[nabs-l] [Nfbnet-members-list] Threw Our Eyes interview, Ride into History, Race for Independence, Wed. June 22, 8:00 pm EDT

Mon Jun 27 11:41:56 UTC 2011

Good morning, JJoseph,

         What is the nature of your continued 
fight with cancer? And, on that focused, can-do 
attitude I do believe the Federation is on to 
something. I live in the city where it all began 
with Dr. TenBroek and Dr. Jernigan's having held professorships, at Cal.:
>I have a Masterâ€™s degree that is completely 
>useless because of discrimination.  I am deeply 
>in debt and looking for employment in unrelated 
>fields.  If anything, my degree is an impediment 
>to employment because people see it and presume 
>they cannot afford to hire me with my 
>educational background. The way I see it, if our 
>alternative techniques arenâ€™t effective enough 
>to do the same job and in roughly the same time 
>frame, then we need to improve either the 
>technique or our mastery of them, because they 
>are not yet suitable alternatives to really 
>compete with our sighted peers. After battling a 
>couple of cancers, Iâ€™ve really had to ask 
>myself what limitations Iâ€™m willing to accept 
>others placing on my life because of my 
>disability, and whether Iâ€™d place any of my 
>own.  The answer was the same to both: I wonâ€™t 
>accept limitations just because I canâ€™t see. I 
>just walked into a testing environment today.  I 
>brought with me what accommodations I thought 
>Iâ€™d need, and a few I thought I probably 
>wouldnâ€™t.  They were in no way prepared for me 
>as a blind person to be there, and tried to 
>figure out what sort of adaptations I might 
>need.  But as it happens, I didnâ€™t, because I 
>was prepared.  I took the same examination 
>everyone else did, aided only by a little bit of 
>technology (and not exactly high tech 
>either!)  It worked, I took the exam, finished 
>in relatively similar time to my peers, and I 
>passed. Would other accommodations have been 
>more useful?  Yes.  Would they have been 
>possible given time to arrange them?  Yes.  Did 
>not having them stop me?  No.  Because Iâ€™m no 
>longer willing to be stopped.  I will get it 
>done, one way or another.  If we couldnâ€™t find 
>a way to do that tonight, we would have done it 
>at the next opportunity. Joseph On Sun, Jun 26, 
>2011 at 10:03:06PM -0400, 
>bookwormahb at earthlink.net wrote: >Joseph, >Yes 
>most people work through college. But as Kirt 
>rightly points out, >we have barriers to doing 
>those little part time jobs. One of them 
>is >that our studying and alternative techniques 
>take longer. We cannot >glance at a graph; we 
>cannot skim a book or cut many corners 
>in >studying as sighted students do either 
>because their lazy or in a >time crunch. >In 
>theory we should work and be like everyone else. 
>But sadly, >without that BA degree >our 
>opportunities for office jobs are very limited. 
>Aren't you >looking for work with a degree?  If 
>so, you know the job market is >tough and 
>competetive. > >Kirt said >"School is preparing 
>me to work a regular job-since my 
>alternative >techniques require lots of time 
>work isn't really practical for me >while I go 
>through school.  I suspect that's why you 
>applied for SSI >in the first place.  " >That's 
>right. SSI could be seen as a handout, but if 
>its used >temporarily and a blind person intends 
>to use his/her schooling to >secure competetive 
>employment, then that is alright. After all, 
>your >years of work paying taxes you will 
>contribute to the system like >most 
>Americans. > >I agree with Kirt that its not too 
>practical to work through school. >I could go on 
>and on. I'm sure some people do it to earn extra 
>cash, >and if they are lucky to find a good job 
>with an open minded >employer, that is great. 
>But how many blind people do you know with >only 
>high school diplomas working part time? How many 
>do you know who >cansay work typical college 
>part time jobs at cash registers, as 
>a >salesperson, or front desk? No, I don't know 
>any because those jobs >are too visual. Being a 
>hostess, server, or table cleaner are 
>other >common jobs.  Again, a blind person 
>cannot wait tables; oh maybe they >could 
>bartend, but that requires a special license and 
>I think you >have to be 21. >There are some jobs 
>a blind student can do with skills, but again 
>you >have to have someone willing to hire you 
>with no, I repeat no >experience; and most 
>employers won't do that and you don't even 
>have >the schooling to back up what you want to 
>do. >Jobs such as babysitting, tutoring, being a 
>receptionist, >telemarketer, or customer service 
>representative are jobs we can do.  >These jobs 
>don't require a college degree, if you work for 
>certain >employers. > >Joseph, if you decide not 
>to take SSI, I hope you still have food >stamps 
>or your family or friends can loan you money. I 
>would not want >you to go hungry.  Food pantries 
>don't give out full meals; only soup >kitchens 
>do and most soup kitchens only serve one or two 
>meals a day. >Good luck with whatever you 
>decide. >Ashley > >-----Original Message----- 
>From: T. Joseph Carter >Sent: Sunday, June 26, 
>2011 9:03 PM >To: National Association of Blind 
>Students mailing list >Subject: Re: [nabs-l] 
>[Nfbnet-members-list] Threw Our Eyes 
>interview, >Ride into History, Race for 
>Independence, Wed. June 22, 8:00 pm EDT > >Wait, 
>are you saying the system is designed for us to 
>sit on our >collective duffs and mooch off of 
>others while we piddle around and >do 
>nothing?  Does that seem like an appropriate 
>system to you? > >You know how most people get 
>through school?  They work.  Why should >we be 
>different?  Yes, I know we ARE, but why should 
>we accept that? >We cannot work through school 
>because the very act of going through >school 
>takes us longer.  Why?  Because we havenâ€™t got 
>the skills to >keep up.  Why?  Because the same 
>system that is giving us our little >handout 
>(for which Iâ€™m told we should be grateful) has 
>actively >interfered in our efforts to be and do 
>better than that. > >As for suing, how, whom, 
>and why?  My benefits were never 
>actually >stopped, only threatened.  Just enough 
>to keep me jumping for my >government 
>slavemasters.  I was entitled to, had, and won 
>each of my >appeals, so the system worked as 
>designed. > >Iâ€™m just no longer willing to be 
>a slave. > >Joseph > > >On Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 
>01:18:23PM -0600, Kirt Manwaring 
>wrote: >>Joseph, >> You make great points, and I 
>really do feel for you.  That's >>aweful...like, 
>maybe get a social security lawyer kind of 
>aweful. >> All I'm saying is, the way the system 
>is intended to work (and the >>way it works for 
>a lot of us), SSI is necessary income.  I'm 
>using it >>so I don't starve through school; the 
>minute I get out and find a >>full-time job, I'm 
>saying goodbye to my SSI for good.  That's how 
>it >>should be-use it to get yourself able to 
>work then cut the cord.  I >>know lots of people 
>abuse it, I know it's poorly managed, and I 
>know >>you're getting screwed by the 
>system.  But the way I see it, it's >>designed 
>to be a boost up to equality, not a handout.  Of 
>course, >>everyone doesn't use it that way. >> 
>In any case, best of luck.  I hope things work 
>out for you.  For >>what it's worth, I'm sorry 
>you're going through all this crap. >> Best 
>wishes, >>Kirt >> >>On 6/25/11, T. Joseph Carter 
><carter.tjoseph at gmail.com> 
>wrote: >>>Kirt, >>> >>>Social Security and SSI 
>are still a handout, and they come 
>with >>>strings attached that make getting off 
>of them pretty difficult. >>>Especially if you 
>live in subsidized housing, collect food 
>stamps, >>>receive utility subsidies, etc.  If 
>you do and you go and find >>>yourself a job 
>that doesnâ€™t pay enough, you will have a 
>sudden net >>>reduction in your income that 
>already doesnâ€™t pay the bills. >>> >>>Iâ€™ve 
>decided Iâ€™m getting off this roller coaster 
>even if it makes me >>>homeless in the process, 
>because Iâ€™m sick and tired of living in 
>fear >>>that they might take away my 
>benefits!  Iâ€™ve gotten three letters 
>to >>>that effect in the past two years, in the 
>midst of cancer treatment >>>for two of them, 
>all with the customary 30 day appeal Iâ€™d 
>better take >>>advantage of if I want to be able 
>to survive another month! >>> >>>Iâ€™m tired of 
>getting paid to NOT work.  Iâ€™m tired of living 
>in places >>>where the government intrudes upon 
>my home three times a year to make >>>sure my 
>landlord isnâ€™t complete pond scum (but 
>allowing them to be >>>one level removed from 
>pond scum!)  Iâ€™m tired of being told that if 
>I >>>start working, my rent will suddenly be 
>120% of what anybody in their >>>right might 
>would ever pay for this dump.  And Iâ€™m tired 
>of being >>>told that theyâ€™re sorry, but I 
>just donâ€™t qualify for the work >>>incentives, 
>or the better medical coverage, or the 
>exemptions that >>>might possibly allow me to 
>save a few hundred dollars with which 
>to >>>actually get out of here! >>> >>>Your 
>not-a-handout Social Security and SSI have made 
>slaves of far >>>too many of us.  Perfectly able 
>to work, but afraid to try for fear >>>that 
>weâ€™ll lose what little weâ€™ve got.  We are 
>trapped in a prison of >>>learned helplessness, 
>and the only way out is to see these 
>things—all >>>of them—for what theyhey are: 
>Government handouts designed to keep 
>us >>>docile, afraid, and living in 
>poverty. >>> >>>Iâ€™m done playing that 
>game. >>> >>>Joseph >>> >>> >>>On Sat, Jun 25, 
>2011 at 09:13:21AM -0600, Kirt Manwaring 
>wrote: >>>>Carley, >>>> First off, I've done a 
>bit of really light research and I was 
>way >>>>liberal about what I thought the cost of 
>this would be.  It's probably >>>>going to be in 
>the neighborhood of $100 million, so I was way 
>off. >>>>That'll teach me not to make outlandish 
>statements with no proof. >>>> But still, the 
>point I made in my last message stands.  Of 
>course I >>>>don't want the government to write 
>out a check for all of us-I was >>>>trying to 
>point out that trying to make all the cash out 
>there more >>>>"blind-friendly" is not 
>necessary.  Just like we don't need 
>government >>>>handouts (I'm not counting SSI as 
>a government handout because that's >>>>money 
>lots of us genuinely need), we don't need the 
>government >>>>spending $100 million redesigning 
>currency we can already use with >>>>pretty much 
>no problem.  Honestly, if you think you can't 
>afford an >>>>iBill, there's probably something 
>you're buying with your $680 a month >>>>that 
>you really don't need. >>>> Just a 
>thought, >>>>Kirt >>> >>>________________________ 
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