[nabs-l] Of Things that Matter

[humberto]

everyone is right. Why are they doing this? Blind people can 
learn just like the sighted, just a little differently, and, 
whoever started up the survey, doesn't know anything about 
blindness and about that we are just normal people who can't see. 
I was actually thrilled when I first that message arrived, and my 
index fingers touches the letters s, e, and x in braille as I 
read from a braille note. These stupid people are wasting time 
trying to figure out how "these weird strange extra-terrestrial 
own-little-world-holder blind people work." (This is what I think 
of them saying about us.)
Now I just hope that this internet mailing list can go public 
enough so that these people can read all our posts regarding the 
matter, and that these people are automatedly being invited to 
one of our National Conventions of the NFB, and so that they can 
listen to Dr. Maurer's banquet speeches about blindness. He is 
really good at speaking and educating people about blindness.
Although I didn't think of posting anything about this thread, 
but inspiration made me, and here are my sixteen cents, for what 
it's worth.


> ----- Original Message -----
>From: Jorge Paez <jorgeapaez at mac.com
>To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:11:50 -0500
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Of Things that Matter

>Completely agree.
>Why in the world would the general public care about that kind of 
private stuff?

>1 the general public doesn't care,

>and

>2. the survey--if its done on that principle is therefore 
baseless.

>The only person we'd ever have to educate about such things are 
the person we would be doing it with--if that makes sense.



>Jorge


>On Feb 3, 2011, at 2:40 PM, Beth wrote:

>> Joe,
>> 	I agree with all the stuff you are saying.  I think the 
survey is irreleevant now that I think about it and is a 
useless waste paper baket of .. well, wastepaper.  Crumpled 
up receipts can go on top of the survey if possible. 
*crumples up the survey sheets and throws them into 
wastepaper basket).  IF only I could do what I think I just 
did virtually.
>> Beth

>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com
>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 13:47:20 -0500
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Of Things that Matter

>> For me, the sex study is irrelevant and insignificant.  The age 
range is
>> limited, making me wonder about a sufficient sample, and we 
really don't
>> have a clue as to what exactly it is that the research hopes to 
accomplish.
>> And this survey is merely preparatory for a future survey?  What 
does
>> trouble me is the validity people have given the project.  From 
what little
>> we know of the project, it would appear the professor believes 
there is
>> something inherently different in blind people that would make 
sex education
>> a special circumstance for this population.

>> Maybe I'm missing something.  Is your perception of sex 
different because
>> you're blind?  Was your inability to see a significant challenge 
to figuring
>> out how it works?  Was your childhood so isolated that your 
friends did not
>> fill in the gaps?

>> Okay, let's say we agree the study is a joke.  You say it's 
important to
>> educate the public that blind people are every bit as capable of 
intercourse
>> as anyone else.  The million-dollar question is quite simply:  
Why?
>> Seriously, why is it necessary to tell scholars that blind 
people learn
>> about sex the same as any other adolescent.  You could claim 
it's everyday
>> advocacy, but advocacy is only necessary if you are being barred 
from
>> equally participating in certain activities.

>> This specific study is intellectual waste because it makes blind 
people feed
>> into public misconceptions.  It makes blind people feel they 
need to defend
>> themselves against something for which no defense is necessary.  
The
>> research presumes blind individuals are subjects worthy of 
unique
>> examination, and we allow ourselves to be reduced to odd samples 
the second
>> we begin to engage the researcher in his own experiment.  You're 
not going
>> to educate him, because it's not just about disproving a 
hypothesis.  It's
>> about disproving the preconceived prejudice that triggered the 
research in
>> the first place.

>> Ultimately, people will wonder but will probably not publicly 
ask:  Why are
>> sighted people generally put off by the idea of intercourse with 
a blind
>> person?  My educated guess is fear of the unknown.  We have all 
been in
>> situations where we feared too many questions would be just 
plain rude.
>> Well, you think, how is it that we're supposed to change minds 
if we're not
>> supposed to advocate?  Remember, you're not trying to have sex 
with the
>> general public.  There are things for which you do not need to 
make a
>> statement to make happen with the one person that is the target 
of your
>> natural instincts.

>> Is there a place for an examination of sex and blindness in the 
same
>> context?  Certainly.  We should examine the depravity of certain 
humans who
>> force themselves on blind people simply because they perceive 
the victims as
>> easy prey.  This is an idea worth investigating and finding 
solutions.

>> But, there is a difference between a victim of violence and a 
victim of
>> society.  In the case of the former, one may not always have the 
resources
>> to protect oneself against the circumstances.  In the case of 
the latter,
>> however, you do have a choice, and you do not need to feel 
pressured to send
>> a signal over something so insubstantial as to almost be 
laughable.
>> Hard-core disability activists who feel moved to write books 
about sexual
>> equality irritate me because all that time that was spent 
preaching could
>> have been spent...But, I digress.

>> We need to keep things in perspective.  We need to not be lured 
into
>> dialogues that do nothing to advance our equality.  There are 
plenty of
>> fields where we need to educate the public of our abilities, and 
as far as
>> I'm concerned, the three main people in that big diverse public 
for whom the
>> extra mile is required are the people you call family, the 
people who cut
>> your check, and the people you take home to meet mama.  How I 
learned about
>> and fulfilled my private tasks is not a matter of academic 
speculation,
>> because my disability does not make me any different from anyone 
else.

>> Alright, now I'm going to smack myself around for succumbing to 
the urge to
>> fall victim to this irrelevant distraction.  I am copying the 
professor here
>> in hopes he might enlighten me as to his motives.  Maybe there's 
something
>> there I'm just too dense to see?  Criticisms aside, I'm open to 
being
>> educated.

>> Regards,

>> 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


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