[nabs-l] Of Things that Matter

Darian Smith dsmithnfb at gmail.com
Fri Feb 4 07:42:15 UTC 2011


Hi List,
  There is a Moral  to this  story...  it isn't scientific, but  it's logical.
 beyond all else,  we should take great  care not to assume anything.
Just because a person is blind doesn't mean that they understand with
other blind people believe to be true, or that a sighted person  could
never  believe with some do.   We have sighted allies and blind
enimies (though I hesitate to use the word enimey, as it has been
used in a very strong andb neggitive way over time).  It may be wise
to read, then react, and even before you react take a moment  further
to analyze.  Truth is, we are making alot of  comotion over some
information that we no little about.   For the Science buffs (Mary,
Jamie, Arielle, and others)    science is a way for us to understand
the vastness about us, around us and that is us.  When we think  of it
this way, we have to give ourselves over  to the fact that we don't
know  everything that there is  to know, and  often, we find we didn't
know half of what we thought we knew.
Now, I'm sure one of the people I mentioned by name, or one of the
many people on this list will correct me, proving that we only know so
much, and I'm fine with that.
 Point is,  there's no  use getting to worked up over something when
we don't know the facts.  We can take  part in the study if we can,
decide not to if we can,  or  ask more questions, as  scientests do.
 and with that rant, I shall  take my leave.
 have a good one folks!

On 2/3/11, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well spoken, Arielle and Joe.
> Beth
>
> On 2/3/11, Mary Fernandez <trillian551 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello All,
>> At the risk of repeating some of what Arielle said, I tend to agree
>> with her whole-heartedly. When preparing research, we as researchers
>> need to take into consideration what benefits our research will have
>> on the targetted population. For example, in 1984,  Rosenblum decided
>> to survey mothers of relinquished children. She wanted to know their
>> experiences and how that had affected their later life. However, she
>> was ethically bound to make her study worth while. In other words,
>> what is the reasoning behind having mothers talk about stories that
>> might be painful, of things that might have happened when they were
>> very young. Rosenblum was highly pursuasive, in accurately predicting
>> that their stories and their experiences, might reveal patterns in
>> their later lives. Still, to some this seemed like a morbid study, but
>> most of the women she sent the survey too did answer, mainly because
>> she made this beautiful insentive which in a way commomerated the
>> sacrifice they had made.
>> I could go on and on about studies that observe and survey targetted
>> populations. We do studies on prisoners and minorities. If we are not
>> careful in our recruiting however, the research question can seem
>> cruel and highly offensive, which I think is the case here. My
>> suggestion to everyone is to not get so up in arms because someone is
>> trying to research a question about blind individuals that is so
>> obvious to us. Many questions in the social sciences seem almost
>> intuitive. But we need the scientific data. The researchers are
>> ethically bound to answer the question of how this is going to affect
>> the targetted population, in this case blind young adults. I think
>> that if you want to help our community and the scientific community,
>> and if you want to change perceptions about blindness, you should very
>> politely contact the researcher and ask relevant questions. Ask him,
>> how how he came to do  this study? What benefits his findings might
>> have for the blind ccommunity. And even to refer you to some of the
>> literature, if any, that exists which helps back up his hypothesis.
>> At the same time, i have to warn you that if you are within the age
>> range, he might share this only after you take the survey because you
>> will be biased by the previous literature etc. Which might  not be the
>> best ideal for data collection. In addition, in psychological research
>> we are permitted to use deception so that our participants are not
>> biased by  knowing the real hypothesis. So this might all be a rousse
>> to cover up the real hyhpothesis. Please, please, if you decide to
>> take the survey, do not be so biased. Because that will only do more
>> harm than good. If you truly feel you cannot do this with an open
>> mind, don't go and try to mess up the man's research, let someone else
>> do it.
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> On 2/3/11, Jamie Principato <blackbyrdfly at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Joe,
>>>
>>> While I do not share in your skepticism, I am glad you are not swayed in
>>> your stance merely by the fact that the researcher is blind and
>>> affiliated
>>> with the NFB. I respect that. I also can't believe anyone would have
>>> actually sent this person rude messages, especially considering how many
>>> of
>>> us are students in scientific fields ourselves. I surely hope it was no
>>> worse than some of the comments about the researchers that have been
>>> tossed
>>> around on this list.
>>>
>>> Anyway, thanks for looking at this rationally, even if we disagree.
>>>
>>> On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 11:30 PM, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Humberto,
>>>>
>>>> The fact he's blind means very little.  I am just as skeptical, and he
>>>> knows
>>>> this.  I'll speak to him tomorrow and bring back a report.  He did say
>>>> he'd
>>>> received a lot of rude messages, to which I hope none of my fellow NFB
>>>> members are responsible.  In my opinion, we're free to oppose the
>>>> research,
>>>> but we should and ought to do it with some organized points as opposed
>>>> to
>>>> inappropriate phone calls.
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Mary Fernandez
>> Emory University 2012
>> P.O. Box 123056
>> Atlanta Ga.
>> 30322
>> Phone: 732-857-7004
>> "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the
>> most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of
>> teachers."
>> Charles W. Eliot
>>
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-- 
Darian Smith
Skype: The_Blind_Truth
Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/goldengateace

"You could be shown the road, given the vehicle, even handed the key.
But only you can have the drive."




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