind, thus sending
>> in the same
>>>>>>>> email:
>>>>>>>> Is
>>>>>>>> it normal that when using a cane I have conflict in
>> using it? though
>> I
>>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>>> the cane is how we get around by ourselves thanks to a
>> bad experience
>>>>>>>> while
>>>>>>>> studying for a diploma in Humanistic Therapy some years
>> ago in that
>>>>>>>> when I
>>>
>>>>>>>> wanted to use the cane again after some years of having
>> it dusting, I
>>>>>>>> held
>>>
>>>>>>>> it in my hand but wasn't able to use it at ease because
>> memories of
>> the
>>>>>>>> experience came flooding back. fortunately I've been able to work
>> them
>>>>>>>> out
>>>
>>>>>>>> but am curious as to know if this has happened to you
>> guys? It's a
>>>>>>>> conflict
>>>>>>>> because for one I'm aware that the cane makes us unique as blind
>> people
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> lets us move around by ourselves but also because here
>> in Mexico the
>>>>>>>> blind
>>>
>>>>>>>> aren't viewed as equals in some respects, thus when
>> using the cane
>>>>>>>> gives
>>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>>> the feeling that lets blindness show even more, making
>> the sighted
>>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>>> feel ill at ease; speaking from experience in another
>> country when I
>>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>> the US you guys don't have to cope with these things
>> because of how
>>>>>>>> advanced
>>>>>>>> you guys are in the work you've done all these years.
>> some day I hope
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>>> able to be like you guys and really live by your standards, thus
>> hoping
>>>>>>>> these questions bring on a good discussion from which
>> more than one
>>>>>>>> might
>>>>>>>> learn something new and enrich the topic of appreciating
>> our roots
>>>>>>>> brought
>>>
>>>>>>>> on recently.
>>>>>>>> Gerardo
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your
>> account info for
>>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/clinton.
>> waterbury%40
>> gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your
>> account info for
>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekitt
>> ykat2%40gmai
>> l.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/adrianne
>> .dempsey%40g
>> mail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>> nabs-l:
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>> lark%40sbcgl
>> obal.net
>>>
>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>> djedi%40samo
>> bile.net
>>>
>>> --
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>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:05:15 -0600
> From: "Marc Workman" <mworkman.lists at gmail.com>
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>, "National Association of Blind Students
> 	mailing list"	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
> Message-ID: <7855B9B9D46646BFB0DEEEDD4E53D90B at MarcPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> Joe asked,
>
> isn't it better for the public to hear stories of blind people actively
> working in the general public than to continue to rely on perceptions that
> blind people are still helpless and unemployable?
>
> Marc says,
>
> I haven't gone back to reread the posts on this, but I think it's worth
> noting that, if I recall correctly, no one said the story shouldn't have
> been written.  It's possible to be critical of a story like this, and yet to
> believe that, overall, it's good that the story was written and printed.
>
> I don't think there's as much disagreement as it might seem.  One can be
> critical and yet believe the story is good, and another can praise the story
> and yet believe it's not perfect.  These are the positions I see being
> chalked out.
>
> There is a benefit to being critical of these sorts of stories; for as we go
> on to have stories written about us, or as we write stories ourselves, we
> will be in a better position to make sure that certain mistakes are not made
> again, that the stories are even better.  If the criticism is motivated by
> envy, then we might have a problem, but I don't think that's what's driving
> any of the critical voices on this list.
>
> Best,
>
> Marc
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 9:38 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>
>
>> Darrel,
>>
>> I'm a little late in entering the thread, but excellent post as is typical
>> when you can be coaxed to come out of lurking. (grin)
>>
>> I agree with Darrel's viewpoint.  I'm a little bummed by people who do not
>> chalk up this lady's success to be anything special, because to a certain
>> extent blind people need some type of media coverage to report on what
>> blind
>> people are doing.  Unless a blind reporter is capturing the story, we
>> can't
>> count on a perfect story to be told, and isn't it better for the public to
>> hear stories of blind people actively working in the general public than
>> to
>> continue to rely on perceptions that blind people are still helpless and
>> unemployable?
>>
>> I do not agree with this notion that blind people should try to blend in
>> so
>> much that our individual achievements are overshadowed by a persistent
>> need
>> to be thought of as "normal."  Normal is an elusive concept, and I
>> personally celebrate anyone's accomplishment whether it's graduating from
>> high school or learning the first six letters in the Braille alphabet.  If
>> people's individual successes are so mundane, the kernel books were a
>> waste
>> of time and resources, and we may as well stop publishing most of the
>> Braille Monitor...
>>
>> Alternatively, if the media is not covering the types of success we want
>> the
>> public to hear about, why aren't we doing more to get out there and convey
>>
>> a
>> more positive image?
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "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 darrel kirby
>> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:22 AM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>> I have been watching this thread closely and I find it very
>> interesting. I
>> feel that my current employment is rather normal. I strive to do my job
>> well. I am currently employed full-time as a therapist within the
>> Psychiatric Services Department of a large hospital. I often hear things
>> like "you are so amazing" and so on. I know that what I do is quite
>> ordinary. I use blind-skills in my life and at my job, but my
>> education and
>> practice to become a great therapist is not learned through
>> instruction/education focused on visual techniques.  I do my
>> job well and
>> strive to be the best therapist I can be, but acknowledge that
>> blindness is
>> not a significant factor in becoming the therapist I want to become.
>>
>> However, when I read this article, I was amazed with this
>> woman. I thought
>> her courage and hard work in overcoming  barriers is very
>> impressive. I also
>> recognize that she has dove into a profession that very few blind people
>> have had the courage to explore. I asked a friend of mine about
>> the teaching
>> approaches of instructors in a Culinary School. He stated that the
>> techniques are presented in mostly visual methods, but also
>> recognized the
>> importance of "hands-on" learning. My point being, I do thing
>> this woman's
>> ability to gain the skill and knowledge  of professional cooking from
>> "standard" methods of Culinary Arts instruction is
>> extraordnary. I do not
>> believe that it takes a "super blind" person to become a blind chef or a
>> "super genious" to do what this young woman has accomplished,
>> but I think
>> from her story that she has a drive and determination that is amazing -
>> whether she has sight or not.
>> With all that being said, the author of the article should not
>> be expected
>> to know what it means to be blind by spending a few moments
>> with one blind
>> person. The over-all theme of the article gave credit to this
>> individual and
>> her drive to not let her blindness slow her down. Although not
>> the perfectly
>> written article from a blind person's perspective, it was an
>> inspirational
>> and educational article to read.
>>
>> Just My Opinion,
>>
>> Darrel Kirby
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Mary Fernandez
>> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 2:25 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>> Hey all,
>> Thanks Jedi for the .input   I could not have said it better. I truly
>> understand how strong and incredible this woman is.
>> Think about it.
>> Her primary challenge wasn't so much that she was blind, but her life's
>> circumstances, over coming poverty, language barrier, not getting
>> appropriate services and such. Add to that her blindness and
>> you really have
>> to possess a lot of determination to do what she has. But this
>> article in my
>> opinion , makes it sound like if it hadn't been for the sighted
>> assistants
>> and what not, she wouldn't have made it. The whole holding your
>> hands out
>> and being lost in your own home, and the way they described her
>> searching
>> for the right knife is just not right. I mean, you don't see many
>> articles saying, oh look, Emerald peered closely at his knifes, being
>> careful not to touch the blade unless he cut himself. Just my thoughts.
>> Mary
>> On Sep 24, 2010, at 2:29 PM, Jedi wrote:
>>
>>> Hey, didn't you happen to notice that the things she could do were
>> attributed to some superhuman ability to touch or smell or
>> hear, and that
>> the writer described her movements around the kitchen at school
>> and home in
>> much the same way the stereotypical blind person is thought to
>> move around
>> (helpless, lost, hands out in front of them, etc). That's
>> pretty southward
>> to me. I doubt that's how Martinez wanted to be portrayed.
>> While the article
>> doesn't minimize her accomplishments, it's definitely a juxtiposition
>> between her real capability and what people really think
>> blindness is all
>> about. Did you also happen to notice the whole Helen Keller theme where
>> Martinez was sort of brought into the world by an ever-patient sighted
>> mentor? Hmmmm. I can understand why Andy feels angry.
>>>
>>> Respectfully,
>>> Jedi
>>>
>>> Original message:
>>>> Hello Andy,
>>>> I thought it was excellent.  I kept waiting for it to go
>> South but in my
>>>> opinion it didn't.  I do not think any of us who are totally
>> blind are
>> ever
>>>> going to impress sighted people more than this woman has
>> done.  Blindness
>> is
>>>> a disability, even though many blind people argue that it
>> isn't.  When I
>>>> hear that argument being made, it  is always clear to me that its
>> proponent
>>>> is trying to convince him or her self of its truth.  No
>> sighted person is
>>>> ever going to buy it.  This woman is at the top of her game, and for
>> those
>>>> not familiar with Chicago, this restaurant is extremely
>> exclusive, and
>> this
>>>> article will do a lot to help us as a group be perceived as
>> having the
>>>> ability to be competent despite blindness.  Most sighted
>> people know that
>>>> this blind woman is outperforming them, because they themselves could
>> never
>>>> get a job as a chef at a restaurant like this one.
>>>> Happy cooking,
>>>> Dennis
>>>
>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Andi" <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 3:16 PM
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>>
>>>
>>>>> i   read this article, and was excited about this womans
>> success but was
>>>>> angry about how the writer of the article portrayed her!  I
>> have also
>> been
>>>>> rongly portrayed in newspaper articals as I am sure many of
>> you have.  I
>>>>> find news papers like to make a spectical of any one with a
>> "disability"
>>>>> that does anything remotely normal and even more of a side show of
>> someone
>>>>> who does something most "able bodied" people would have
>> trouble doing.
>>>>> This makes me angry because they take a positive advancement for the
>> blind
>>>>> and turn it in to a condescension of the blind.  How do you all feel
>> about
>>>>> this and other articals like it.  Do you have any
>> sugjestions on how to
>>>>> redirect it back to a positive to the world?
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame
>>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame end
>>>>> the quad-city times
>>>
>>>>> FORMER MOLINE RESIDENT COOKS AT GOURMET RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO
>>>
>>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>
>>>>> Kay Luna | Posted: Sunday, April 25, 2010 2:15 am
>>>
>>>>> Laura Martinez reaches out her hands, delicately running her fingers
>> atop
>>>>> the kitchen counter and across several sharp knives and a vegetable
>>>>> grater.
>>>
>>>>> She isn't afraid of getting cut.
>>>
>>>>> She never does, Martinez says.
>>>
>>>>> Picking up a very large knife, she feels the top of the blade.
>>>
>>>>> "This one is for vegetables," the 25-year-old former
>> resident of Moline
>>>>> softly says. "It has ridges."
>>>
>>>>> The other knife is even longer and heavier. She picks it
>> up, explaining
>>>>> that this one is called a chef's knife and she uses it to cut meat.
>>>
>>>>> But right now, Martinez needs to dice some fresh parsley.
>> So, she feels
>>>>> around on the counter again for the cutting board, using
>> her sense of
>>>>> touch to make
>>>>> sure the parsley is lined up just right.
>>>
>>>>> Then, without an ounce of fear, she begins chopping up the
>> parsley with
>>>>> the fast-moving technique employed by professional chefs -
>> because she
>> is
>>>>> one.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez works as a chef in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter's, an
>> exclusive
>>>>> gourmet restaurant in Chicago.
>>>
>>>>> She also happens to be blind.
>>>
>>>>> Fast learner gets inspiration
>>>
>>>>> When Martinez was little, she did not realize she was different from
>>>>> anyone else. She thought everyone lived in darkness. She
>> adapted to it.
>>>
>>>>> She wanted to become a surgeon someday.
>>>
>>>>> "I always liked knives," she said with a smile.
>>>
>>>>> When she got older, she learned that she had been diagnosed
>> with retinal
>>>>> blastoma, a type of cancer of the eyes, as a very young
>> child. That is
>>>>> what caused
>>>>> her blindness.
>>>
>>>>> Doctors removed one eye. Then the chemotherapy and radiation used to
>> treat
>>>>> the cancer ultimately ruined the vision in her other eye.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez cannot see anything. She cannot even detect light.
>>>
>>>>> In fact, she cannot remember ever seeing anything at all.
>> She uses her
>>>>> active imagination instead.
>>>
>>>>> She is also a fast learner, which came in handy after
>> spending her early
>>>>> childhood in a Mexican town that did not have a school for
>> the blind or
>>>>> special
>>>>> education classes. The closest school she could have attended was a
>>>>> three-hour car ride away.
>>>
>>>>> So, she stayed home and never learned to read or write in Spanish,
>> English
>>>>> or Braille until the family moved to Moline. She began her formal
>>>>> education at the
>>>>> age of 10.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez caught up eventually, blossoming even more when she reached
>>>>> Moline High School and met her one-on-one education aide,
>> Pam McDermott.
>>>>> The two spent
>>>>> every school day together, starting when Martinez was 15, and they
>> remain
>>>>> very close.
>>>
>>>>> McDermott spent a lot of time talking to Martinez,
>> describing situations
>>>>> and reading her books about the blind-and-deaf pioneer
>> Helen Keller and
>>>>> other people
>>>>> who overcame life's challenges.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez's mother does not speak English. Neither did her
>> late father.
>>>
>>>>> McDermott found herself explaining so many unexpected things to the
>> quiet,
>>>>> shy teenager - such as what flirting is and how some people have
>> different
>>>>> skin
>>>>> colors. She hated to be the one to tell her, but the
>> subject came up at
>>>>> school.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez began to dream about her future, but she faced
>> people who told
>>>>> her, "You can't do that. You're blind. There's no way," she said.
>>>
>>>>> "Kids would not come near me," Martinez said. "I was afraid
>> to talk or
>> do
>>>>> anything. But I don't give up."
>>>
>>>>> McDermott's influence helped open a whole new world of
>> possibilities for
>>>>> her, Martinez said.
>>>
>>>>> She learned to play piano. She moved away to take
>> life-skills classes
>> for
>>>>> the blind. She took community college classes.
>>>
>>>>> She dreamed about becoming a psychologist.
>>>
>>>>> Eventually her interest turned to cooking. She figured it might be a
>>>>> little like surgery. Why not give it a try?
>>>
>>>>> Martinez knew she would have to work harder than most to
>>>
>>>>> convince people that she could work as a chef. And she was up to the
>>>>> challenge.
>>>
>>>>> "I don't give up," she said.
>>>
>>>>> Culinary school brings challenges
>>>
>>>>> Martinez applied to the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in
>> Chicago, an
>>>>> open-enrollment institution where most people are accepted
>> as students
>> but
>>>>> not everyone
>>>>> graduates from the program, said Marshall Shafkowitz, the
>> school's vice
>>>>> president of academic affairs and student services. The
>> curriculum is
>>>>> tough.
>>>
>>>>> So was Shafkowitz, who admits he was "the biggest skeptic"
>> when it came
>> to
>>>>> considering how a blind student could succeed at Le Cordon Bleu. The
>>>>> school had
>>>>> never enrolled a visually impaired student before Martinez, he said.
>>>
>>>>> Initially, he was concerned how her presence in the classroom might
>> impact
>>>>> the other students' learning. Then he worried about how the teachers
>> could
>>>>> present
>>>>> the same curriculum, without lowering their standards, but
>> do so in a
>> way
>>>>> that would accommodate her.
>>>
>>>>> He did not know whether she could handle the fast-paced
>> environment of
>>>>> working in a commercial kitchen, which is so much different
>> than cooking
>>>>> at home.
>>>
>>>>> "It's a faster pace, with bigger knives and a lot more
>> fire," he said.
>>>
>>>>> After watching Martinez at school and witnessing her "drive
>> and desire"
>> to
>>>>> become a chef, Shafkowitz said he was amazed. He said her heightened
>> focus
>>>>> via
>>>>> the other senses, in the absence of sight, is her "superpower."
>>>
>>>>> "Her sense of touch is amazing," he said. "The only way I
>> can describe
>> it
>>>>> is the touch that a surgeon has when they're working on
>> your organs. She
>>>>> just
>>>>> has that delicate way with a knife."
>>>
>>>>> "She's not going to let anything hold her back," he added. "I think
>> that's
>>>>> 90 percent of who Laura is. Nobody's going to tell her no."
>>>
>>>>> The school hired an aide to help her get around. She
>> labeled things in
>>>>> Braille.
>>>
>>>>> Mostly, though, she learned by using her hands to feel everything -
>>>>> especially the food she was preparing and cooking. She uses
>> her sense of
>>>>> smell to figure
>>>>> out which spices to use. She uses both senses to determine
>> whether meat
>>>>> and other dishes are done.
>>>
>>>>> Her favorite culinary class was the one in which she learned how to
>> debone
>>>>> chicken and take the fat off beef before cutting it into chunks and
>>>>> feeding it
>>>>> into a grinder. The teacher asked everyone to close their
>> eyes and feel
>>>>> the joints and bones, the meat and the fat. That's how they learned
>> where
>>>>> and what
>>>>> to cut, Martinez said.
>>>
>>>>> "Fat feels different. It feels slippery, kind of like
>> Jell-O," she said.
>>>>> "I focus on the smell, sound and the feel."
>>>
>>>>> An article about the school's first blind student was
>> published in the
>>>>> Chicago Tribune during December, which inspired the "CBS
>> Evening News"
>> to
>>>>> feature
>>>>> her on national television. During the filming of that segment, CBS
>>>>> brought along internationally famous chef Charlie Trotter.
>>>
>>>>> They hoped he would observe Martinez in the kitchen and
>> maybe give her
>>>>> some advice.
>>>
>>>>> What he ended up giving her was a job offer: to work as a
>> chef at his
>>>>> exclusive Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago. No one
>> expected that,
>>>>> least of
>>>>> all Martinez.
>>>
>>>>> "It's a big honor for me," she said. "It's very exclusive."
>>>
>>>>> Rochelle Smith Trotter, a spokeswoman for the Charlie Trotter Corp.,
>> said
>>>>> Chef Trotter was very taken by Martinez's
>>>
>>>>> passion for food and her strong determination - "two
>> attributes which he
>>>>> utilizes to evaluate any potential team member," she said.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez graduated Feb. 11 from Le Cordon Bleu. A week
>> later, she began
>>>>> working at Trotter's, where she is familiarizing herself with the
>> kitchen
>>>>> and the
>>>>> restaurant's French-contemporary gourmet cuisine.
>>>
>>>>> "We use very expensive herbs from all over the world," she said,
>> sniffing
>>>>> assorted spices in plastic containers at her childhood home
>> in Moline.
>>>
>>>>> She kept picking up the spices and putting them down,
>> hunting for just
>> the
>>>>> right one to season the sauce for her lasagna.
>>>
>>>>> "Where's the salt?" she asked.
>>>
>>>>> Still dreaming
>>>
>>>>> Reaching her arms out in front of her, feeling for walls or other
>>>>> obstacles she might bump into, Martinez moves around the kitchen in
>>>>> Moline. She is lost
>>>>> because her family recently remodeled.
>>>
>>>>> "Where is the trash can?" she asks.
>>>
>>>>> She feels around until she finds the sink to wash her
>> hands, which she
>>>>> does repeatedly. She needs to stay cleaner than a sighted
>> person, she
>>>>> says, for food
>>>>> safety and sanitation reasons. That is because she touches
>> the food that
>>>>> she cooks a lot.
>>>
>>>>> Sometimes she browses cookbooks written in Braille or
>> recorded on CD,
>> but
>>>>> she likes to make up her own dishes or give her own special
>> twist to an
>>>>> old favorite.
>>>>> For example, she added grated jalapeno pepper to her
>> lasagna, just to
>> give
>>>>> it some kick, she said.
>>>
>>>>> She imagines herself someday opening a restaurant in Miami,
>> offering a
>> mix
>>>>> of French, Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisines. She would
>> call the place
>>>>> La Diosa,
>>>>> which, she said, is Spanish for "The Goddess."
>>>
>>>>> To those who might scoff at the idea, she says, "I'm not giving up."
>>>
>>>>> Skeptics don't discourage her. They just "give me the
>> energy to fight,"
>>>>> she added.
>>>
>>>>> "I just say, 'I have to work harder to show you that I can.' "
>>>
>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>>>> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:42 PM
>>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness
>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>
>>>>>> I use my cane while holding someone's arm all the time.
>> However, I do
>>>>>> not consider it "sighted guide" so much as keeping with my
>> friend who
>>>>>> knows the way...especially since the person who usually
>> does this with
>>>>>> me is my legally blind boyfriend. I hold his arm for balance
>>>>>> primarily, and to keep track of where he is, as I have no
>> peripheral
>>>>>> vision. As we walk, he might point things out to me that I
>> would miss
>>>>>> with my cane no matter what (the mailboxes that stick out at
>>>>>> head-height, the wet branches in front of my face,
>> etcetra). I use my
>>>>>> cane so he can concentrate on where we are going and
>> things in front
>>>>>> of us. I find the curbs and steps on my own, and sometimes if the
>>>>>> light is too low, I find curbs and such for the both of
>> us, as he is
>>>>>> not as good with the cane (lack of practice!).
>>>
>>>>>> I find that if I take someone's arm, I am far less likely
>> to learn the
>>>>>> route. I have done entire routes on someone's arm that,
>> looking back,
>>>>>> I couldn't tell you the first thing. This is partly
>> because of my poor
>>>>>> memory, but also because when I hold someone's arm, unless I'm in
>>>>>> charge of navigation (which does occur sometimes), I let
>> that work go,
>>>>>> and concentrate more on balance, what my cane is finding,
>> and sounds.
>>>>>> I can enjoy myself a bit better this way.
>>>
>>>>>> Personally, I think holding someone's arm and using a cane
>> at the same
>>>>>> time is perfectly fine. That's just my opinion, so feel
>> free to shoot
>>>>>> me down, but that won't stop me from doing it myself! I
>> don't like to
>>>>>> put all the responsibility on the other person, no matter
>> how good a
>>>>>> guide they are...though there is one exception. My O&M instructor
>>>>>> would do sighted guide with me to get quickly to a location, and my
>>>>>> cane just got in his way, and he was very good at guiding
>> (he better
>>>>>> be, since he teaches other people how to be sighted
>> guides, too!), so
>>>>>> I allow my cane to remain at my side, ready to pull out if I should
>>>>>> need it, but I put my trust in him.
>>>
>>>>>> ~Jewel
>>>
>>>>>> On 5/3/10, clinton waterbury <clinton.waterbury at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> As far as the cane issue goes, when I was about three
>> years of age, I
>>>>>>> started learning how to use the cane.
>>>
>>>>>>> The only problem was that I would flat out refuse to use
>> it until the
>>>>>>> time I
>>>>>>> was about five.
>>>
>>>>>>> The travel instructor finally said "Ok, you don't want to use it?
>> I'll
>>>>>>> take
>>>>>>> it from you."
>>>
>>>>>>> At that point, I tried and faled miserably to walk around
>> without it!
>>>
>>>>>>> At the day's end, I did get the cane back, and have been
>> using it ever
>>>>>>> since.
>>>>>>> On May 2, 2010, at 4:49 PM, Gerardo Corripio wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>>> Hi guys: I'm curious as to is it fine to use a cane while going
>> sighted
>>>>>>>> guide with someone? for instance suppose the person whom
>> I'm going
>> with
>>>>>>>> has
>>>>>>>> never done sighted guide with a blind person, thus
>> doesn't know to
>>>>>>>> alert
>>>>>>>> us
>>>>>>>> of steps and the like. So I was thinking that if this
>> technique is
>> fine
>>>>>>>> to
>>>
>>>>>>>> use it can serve two purposes:
>>>>>>>> 1.-Be able to go along sighted guide but at the same
>> time being able
>> to
>>>>>>>> oneself find and sort obstacles the sighted person might
>> not have the
>>>>>>>> mind
>>>
>>>>>>>> to let us know.
>>>>>>>> 2.-Be able to start mapping in our minds the route
>> following, thus
>> make
>>>>>>>> it
>>>
>>>>>>>> easier to get to know the route by ourselves.
>>>>>>>> Also I've got another subject on my mind, thus sending
>> in the same
>>>>>>>> email:
>>>>>>>> Is
>>>>>>>> it normal that when using a cane I have conflict in
>> using it? though
>> I
>>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>>> the cane is how we get around by ourselves thanks to a
>> bad experience
>>>>>>>> while
>>>>>>>> studying for a diploma in Humanistic Therapy some years
>> ago in that
>>>>>>>> when I
>>>
>>>>>>>> wanted to use the cane again after some years of having
>> it dusting, I
>>>>>>>> held
>>>
>>>>>>>> it in my hand but wasn't able to use it at ease because
>> memories of
>> the
>>>>>>>> experience came flooding back. fortunately I've been able to work
>> them
>>>>>>>> out
>>>
>>>>>>>> but am curious as to know if this has happened to you
>> guys? It's a
>>>>>>>> conflict
>>>>>>>> because for one I'm aware that the cane makes us unique as blind
>> people
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> lets us move around by ourselves but also because here
>> in Mexico the
>>>>>>>> blind
>>>
>>>>>>>> aren't viewed as equals in some respects, thus when
>> using the cane
>>>>>>>> gives
>>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>>> the feeling that lets blindness show even more, making
>> the sighted
>>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>>> feel ill at ease; speaking from experience in another
>> country when I
>>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>> the US you guys don't have to cope with these things
>> because of how
>>>>>>>> advanced
>>>>>>>> you guys are in the work you've done all these years.
>> some day I hope
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>>> able to be like you guys and really live by your standards, thus
>> hoping
>>>>>>>> these questions bring on a good discussion from which
>> more than one
>>>>>>>> might
>>>>>>>> learn something new and enrich the topic of appreciating
>> our roots
>>>>>>>> brought
>>>
>>>>>>>> on recently.
>>>>>>>> Gerardo
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your
>> account info for
>>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/clinton.
>> waterbury%40
>> gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>> account info for
>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekitt
>> ykat2%40gmai
>> l.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/adrianne
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>> mail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
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>> djedi%40samo
>> bile.net
>>>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:25:42 -0700
> From: "Dennis Clark" <dennisgclark at sbcglobal.net>
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>, "National Association of Blind Students
> 	mailing list"	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
> Message-ID: <004101cb5f29$cc4123b0$6601a8c0 at server>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> Extremely well stated Joe.
> Dennis
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 8:38 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>
>
>> Darrel,
>>
>> I'm a little late in entering the thread, but excellent post as is typical
>> when you can be coaxed to come out of lurking. (grin)
>>
>> I agree with Darrel's viewpoint.  I'm a little bummed by people who do not
>> chalk up this lady's success to be anything special, because to a certain
>> extent blind people need some type of media coverage to report on what
>> blind
>> people are doing.  Unless a blind reporter is capturing the story, we
>> can't
>> count on a perfect story to be told, and isn't it better for the public to
>> hear stories of blind people actively working in the general public than
>> to
>> continue to rely on perceptions that blind people are still helpless and
>> unemployable?
>>
>> I do not agree with this notion that blind people should try to blend in
>> so
>> much that our individual achievements are overshadowed by a persistent
>> need
>> to be thought of as "normal."  Normal is an elusive concept, and I
>> personally celebrate anyone's accomplishment whether it's graduating from
>> high school or learning the first six letters in the Braille alphabet.  If
>> people's individual successes are so mundane, the kernel books were a
>> waste
>> of time and resources, and we may as well stop publishing most of the
>> Braille Monitor...
>>
>> Alternatively, if the media is not covering the types of success we want
>> the
>> public to hear about, why aren't we doing more to get out there and convey
>>
>> a
>> more positive image?
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "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 darrel kirby
>> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:22 AM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>> I have been watching this thread closely and I find it very
>> interesting. I
>> feel that my current employment is rather normal. I strive to do my job
>> well. I am currently employed full-time as a therapist within the
>> Psychiatric Services Department of a large hospital. I often hear things
>> like "you are so amazing" and so on. I know that what I do is quite
>> ordinary. I use blind-skills in my life and at my job, but my
>> education and
>> practice to become a great therapist is not learned through
>> instruction/education focused on visual techniques.  I do my
>> job well and
>> strive to be the best therapist I can be, but acknowledge that
>> blindness is
>> not a significant factor in becoming the therapist I want to become.
>>
>> However, when I read this article, I was amazed with this
>> woman. I thought
>> her courage and hard work in overcoming  barriers is very
>> impressive. I also
>> recognize that she has dove into a profession that very few blind people
>> have had the courage to explore. I asked a friend of mine about
>> the teaching
>> approaches of instructors in a Culinary School. He stated that the
>> techniques are presented in mostly visual methods, but also
>> recognized the
>> importance of "hands-on" learning. My point being, I do thing
>> this woman's
>> ability to gain the skill and knowledge  of professional cooking from
>> "standard" methods of Culinary Arts instruction is
>> extraordnary. I do not
>> believe that it takes a "super blind" person to become a blind chef or a
>> "super genious" to do what this young woman has accomplished,
>> but I think
>> from her story that she has a drive and determination that is amazing -
>> whether she has sight or not.
>> With all that being said, the author of the article should not
>> be expected
>> to know what it means to be blind by spending a few moments
>> with one blind
>> person. The over-all theme of the article gave credit to this
>> individual and
>> her drive to not let her blindness slow her down. Although not
>> the perfectly
>> written article from a blind person's perspective, it was an
>> inspirational
>> and educational article to read.
>>
>> Just My Opinion,
>>
>> Darrel Kirby
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Mary Fernandez
>> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 2:25 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>
>> Hey all,
>> Thanks Jedi for the .input   I could not have said it better. I truly
>> understand how strong and incredible this woman is.
>> Think about it.
>> Her primary challenge wasn't so much that she was blind, but her life's
>> circumstances, over coming poverty, language barrier, not getting
>> appropriate services and such. Add to that her blindness and
>> you really have
>> to possess a lot of determination to do what she has. But this
>> article in my
>> opinion , makes it sound like if it hadn't been for the sighted
>> assistants
>> and what not, she wouldn't have made it. The whole holding your
>> hands out
>> and being lost in your own home, and the way they described her
>> searching
>> for the right knife is just not right. I mean, you don't see many
>> articles saying, oh look, Emerald peered closely at his knifes, being
>> careful not to touch the blade unless he cut himself. Just my thoughts.
>> Mary
>> On Sep 24, 2010, at 2:29 PM, Jedi wrote:
>>
>>> Hey, didn't you happen to notice that the things she could do were
>> attributed to some superhuman ability to touch or smell or
>> hear, and that
>> the writer described her movements around the kitchen at school
>> and home in
>> much the same way the stereotypical blind person is thought to
>> move around
>> (helpless, lost, hands out in front of them, etc). That's
>> pretty southward
>> to me. I doubt that's how Martinez wanted to be portrayed.
>> While the article
>> doesn't minimize her accomplishments, it's definitely a juxtiposition
>> between her real capability and what people really think
>> blindness is all
>> about. Did you also happen to notice the whole Helen Keller theme where
>> Martinez was sort of brought into the world by an ever-patient sighted
>> mentor? Hmmmm. I can understand why Andy feels angry.
>>>
>>> Respectfully,
>>> Jedi
>>>
>>> Original message:
>>>> Hello Andy,
>>>> I thought it was excellent.  I kept waiting for it to go
>> South but in my
>>>> opinion it didn't.  I do not think any of us who are totally
>> blind are
>> ever
>>>> going to impress sighted people more than this woman has
>> done.  Blindness
>> is
>>>> a disability, even though many blind people argue that it
>> isn't.  When I
>>>> hear that argument being made, it  is always clear to me that its
>> proponent
>>>> is trying to convince him or her self of its truth.  No
>> sighted person is
>>>> ever going to buy it.  This woman is at the top of her game, and for
>> those
>>>> not familiar with Chicago, this restaurant is extremely
>> exclusive, and
>> this
>>>> article will do a lot to help us as a group be perceived as
>> having the
>>>> ability to be competent despite blindness.  Most sighted
>> people know that
>>>> this blind woman is outperforming them, because they themselves could
>> never
>>>> get a job as a chef at a restaurant like this one.
>>>> Happy cooking,
>>>> Dennis
>>>
>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Andi" <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 3:16 PM
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>>>
>>>
>>>>> i   read this article, and was excited about this womans
>> success but was
>>>>> angry about how the writer of the article portrayed her!  I
>> have also
>> been
>>>>> rongly portrayed in newspaper articals as I am sure many of
>> you have.  I
>>>>> find news papers like to make a spectical of any one with a
>> "disability"
>>>>> that does anything remotely normal and even more of a side show of
>> someone
>>>>> who does something most "able bodied" people would have
>> trouble doing.
>>>>> This makes me angry because they take a positive advancement for the
>> blind
>>>>> and turn it in to a condescension of the blind.  How do you all feel
>> about
>>>>> this and other articals like it.  Do you have any
>> sugjestions on how to
>>>>> redirect it back to a positive to the world?
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame
>>>>> local/article_9884f76e-5023-11df-a9be-001cc4c03286 frame end
>>>>> the quad-city times
>>>
>>>>> FORMER MOLINE RESIDENT COOKS AT GOURMET RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO
>>>
>>>>> Blind chef gains national acclaim
>>>
>>>>> Kay Luna | Posted: Sunday, April 25, 2010 2:15 am
>>>
>>>>> Laura Martinez reaches out her hands, delicately running her fingers
>> atop
>>>>> the kitchen counter and across several sharp knives and a vegetable
>>>>> grater.
>>>
>>>>> She isn't afraid of getting cut.
>>>
>>>>> She never does, Martinez says.
>>>
>>>>> Picking up a very large knife, she feels the top of the blade.
>>>
>>>>> "This one is for vegetables," the 25-year-old former
>> resident of Moline
>>>>> softly says. "It has ridges."
>>>
>>>>> The other knife is even longer and heavier. She picks it
>> up, explaining
>>>>> that this one is called a chef's knife and she uses it to cut meat.
>>>
>>>>> But right now, Martinez needs to dice some fresh parsley.
>> So, she feels
>>>>> around on the counter again for the cutting board, using
>> her sense of
>>>>> touch to make
>>>>> sure the parsley is lined up just right.
>>>
>>>>> Then, without an ounce of fear, she begins chopping up the
>> parsley with
>>>>> the fast-moving technique employed by professional chefs -
>> because she
>> is
>>>>> one.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez works as a chef in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter's, an
>> exclusive
>>>>> gourmet restaurant in Chicago.
>>>
>>>>> She also happens to be blind.
>>>
>>>>> Fast learner gets inspiration
>>>
>>>>> When Martinez was little, she did not realize she was different from
>>>>> anyone else. She thought everyone lived in darkness. She
>> adapted to it.
>>>
>>>>> She wanted to become a surgeon someday.
>>>
>>>>> "I always liked knives," she said with a smile.
>>>
>>>>> When she got older, she learned that she had been diagnosed
>> with retinal
>>>>> blastoma, a type of cancer of the eyes, as a very young
>> child. That is
>>>>> what caused
>>>>> her blindness.
>>>
>>>>> Doctors removed one eye. Then the chemotherapy and radiation used to
>> treat
>>>>> the cancer ultimately ruined the vision in her other eye.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez cannot see anything. She cannot even detect light.
>>>
>>>>> In fact, she cannot remember ever seeing anything at all.
>> She uses her
>>>>> active imagination instead.
>>>
>>>>> She is also a fast learner, which came in handy after
>> spending her early
>>>>> childhood in a Mexican town that did not have a school for
>> the blind or
>>>>> special
>>>>> education classes. The closest school she could have attended was a
>>>>> three-hour car ride away.
>>>
>>>>> So, she stayed home and never learned to read or write in Spanish,
>> English
>>>>> or Braille until the family moved to Moline. She began her formal
>>>>> education at the
>>>>> age of 10.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez caught up eventually, blossoming even more when she reached
>>>>> Moline High School and met her one-on-one education aide,
>> Pam McDermott.
>>>>> The two spent
>>>>> every school day together, starting when Martinez was 15, and they
>> remain
>>>>> very close.
>>>
>>>>> McDermott spent a lot of time talking to Martinez,
>> describing situations
>>>>> and reading her books about the blind-and-deaf pioneer
>> Helen Keller and
>>>>> other people
>>>>> who overcame life's challenges.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez's mother does not speak English. Neither did her
>> late father.
>>>
>>>>> McDermott found herself explaining so many unexpected things to the
>> quiet,
>>>>> shy teenager - such as what flirting is and how some people have
>> different
>>>>> skin
>>>>> colors. She hated to be the one to tell her, but the
>> subject came up at
>>>>> school.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez began to dream about her future, but she faced
>> people who told
>>>>> her, "You can't do that. You're blind. There's no way," she said.
>>>
>>>>> "Kids would not come near me," Martinez said. "I was afraid
>> to talk or
>> do
>>>>> anything. But I don't give up."
>>>
>>>>> McDermott's influence helped open a whole new world of
>> possibilities for
>>>>> her, Martinez said.
>>>
>>>>> She learned to play piano. She moved away to take
>> life-skills classes
>> for
>>>>> the blind. She took community college classes.
>>>
>>>>> She dreamed about becoming a psychologist.
>>>
>>>>> Eventually her interest turned to cooking. She figured it might be a
>>>>> little like surgery. Why not give it a try?
>>>
>>>>> Martinez knew she would have to work harder than most to
>>>
>>>>> convince people that she could work as a chef. And she was up to the
>>>>> challenge.
>>>
>>>>> "I don't give up," she said.
>>>
>>>>> Culinary school brings challenges
>>>
>>>>> Martinez applied to the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in
>> Chicago, an
>>>>> open-enrollment institution where most people are accepted
>> as students
>> but
>>>>> not everyone
>>>>> graduates from the program, said Marshall Shafkowitz, the
>> school's vice
>>>>> president of academic affairs and student services. The
>> curriculum is
>>>>> tough.
>>>
>>>>> So was Shafkowitz, who admits he was "the biggest skeptic"
>> when it came
>> to
>>>>> considering how a blind student could succeed at Le Cordon Bleu. The
>>>>> school had
>>>>> never enrolled a visually impaired student before Martinez, he said.
>>>
>>>>> Initially, he was concerned how her presence in the classroom might
>> impact
>>>>> the other students' learning. Then he worried about how the teachers
>> could
>>>>> present
>>>>> the same curriculum, without lowering their standards, but
>> do so in a
>> way
>>>>> that would accommodate her.
>>>
>>>>> He did not know whether she could handle the fast-paced
>> environment of
>>>>> working in a commercial kitchen, which is so much different
>> than cooking
>>>>> at home.
>>>
>>>>> "It's a faster pace, with bigger knives and a lot more
>> fire," he said.
>>>
>>>>> After watching Martinez at school and witnessing her "drive
>> and desire"
>> to
>>>>> become a chef, Shafkowitz said he was amazed. He said her heightened
>> focus
>>>>> via
>>>>> the other senses, in the absence of sight, is her "superpower."
>>>
>>>>> "Her sense of touch is amazing," he said. "The only way I
>> can describe
>> it
>>>>> is the touch that a surgeon has when they're working on
>> your organs. She
>>>>> just
>>>>> has that delicate way with a knife."
>>>
>>>>> "She's not going to let anything hold her back," he added. "I think
>> that's
>>>>> 90 percent of who Laura is. Nobody's going to tell her no."
>>>
>>>>> The school hired an aide to help her get around. She
>> labeled things in
>>>>> Braille.
>>>
>>>>> Mostly, though, she learned by using her hands to feel everything -
>>>>> especially the food she was preparing and cooking. She uses
>> her sense of
>>>>> smell to figure
>>>>> out which spices to use. She uses both senses to determine
>> whether meat
>>>>> and other dishes are done.
>>>
>>>>> Her favorite culinary class was the one in which she learned how to
>> debone
>>>>> chicken and take the fat off beef before cutting it into chunks and
>>>>> feeding it
>>>>> into a grinder. The teacher asked everyone to close their
>> eyes and feel
>>>>> the joints and bones, the meat and the fat. That's how they learned
>> where
>>>>> and what
>>>>> to cut, Martinez said.
>>>
>>>>> "Fat feels different. It feels slippery, kind of like
>> Jell-O," she said.
>>>>> "I focus on the smell, sound and the feel."
>>>
>>>>> An article about the school's first blind student was
>> published in the
>>>>> Chicago Tribune during December, which inspired the "CBS
>> Evening News"
>> to
>>>>> feature
>>>>> her on national television. During the filming of that segment, CBS
>>>>> brought along internationally famous chef Charlie Trotter.
>>>
>>>>> They hoped he would observe Martinez in the kitchen and
>> maybe give her
>>>>> some advice.
>>>
>>>>> What he ended up giving her was a job offer: to work as a
>> chef at his
>>>>> exclusive Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago. No one
>> expected that,
>>>>> least of
>>>>> all Martinez.
>>>
>>>>> "It's a big honor for me," she said. "It's very exclusive."
>>>
>>>>> Rochelle Smith Trotter, a spokeswoman for the Charlie Trotter Corp.,
>> said
>>>>> Chef Trotter was very taken by Martinez's
>>>
>>>>> passion for food and her strong determination - "two
>> attributes which he
>>>>> utilizes to evaluate any potential team member," she said.
>>>
>>>>> Martinez graduated Feb. 11 from Le Cordon Bleu. A week
>> later, she began
>>>>> working at Trotter's, where she is familiarizing herself with the
>> kitchen
>>>>> and the
>>>>> restaurant's French-contemporary gourmet cuisine.
>>>
>>>>> "We use very expensive herbs from all over the world," she said,
>> sniffing
>>>>> assorted spices in plastic containers at her childhood home
>> in Moline.
>>>
>>>>> She kept picking up the spices and putting them down,
>> hunting for just
>> the
>>>>> right one to season the sauce for her lasagna.
>>>
>>>>> "Where's the salt?" she asked.
>>>
>>>>> Still dreaming
>>>
>>>>> Reaching her arms out in front of her, feeling for walls or other
>>>>> obstacles she might bump into, Martinez moves around the kitchen in
>>>>> Moline. She is lost
>>>>> because her family recently remodeled.
>>>
>>>>> "Where is the trash can?" she asks.
>>>
>>>>> She feels around until she finds the sink to wash her
>> hands, which she
>>>>> does repeatedly. She needs to stay cleaner than a sighted
>> person, she
>>>>> says, for food
>>>>> safety and sanitation reasons. That is because she touches
>> the food that
>>>>> she cooks a lot.
>>>
>>>>> Sometimes she browses cookbooks written in Braille or
>> recorded on CD,
>> but
>>>>> she likes to make up her own dishes or give her own special
>> twist to an
>>>>> old favorite.
>>>>> For example, she added grated jalapeno pepper to her
>> lasagna, just to
>> give
>>>>> it some kick, she said.
>>>
>>>>> She imagines herself someday opening a restaurant in Miami,
>> offering a
>> mix
>>>>> of French, Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisines. She would
>> call the place
>>>>> La Diosa,
>>>>> which, she said, is Spanish for "The Goddess."
>>>
>>>>> To those who might scoff at the idea, she says, "I'm not giving up."
>>>
>>>>> Skeptics don't discourage her. They just "give me the
>> energy to fight,"
>>>>> she added.
>>>
>>>>> "I just say, 'I have to work harder to show you that I can.' "
>>>
>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>> From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>>>> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:42 PM
>>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and increasing sensation of blindness
>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>
>>>>>> I use my cane while holding someone's arm all the time.
>> However, I do
>>>>>> not consider it "sighted guide" so much as keeping with my
>> friend who
>>>>>> knows the way...especially since the person who usually
>> does this with
>>>>>> me is my legally blind boyfriend. I hold his arm for balance
>>>>>> primarily, and to keep track of where he is, as I have no
>> peripheral
>>>>>> vision. As we walk, he might point things out to me that I
>> would miss
>>>>>> with my cane no matter what (the mailboxes that stick out at
>>>>>> head-height, the wet branches in front of my face,
>> etcetra). I use my
>>>>>> cane so he can concentrate on where we are going and
>> things in front
>>>>>> of us. I find the curbs and steps on my own, and sometimes if the
>>>>>> light is too low, I find curbs and such for the both of
>> us, as he is
>>>>>> not as good with the cane (lack of practice!).
>>>
>>>>>> I find that if I take someone's arm, I am far less likely
>> to learn the
>>>>>> route. I have done entire routes on someone's arm that,
>> looking back,
>>>>>> I couldn't tell you the first thing. This is partly
>> because of my poor
>>>>>> memory, but also because when I hold someone's arm, unless I'm in
>>>>>> charge of navigation (which does occur sometimes), I let
>> that work go,
>>>>>> and concentrate more on balance, what my cane is finding,
>> and sounds.
>>>>>> I can enjoy myself a bit better this way.
>>>
>>>>>> Personally, I think holding someone's arm and using a cane
>> at the same
>>>>>> time is perfectly fine. That's just my opinion, so feel
>> free to shoot
>>>>>> me down, but that won't stop me from doing it myself! I
>> don't like to
>>>>>> put all the responsibility on the other person, no matter
>> how good a
>>>>>> guide they are...though there is one exception. My O&M instructor
>>>>>> would do sighted guide with me to get quickly to a location, and my
>>>>>> cane just got in his way, and he was very good at guiding
>> (he better
>>>>>> be, since he teaches other people how to be sighted
>> guides, too!), so
>>>>>> I allow my cane to remain at my side, ready to pull out if I should
>>>>>> need it, but I put my trust in him.
>>>
>>>>>> ~Jewel
>>>
>>>>>> On 5/3/10, clinton waterbury <clinton.waterbury at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> As far as the cane issue goes, when I was about three
>> years of age, I
>>>>>>> started learning how to use the cane.
>>>
>>>>>>> The only problem was that I would flat out refuse to use
>> it until the
>>>>>>> time I
>>>>>>> was about five.
>>>
>>>>>>> The travel instructor finally said "Ok, you don't want to use it?
>> I'll
>>>>>>> take
>>>>>>> it from you."
>>>
>>>>>>> At that point, I tried and faled miserably to walk around
>> without it!
>>>
>>>>>>> At the day's end, I did get the cane back, and have been
>> using it ever
>>>>>>> since.
>>>>>>> On May 2, 2010, at 4:49 PM, Gerardo Corripio wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>>> Hi guys: I'm curious as to is it fine to use a cane while going
>> sighted
>>>>>>>> guide with someone? for instance suppose the person whom
>> I'm going
>> with
>>>>>>>> has
>>>>>>>> never done sighted guide with a blind person, thus
>> doesn't know to
>>>>>>>> alert
>>>>>>>> us
>>>>>>>> of steps and the like. So I was thinking that if this
>> technique is
>> fine
>>>>>>>> to
>>>
>>>>>>>> use it can serve two purposes:
>>>>>>>> 1.-Be able to go along sighted guide but at the same
>> time being able
>> to
>>>>>>>> oneself find and sort obstacles the sighted person might
>> not have the
>>>>>>>> mind
>>>
>>>>>>>> to let us know.
>>>>>>>> 2.-Be able to start mapping in our minds the route
>> following, thus
>> make
>>>>>>>> it
>>>
>>>>>>>> easier to get to know the route by ourselves.
>>>>>>>> Also I've got another subject on my mind, thus sending
>> in the same
>>>>>>>> email:
>>>>>>>> Is
>>>>>>>> it normal that when using a cane I have conflict in
>> using it? though
>> I
>>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>>> the cane is how we get around by ourselves thanks to a
>> bad experience
>>>>>>>> while
>>>>>>>> studying for a diploma in Humanistic Therapy some years
>> ago in that
>>>>>>>> when I
>>>
>>>>>>>> wanted to use the cane again after some years of having
>> it dusting, I
>>>>>>>> held
>>>
>>>>>>>> it in my hand but wasn't able to use it at ease because
>> memories of
>> the
>>>>>>>> experience came flooding back. fortunately I've been able to work
>> them
>>>>>>>> out
>>>
>>>>>>>> but am curious as to know if this has happened to you
>> guys? It's a
>>>>>>>> conflict
>>>>>>>> because for one I'm aware that the cane makes us unique as blind
>> people
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> lets us move around by ourselves but also because here
>> in Mexico the
>>>>>>>> blind
>>>
>>>>>>>> aren't viewed as equals in some respects, thus when
>> using the cane
>>>>>>>> gives
>>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>>> the feeling that lets blindness show even more, making
>> the sighted
>>>>>>>> people
>>>>>>>> feel ill at ease; speaking from experience in another
>> country when I
>>>>>>>> know
>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>> the US you guys don't have to cope with these things
>> because of how
>>>>>>>> advanced
>>>>>>>> you guys are in the work you've done all these years.
>> some day I hope
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>>> able to be like you guys and really live by your standards, thus
>> hoping
>>>>>>>> these questions bring on a good discussion from which
>> more than one
>>>>>>>> might
>>>>>>>> learn something new and enrich the topic of appreciating
>> our roots
>>>>>>>> brought
>>>
>>>>>>>> on recently.
>>>>>>>> Gerardo
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
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>> account info for
>>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/clinton.
>> waterbury%40
>> gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>> nabs-l:
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
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