[nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

Sophie Trist sweetpeareader at gmail.com
Sat Mar 23 08:00:01 UTC 2013


Kaiti, I'm sorry I misunderstood what you said earlier. If these 
articles go against eHow's policy of deliberate discrimination 
and misinformation, then yes it is cause for concern. And about 
the Helen Keller thing, she didn't do anything wrong--her story 
is very inspiring--but it could be the reason that deafness and 
blindness seem to be linked in sighted people's minds. That's 
just my theory. :)

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 23 Mar 2013 03:21:07 -0400
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

Sophie,

I didn't say that we should restrict free speech; all that was 
meant
that there should be some consideration towards the people this
negative stuff is written about, (In this case blind people, 
although
I've seen some similar articles about people with other 
conditions now
that I've actually looked).  Most sites have a policy which 
covers
nondescrimination or something, and I'd say some of this stuff is
definitely descriminatory in the sense that it paints the picture 
of a
blind person as someone who can't do anything for themselves, 
which we
all know is not the case.  Someone else pointed out that E-How 
has a
policy regarding the submission of misinformation to their 
articles,
so if they do have this policy in place then they're obviously 
not
following their own guidelines.  In short, people can write what 
they
want; but when it effects a large group of others in a negative 
way
then I think that is cause for concern.

It wasn't really Helen Keller's fault; she was blind and deaf and 
did
what she had to do.  In terms of the spotlight she was also the
world's second deafblind person to learn to communicate, so 
naturally
people would find her inspirational or exceptional, many other 
terms.
I think the real issue stems from misinformation in articles such 
as
this.  Obviously not all blind people are also deaf, and 
obviously
most blind people do not also require wheelchairs as airports 
seem to
commonly think.  I don't necessarily see pointing this 
misinformation
out to E-How as a bad thing or something that would infringe on
people's first amendment right considering what was written.

On 3/23/13, Sophie Trist <sweetpeareader at gmail.com> wrote:
 Kaiti, if we restricted people from writing these articles, as
 stupid and bogus as they might be, we'd be violating the first
 amendment. Free speech can be a double-edged sword in cases like
 this. As for the teaching ASL to blind people, that's a common
 stereotype. This might sound mean, but I blame Helen Keller for
 that. Ever since her story went viral, blindness and deafness
 have been associated.

  ----- Original Message -----
 From: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com
 To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:53:58 -0400
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

 Hi all,

 Brandon's last post made my week!  I don't think it is right for
 stuff
 like this to be available to give sighted people a false idea of
 what
 blind people are like, but I too have seen many other articles
 that
 don't make sense.  (Have you seen the article about the
 importance of
 teaching ASL to blind people yet?)  There are plenty of
 non-blindness
 related ones that are total trash to if you just look them up,
 and
 nothing from E-How should be taken seriously.  That being said, 
I
 think I'm somewhere in between; I've recognized E-How for what 
it
 is
 as Brandon pointed out, but I think that there is a definite 
line
 between sensitivity and humor and in this case some of these
 articles
 do cross that line.  I know I would probably give someone the
 whatfor
 if they tried to feed me or refused to give me a full glass of
 Coke
 because I'm blind, but it's just a matter of letting E-How know
 they
 should evaluate some of these grossly insensitive articles.

 Brandon:  I know people from a music program I attend in the
 summers
 called Braille Beats who actually describe sighted people as
 "Light
 dependent."  Your post reminded me of that and captured that 
idea
 perfectly.

 How to manage a day with a Light-ependent person.

 People who have the misfortune of being congenitally dependent
 upon
 light for survival need several accomodations including patience
 and
 understanding from those not afflicted by the condition.  In 
this
 article I will present some everyday situations and ways you can
 help
 your light-dependent friend or family member get through the 
day.

 Driving in the car going somewhere: When the person complains
 about
 the bad driving of others, simply smile and distract him/her 
from
 the
 road rage.  Find a topic of conversation which interests both of
 you,
 but still make sure they focus on their personal driving.  Be
 patient
 with them, although nothing is really solved by getting mad at
 other
 drivers.  They really can't help it sometimes.
 Reading their own writing:  Another factor of frustration for
 light-dependent people is reading their own writing.
 Light-dependent
 people don't have the advantage of using a system so eligant as
 braille where letters are confused not too often, especially 
when
 contractions are used.  Because their system is more cumbersome
 and
 they have the poor tendency to write sloppily when rushed they
 sometimes can't even read what they've written.  They also don't
 have
 access to a refreshable display for their writing, so papers are
 frequently lost in the shuffle.  This leads to frustration and
 other
 factors such as getting lost on the way to a destination or
 forgetting
 something they needed from the store.  Try to be patient and 
help
 them
 remember what it is they wanted to buy, or perhaps that exit
 number
 they told you they'd need to take off the highway.
 In a college dorm at night: Sometimes your roommate may need to
 stay
 up later than you and in order to complete their work they may
 need a
 light.  Again, be patient; if noise bothers you plug yourself
 into
 your IPod and try falling asleep to music.  If the light is
 bothersome
 try to block it out; if you only have vision from one eye 
putting
 that
 side of your face into the pillow does the trick wonderfully.  
Do
 this, and be thankful that you don't necessarily need light to
 read a
 book or that you can turn off the screen on your laptop out of
 consideration for others.

 Okay, the last one was me grasping for straws, but you get the
 picture.  I also didn't mean to talk down sighted people; just 
an
 attempt at humor.

 On 3/22/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
 wrote:
  Hello,
  I'm pretty sure this is a gag, most of their other articles 
seem
 pretty
  ridiculous as well. I may write an article on how to prep a 
room
 for a
  sighted person.

  Make sure lights are turned on and not facing toward the door.
 Sighted
  people don't like walking into dark rooms. They also don't like
 walking into

  bright lights, so one needs to find the perfect balance.
  Open the curtains if it is day time, even if it is really warm
 outside and
  the AC is on. Sighted people love to have the sun shining into
 their house
  even though it raises the electrical bill. Make sure print
 labels on food
  and appliances aren't covered by anything so the sighted person
 can feel
  comfortable reading the familiar labels. If there aren't 
already
 print
  labels on something, make sure they are printed in at least 12
 point font
  with black letters on a white background. Make sure your TV
 screen is on and

  make sure your computer screen shows what you are doing at all
 times. If you

  wish to be safe, slow down your screen reader so the sighted
 person won't
  feel left out of what you are doing.
  If you plan on cooking with the sighted person in the house,
 make sure to
  wear big gloves, because it raises the anxiety level of the
 sighted person
  seeing someone cutting and using hot items without protection.
  If you follow all these instructions, you will be able to
 interact with a
  sighted person comfortably in your house.
  Thanks,

  Brandon Keith Biggs
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Josh Gregory
  Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 12:58 PM
  To: Misty Dawn Bradley ; National Association of Blind Students
 mailing
  list
  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

  It's all good, we all make mistakes sometimes, :-)

  Sent from my iPhone

  On Mar 22, 2013, at 3:35 PM, Misty Dawn Bradley
 <mistydbradley at gmail.com
  wrote:

  Hi,
  I am sorry, but I meant to say EHow rather than EZine Articles
 in my
  earlier post.
  Misty

  ----- Original Message ----- From: "justin williams"
  <justin.williams2 at gmail.com
  To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
  <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
  Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 3:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness


  It is important to read their trash.  Remember, other people
 are, and to
  their mind, they no things about you.  You can more easily
 refute them
  if
  you have some idea on what people are saying.  You can't
 advocate
  without
  proper information.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
 Josh
  Gregory
  Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 3:18 PM
  To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

  Hi Joshua, you don't want to read their trash, so you say, but
 you say
  that
  it is important to educate them. I get that, but if you read 
it,
 you can
  assist in educating them. Doing nothing is not a good idea 
here,
 and when

  I
  get a chance in a bit, I'm going to find these articles and see
 what
  they're
  like.

  Sent from my iPhone

  On Mar 22, 2013, at 3:11 PM, Joshua Lester
 <JLester8462 at pccua.edu
  wrote:

  I don't want to read their trash.
  If they have something negative to say, I'd usually E-Mail them
 and
  give
  them my take on the matter, and teach them some old school NFB
  philosophy!
  Does EHow have a captcha on their contact form?
  BTW, the ideas come from the ignorant people that don't know
 anything,
  and
  have never seen a blind person do anything independently!
  We need to do something, and I posted a suggestion on another
 thread
  that
  I just started.
  Thanks, Joshua
  ________________________________________
  From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Carrie
 Gilmer
  [carrie.gilmer at gmail.com]
  Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 1:56 PM
  To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

  They are no gag. They are on a well viewed and well shared 
site.
 You
  think
  we all are not tired? Saying nothing does nothing but allows
 them to go
  on,
  unimpeded. There was just an article about the real and large
 problem of
  employment discrimination for blind people. Where do the ideas
 come
  from?
  how do they go on and on and on? Doing nothing does nothing to
 correct
  or
  stop. It makes me terribly sad and dismayed to hear "they are
 not worth
  my
  time". Is correcting even one mind which may affect a blind
 person's
  employment or education worth your time? what if that blind
 person is
  you?
  Carrie
  Sent from my iPad

  On Mar 22, 2013, at 1:41 PM, Joshua Lester
 <JLester8462 at pccua.edu
  wrote:

  Those articles aren't worth my time, if they're going to paint 
a
  terrible
  picture of blindness!
  I'm tired of these negative ideas that come from the 16th
 century and
  before!
  Blessings, Joshua
  ________________________________________
  From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Carrie
 Gilmer
  [carrie.gilmer at gmail.com]
  Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 1:31 PM
  To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

  http://www.ehow.com/how_2040980_care-blind-person.html

  There are links on the pages of articles to a good dozen
 more...one is
  also titled "how to feed a blind person"

  What kind of blind person can they possibly be depicting? There
 is no
  distinguishing between a newly blinded person from a major auto
 accident
  practically in  a coma or a child with multiple disabilities, 
or
 a 90
  year
  old in feeble health or visually impaired teenager in good
 health or a
  normal person born blind.
  The aura of tragedy and burden and superhuman challenge 
abounds.
  Carrie
  Sent from my iPad

  On Mar 21, 2013, at 1:00 PM, "justin williams"
  <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:

  Where are the articles?

  -----Original Message-----
  From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
 Carrie
  Gilmer
  Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 9:49 AM
  To: Blind Kid Mailing List; National Association of Blind
 Students
  mailing
  list
  Subject: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

  Hello all~
  I discovered last night a series of articles written and posted
 on
  eHow
  concerning blindness. they are misleading at best, horrifically
 bad
  perpetuated falsehoods at worst.  I had only viewed four of 
them
 last
  night
  and had to stop, I was so upset. This morning a friend pointed
 out
  that
  I
  was mentioned and partially quoted in another one! I was
 completely
  unaware,
  and found upon reading it, it is in the midst of misleading and
 mixed
  messages and not an accurate portrayal from the article or from
 our
  life!,
  I believe it was pulled from. The same is true for a friend of
 mine
  also
  "quoted" in the same article! one of the articles is titled 
"How
 to
  set
  the
  table for a blind person", yes, seriously. "How to care for a
 blind
  person"...They are Just dripping with condescending dramatic
 language
  and
  ideas! They appear to name the NFB (named National Federation
 FOR the
  Blind)
  as a reference!!!!!!!!

  I strongly encourage you to read the articles in the series and
 write
  complaints both individually and as groups, with reasoned
 argument
  specific
  to false points. There are multiple authors, so letters naming
  problems
  with
  each article are needed.

  We must get these off the internet.

  Contact for complaint for eHow:

  I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO HAS COMPLAINT OR KNOWS ANYTHING
 ACCURATE
  ABOUT
  BLINDNESS TO WRITE A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO EHOW!!!! I will be
 doing it
  one
  for
  each ridiculous article!! i believe if they get enough coherent
 and
  reasonable complaints they will take these down 
permanently...as
 per
  their
  policy on misinformation!:

  Further Information If you have a complaint, you may contact us
 at
  eHow,
  Inc. Legal Department, 5808 Lake Washington Blvd. Ste. 300,
 Kirkland,

  WA
  98033, U.S.A. If you are a California resident, the Complaint
  Assistance
  Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the Dept. of
 Consumer
  Affairs
  may be contacted at 400 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 or (800)
  952-5210

  Best,

  Carrie

  Sent from my iPad
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