[nabs-l] Lines

Thu Apr 4 03:11:45 UTC 2013

Good for them though!  I know my family chooses not to use those
passes for that reason as well as simply because I don't need it and
it's kind of a damper on independence in some ways.  I forget who said
it, but I think I remember reading someone on this thread as saying
that if we want to be treated like everyone else we have to do just
that and not accept handouts because of our blindness when we are
perfectly capable of waiting in line like our sighted peers.  Of
course, I realize there are people who are exceptions to the rule for
reasons other than just their blindness and those reasons don't
necessarily have anything to do with their independence, but for me
and my family's situation that was how my parents looked at it.

On 4/2/13, Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com> wrote:
> hi,
> Yes, they're sighted. To be honest, it surprised me, too. Their
> reasoning was that they didn't want to draw attention to themselves.
> They thought that they would have to endure dirty looks from people
> who watched us able-bodied folks waltzing to the front of the line
> when we had no business doing so. As you can see, they're a bit
> socially conscious, even though we all knew we would never see any of
> those people again.
>
> On 4/2/13, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Interesting that your dad and sister were opposed to using the passes.
>> They're sighted, right? Or are they blind?
>> I'm asking because I don't think I know a sighted person who truly
>> understands the issues involved with taking the special passes. Plenty
>> of sighted people respect my preference not to do it, but none have
>> specifically stated opposition on their own.
>> Arielle
>>
>> On 4/2/13, Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> most amusement parks do have them. I never knew they existed at all
>>> until several years ago, though. I was dating a guy at the time who
>>> thought it was acceptable to use them. He and I, and my dad and sister
>>> went to Hershey park here in PA. He insisted that he and I should get
>>> these passes, although all three of us were extremely uncomfortable
>>> with that idea. I went along with it at the time because I didn't want
>>> to start a fight, but it took my dad and sister a long time to forgive
>>> me for it.
>>>
>>> On 4/2/13, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>> Oh, does six flags have a way to cut in line?
>>>> If so, I didn't know that.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Julie McGinnity
>>>> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 11:45 PM
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Lines
>>>>
>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>
>>>> I remember getting those special bracelets that let me cut in line at
>>>> 6 Flags here in St. Louis.  I didn't know better as a kid, but as I
>>>> got older, I've wondered about the logic of such things.  we are
>>>> physically capable of standing in line.  Well, there are those who are
>>>> blind and have other disabilities that may prevent them from doing so.
>>>> I just didn't get it.
>>>>
>>>> Now I use a guide dog.  I don't think I've ever chosen to take her to
>>>> an amusement park.  If I had to bring her to an amusement park, I
>>>> suppose it would be better for her to cut in line.  I don't think I
>>>> would ever bring her outside in the heat like that for a long period
>>>> of time.  If I went to an amusement park all year round, like it seems
>>>> Sarah does, it would be a different story though.  Then I don't see
>>>> why my dog would have a problem waiting in line.  I'm not sure though.
>>>> Haven't tried it.  Lol
>>>>
>>>> Also the Disney parks have a place where people can keep their dogs
>>>> while they're riding rides.  I don't know much about it, but it's an
>>>> option.
>>>>
>>>> On 4/1/13, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>> Thank you Kirt for making such a great point. When I was growing up my
>>>>> parents and friends often pressured me to use my blindness so that we
>>>>> could cut lines and sometimes my parents even required it without
>>>>> giving me a choice about it. I used to try and justify our behavior
>>>>> but in  the end when I did this I always felt a deep sense of shame
>>>>> and anger, but I could never figure out why. Since then I have learned
>>>>> about self-perception theory in psychology classes and I think I
>>>>> understand why it bothers me (and many of us) so much. Basically,
>>>>> self-perception theory posits that we draw conclusions about ourselves
>>>>> by observing our own behavior. I think whenever I used my blindness as
>>>>> a reason to get a guest pass and skip the line, it made me start to
>>>>> see myself as a handicapped or crippled person, which was very
>>>>> upsetting. For some people who have trouble standing for long periods
>>>>> of time, or who have guide dogs who get uncomfortable standing out in
>>>>> the sun, cutting in line seems legitimate. But if we can physically
>>>>> handle the lines, accepting the special passes doesn't do us any real
>>>>> favors. I insist on standing in line with everyone else because I want
>>>>> to see myself (and my fellow blind friends) as strong, healthy, normal
>>>>> people. I feel I have little to gain by skipping the lines, and much
>>>>> to lose in terms of self-esteem and self-respect. I think every time
>>>>> we take an accommodation, we need to think about what we are gaining
>>>>> from that accommodation vs. what we are potentially losing in terms of
>>>>> normalcy. If an accommodation like a piece of technology is  truly
>>>>> necessary, it will give enough benefit that it's worth the self-esteem
>>>>> hit. But if an accommodation isn't really needed, I think we have more
>>>>> to lose than we have to gain by accepting it. For this same reason I
>>>>> also do not write off blindness as a reason to claim a tax deduction.
>>>>> I am proud to be (barely) earning enough income to be required to pay
>>>>> taxes and paying taxes just like anyone else in my income bracket
>>>>> makes me feel good about myself and where I belong in the world.
>>>>> There's also the argument that if we want to be allowed the same
>>>>> rights sighted people get, we need to be willing to saddle the extra
>>>>> responsibilities. If we want to be allowed to ride amusement park
>>>>> rides without discrimination, we need to be willing to wait in line.
>>>>> It sends a mixed message to skip the line and then insist on equal
>>>>> treatment by the ride operators, just like it sends a mixed message to
>>>>> request unnecessary extra time on tests and then ask for a professor's
>>>>> letter of recommendation.
>>>>> Again, though I'm not a dog user, I think having a guide dog is a
>>>>> legitimate reason to not wait in lines.
>>>>> Arielle
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nabs-l:
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/kaybaycar%40gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Julie McG
>>>> National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
>>>> Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
>>>> Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
>>>> and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
>>>> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
>>>> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
>>>> life."
>>>> John 3:16
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nabs-l:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/bookwormahb%40earthlink.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nabs-l:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/turtlepower17%40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail.com
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/turtlepower17%40gmail.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
>

-- 
Kaiti