[nabs-l] the meaning of independence

[Sophie Trist]

RJ, this is in response to your post on the AP statistics thread. 
I just thought I'd change the subject to reflect the new topic. 
We've had this discusson on the list recently, and it was a very 
good one. Independence is an abstract idea, like love, hope, 
faith, happiness, etc. It means different things to different 
people, both blind and sighted. It is every person's job to 
decide what independence means to them. For me personally, 
independence means to be able to have control of my life and my 
own destiny. It doesn't necessarily mean not relying on sighted 
help, as that is sometimes necessary and even beneficial. But it 
does mean not relying on help for everything. For instance, 
independence is the ability to go to a local concert using public 
transit even if a friend can't drive you. In that way, you have 
the transportation skills necessary to control where you go and 
how you get there.

Yours sincerely,
Sophie