[nabs-l] Out of curiosity

Sun May 8 05:25:01 UTC 2011

Um...  they think we are less competent? Hmmm...  Interesting...  
And you're right, we need them to see we can do things for 
ourselves, which we can.  Look at the guy that climbed Mount 
Everest, wasn't the whole team blind? That's interesting, though.  
I wonder why they think that.
Sent from my Apex

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 7 May 2011 22:34:51 -0600
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Out of curiosity

Hi all,

I personally don't have any objection to research on curing 
blindness
as long as it isn't backed by the kind of depressing and 
insulting
rhetoric that paints a tragic picture of the lives of blind 
people.  If
organizations like the FFB showcased real blind people who were 
happy
and well-adjusted, but who were looking forward to the 
possibility of
having sight as a way of increasing their avenues of access and
opportunity, I would be behind that all the way.  For example, 
Mike May
was a blind man who I believe was one of the first 
corneal-transplant
recipients who managed to gain a good deal of usable vision 
despite
being blind since age three.  I always liked how he talked about 
his
rationale for gaining sight: he was happy as a blind person, had 
a
good job and family life, but he thought that becoming sighted 
would
be a fun adventure.  I wish FFB would feature more people like 
him.
But, obviously, that perspective doesn't pull on people's 
heartstrings
and motivate them to give money as much as the tragic one does.  
Ah
well.

As for blindness "awareness" activities like the Dinners in the 
Dark:
As I posted on this list a few months ago, I did a research 
project
this year examining the effects of blindness simulations on 
people's
attitudes toward the blind.  In two experiments, we had people 
put on
sleepshades for a short period of time (about 15 min in the first
study, about 30 min in the second) and we had them do some menial
tasks like walking around (they walked with a cane in the second
study, but received no instruction on how to use it), pouring a 
glass
of water, and sorting coins.  Then we asked them to compare blind 
and
sighted people on several dimensions.  In both experiments, we 
got some
stunning results.  People who had been blindfolded rated the 
blind as
less competent (compared with the sighted) than did people who 
had not
been blindfolded.  The blindfolded subjects also said they 
thought
blind people were less capable of living on their own and doing
certain manual jobs (again, as compared to the sighted) than the
subjects who weren't blindfolded.  I think these data support an
intuition many of us have about these blindness simulation 
exercises.
Yes, they build sympathy for the blind, but at the expense of 
making
people think the blind are less capable, which is the last thing 
we
need at this point.  I'm hoping to show in a later study that 
giving
blindfolded subjects a little bit of real blindness skills 
training
undoes these negative effects.

Arielle

On 5/7/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
 Mark,
   I remember a speech, either by dr.  Jernigan or dr.  Ten Broek 
(I
 think it was Ten Broek), where he mentioned that the aspiration 
to
 fight blindness was "no doubt a worthy goal", or something along 
those
 lines.  But, as we've seen on other discussions on-list, 
opinions of
 individual Federationists would probably vary considerably.
   Warmest regards,
 Kirt

 On 5/7/11, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
 I can't speak for the NFB, but I'll tell you what I think.

 I think it's unfortunate that the FFB uses fear to raise funds 
for
 ophthalmological research.  For example, they do these dining in 
the
 dark experiences where sighted people have to try to eat without
 seeing.  You can imagine what a disaster that is, so they then 
equate
 their experience with that of blind people and give money 
because, oh,
 isn't it aweful to be blind? From what I gather, they don't talk 
at all
 to people about the things that the blind are doing to live
 productively.  It's all based in this medical model that sees us 
as sick
 or broken.  I certainly don't see myself as that way, and I 
imagine that
 many of you all don't, either.  But from what I gather, the 
blind guys
 that do participate at the FFB do think of themselves as sick or
 broken.  On the other hand, I've heard rumors that some NFB guys 
have
 recently gotten involved for one reason or another.

 Respectfully,
 Jedi

 Original message:

 What is the NFB's view of the work being dun by the Foundation 
Fighting
 Blindness, and there philosophy?

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--
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org

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