[nabs-l] Public humiliation because of blindness.

Sat Oct 20 15:29:07 UTC 2012

John,
  I think knowing when to speak up and when to let things go is
probably the hardest thing about being an independent blind person.
Best of luck to you!

On 10/20/12, christopher nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> I totally agree! You could also contact your NFB chapter or state
> president, and maybe they would be able to help you. I think the best
> course of action here is to be proactive and to educate them before
> the embarrassment happens.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Oct 20, 2012, at 1:52 AM, Mauricio Almeida
> <mauriciopmalmeida at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> greetings,
>>
>> While i have never had a situation exactly like this one, I thought I
>> would point out my views on some  of the issues discussed herein.
>> I strongly agree that you should take some kind of action regarding this
>> matter, because it is because we let go of things in the past that we need
>> to deal with these situations nowadays.
>> however, coming to us and sharing your experience, is already an action.
>> You have allowed yourself to calm down, and you have accepted the
>> situation understanding that it is not your fault for having a disability,
>> but his fault for not knowing how to seal with the situation and being
>> totally inappropriate about it.
>> This is a big step within itself.
>> About further action, I would fill a complaint with the place's
>> management, as suggested in the first reply of this e-mail, and stand by.
>> if the issue persist, then consider additional steps.
>> The important thing is to remember how to distinguish ignorance from
>> prejudice. many people do not know what the blind can do, which is why
>> sometimes they ask way to many questions over a simples matter. in those
>> cases, the best approach is to educate them.
>> when however the person is purposefully making you embarrassed, (or
>> whenever it seems to be this way) don't hesitate to take an aggressive
>> stance.
>>
>> sincerely,
>>
>> Mauricio Almeida
>> Vice president: Michigan association of blind students
>> On Oct 19, 2012, at 9:32 PM, Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Good evening, carnival chick,
>>>
>>> Let it go! Just consider what the attendant's attentions probably were
>>> and his experience with blindness. He probably has neither. At 05:08 PM
>>> 10/19/2012, you wrote:
>>>> I'm wondering if anyone else besides me has had an incident like the one
>>>> I'm about to discuss. This does not have to necessarily be at a
>>>> carnival; this can be anywhere. I am trying to figure out what to do to
>>>> take action against the person involved in this situation and am looking
>>>> for advice.
>>>>
>>>> I went to our state fair today to hang out at the carnival. I always
>>>> have fun and today was no exception. I am a very big fan of walking
>>>> through funhouses, especially the ones that are like obstacle courses
>>>> with moving floors, turntables, and the like. My favorite one is a
>>>> massive 4-story one called the King's Circus. First, let me say that it
>>>> is absolutely crucial that a blind person get help when he/she walks
>>>> through this. There are openings that you have to watch out for while
>>>> navigating certain tricks and also some tricky maneuvering if you use a
>>>> long cane. For instance, the first thing you encounter is a large
>>>> turntable that you step on to to ride around to the entrance. You have
>>>> to watch for an opening and the gap is too narrow to put your cane
>>>> through once you step on and grab the pole. You have to step off while
>>>> said platform is spinning and could have a really nasty accident if
>>>> someone is not there to make sure you didn't miss it; I nearly have
>>>> planted my face in the wall when trying to do it independently. I have
>>>> been through this funhouse five times, not counting today, and have had
>>>> no issues with getting help from attendants. The guys who ran it in the
>>>> past were totally awesome and did not treat blindness as an issue. Today
>>>> they didn't either. However, there was one attendant in particular who
>>>> decided that it was necessary to publicly embarrass me. He asked my
>>>> companion if he had ever heard of the school for the blind; I only found
>>>> this out later because I went up to go down the 4-story slide from the
>>>> top of the building. My companion chose not to as he is a big guy and
>>>> the slide is a tight fit. No problem. HOwever, he then proceeded to yell
>>>> to the entire funhouse that a blind person was there and getting ready
>>>> to come down. I understand that I needed to wait until the person I was
>>>> with got down the stairs, but was totally embarrassed by his actions. He
>>>> did not let me get a word in either. This was the culmination of a
>>>> series of incidents. First he made everyone cut in front of me at a
>>>> particular floor trick that he thought I could not do. I proved him
>>>> wrong on that one. However, he would not allow me to explore on my own
>>>> like the other guys used to do. I was usually followed at a respectful
>>>> distance and left to my own devices once I got past the entry turntable
>>>> and moving stairs, only getting help when I needed to check that the
>>>> path was clear and also to help me bypass things I did not want to do,
>>>> like the hamster wheel. I do not mind waiting to go down the slide as
>>>> someone has always told me when it is clear. He also made everyone go
>>>> ahead of me because of blindness. Again, I could not get a word in to
>>>> him to ask him to back off. I am trying to figure out what to do to take
>>>> action against this person. I never got his name, but I do have a
>>>> recording of the walk as evidence of what happened. Mind you, the
>>>> funhouse was crowded today so I understand that I could not explore too
>>>> much. But this guy clearly had low expectations and did not expect me to
>>>> do anything independently.
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>>>
>>>
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>>
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