[nabs-l] Accessible Games

[Jewel S.]

Yea, I meant Shades of Doom and Monkey Madness. I have my days when I
can't remember even simple details like that. Chalk it up to my
undiagnosed disorder...memory fog is one reason they think it is
likely fibromyalgia.

My boyfriend, who loved Doom, tried playing Shades of Doom, and
disliked it, but he is a very visual player and even with his
degenerationg eye condition (due to non-age related macular
degeneration), he strains his eyes to play his video games (and then
complains about his headaches...*eyeroll* Men!). I never did well with
shoot-'em-up bang-bang games. There is one that is kinda like that old
arcade game with the spaceships that you have to shoot down. I kinda
liked it, and got decent at it, but I can't remember its name or where
to get it.

When I'm waiting for a download or a page to load, though, I love to
switch over to Finger Panic for a quick game. My high score is 1450!
It helps my finger dexterity and speed, I think.

On 9/28/10, Renee Jones <1056996 at gmatc.matc.edu> wrote:
> On 9/28/10, nabs-l-request at nfbnet.org <nabs-l-request at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Send nabs-l mailing list submissions to
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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
>>>>> 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
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> 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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>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekitt
>> 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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>>> account info for
>>>>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>>>>>
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/herekitt
>>> ykat2%40gmai
>>> l.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> mail.com
>>>>
>>>>
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>>> obal.net
>>>>
>>>>
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>>> 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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>>>>>>> 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: 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
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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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>>> l.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
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>> End of nabs-l Digest, Vol 47, Issue 33
>> **************************************
>>
> Let me introduce my self. My name is Renee Jones. Have you tried
> "Black Jack?" It can help you prepare for Monte Carlo Night!
>
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-- 
~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com