[nabs-l] Feeling Inadequate After National Convention?

Sun Jul 13 17:54:45 UTC 2014

Hi Elizabeth,

I'm certainly no expert on secondary disabilities, but I can't help
but wonder if maybe you are seeing your limitations as greater and
more limiting than they actually are. Again, I have no knowledge of
your specific circumstances, but one thing I do know is that it is
often easier to focus on our limitations than on our strengths and
abilities. Do you think it might be helpful to you if you begin to
think about the things that you are capable of doing, things that
interest you, etc. Additionally, if there are things that you feel you
cannot do, do you think it might be helpful to try to come up with
techniques or assistive technology or other accommodations that might
help you to do those things that feel so impossible for you right now?
You might even consider getting advice or recommendations from others,
such as people on this list, a Vocational Rehabilitation counselor, a
trusted friend or family member, etc. I would imagine that it would
also be important to determine which of your limitations are due to
blindness, which ones are due to your secondary disabilitie, and which
ones are a result of both. You certainly seem to be good at expressing
your feelings and what is going on with you, so that self-awareness is
a good thing.

My personal philosophy is to set my goals high, do my best, but not
get too disappointed if I fall short, but rather focus on my
accomplishments. There is a saying I heard once that I think is
relevant. I don't recall who this quote is from, but it says something
to the effect of, "Shoot for the moon. If you miss, at least you will
land among the stars."

Good luck,

Shickeytha

On 7/13/14, Carly Mihalakis via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Good morning, Elizabeth,
>
>          Like RJ, I am not a member of the Federation although I try
> to see it in terms of the context of the times in which it was
> conceived, to honor doctors TenBroeks and, later Dr. Maur's gifting
> blind cohesion and organization.Personally, I became brain damaged 10
> years ago, so  I guess I am multipli handicapped, too.
> for today, Car
>
>
>>Dear
>>Elizabeth, I myself am not a member of the NFB, and like you, I to
>>have a secondary disability. I have CP. If you wish, you may email
>>me off list at:
>>joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com
>>Or you may add me to skype at:
>>smallistbaby1979
>>RJ
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l"
>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>To: "'Carly Mihalakis'" <carlymih at comcast.net>; "'National
>>Association of Blind Students mailing list'" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2014 12:28 PM
>>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Feeling Inadequate After National Convention?
>>
>>
>>>Hello Carly,
>>>
>>>I am honestly not quite sure how my post about feeling defeated and
>>>inadequate turned into a thread about not being able to become a blind
>>>parent. My post had absolutely nothing to do with this. The last time I
>>>checked, this was an email list for blind students and not blind parents.
>>> As
>>>I look around this organization, all I seem to see are leaders who have
>>> been
>>>successful at being a college student. They are either succeeding in
>>> their
>>>classes, are successful college graduates, or have pursued the career of
>>>their choice. This makes me feel inadequate because there is the
>>> possibility
>>>none of these things will ever happened to me in my own life. And I guess
>>>learning to embrace this possibility in my life is rather difficult for
>>> me.
>>>
>>>Warm regards,
>>>Elizabeth
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carly
>>> Mihalakis
>>>via nabs-l
>>>Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2014 10:13 AM
>>>To: tyler at tysdomain.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing
>>>list; Beth Taurasi; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Feeling Inadequate After National Convention?
>>>
>>>Good morning, Elizabeth,
>>>
>>>Personally, I was bienucleated (had both ocular organs surgically
>>>removed) after having retinal blastoma as an infant. And, I have come into
>>> a
>>>realization that,  without so much as a shaddow of a doubt, I want no
>>> part
>>>of synthetic means of artificially tweeking with nature, such that I,
>>> too,
>>>can proliferate this genetic cespool of mine, just so someone with genes
>>> ill
>>>fit for proliferation, can conceive of  and then carry to term their own
>>>kid! Personally, I think I have come to realize that, the universe
>>> doesn't
>>>mean for me to prolifferate my genetics and I accept this. For, the world
>>>seems to becoming strange, beyond my wildest dreams and seems not to be a
>>>welcoming place for any creature, let alone a fruit of my corrupt loins.
>>>Just some meditation on the question for people to take, or leave, as
>>> they
>>>see fit.
>>>for today, Car
>>>
>>>
>>>perportion and made the thread all about you, again. I don't think that
>>> was
>>>the point, just that the speeches and people doing so much makes people
>>> feel
>>>like they're not doing enough, or as much as they could. How much one can
>>>actually accomplish is up to someone, and only -you- know if you've not
>>> done
>>>enough.
>>>>On 7/12/2014 8:25 PM, Beth Taurasi via nabs-l wrote:
>>>>>I feel the same way as you, Liz.  I have some other disabling factors
>>>>>due to parental misconnduct or psychological abuse and I was devalued
>>>>>at home, at school, and in some work settings in Florida and Colorado.
>>>>>It's easy for the NFB people to feel like blindness is the only
>>>>>people's disabling factor they can serve, but they fail to recognize
>>>>>that mental illnesses, chronic health issues due to abuse, and so on
>>>>>also play a huge role in how the people act, interact, and so on.  I'm
>>>>>worried as heck about my own future because the NFB says a lot about
>>>>>blind parents, but whuat about multidisabled intelligent beings who
>>>>>want to bring children in to this world?  80% of psychiatrically ill
>>>>>mothers have their babies removed from her. s Anyone heard of Buck V.
>>>>>Bell?  Carrie Buck had her kid removed from her all because she was
>>>>>epileptic and even though she was not blind, a disability was present
>>>>>anyway.  Then, she was sterilized.  I will not tolerate such actions
>>>>>to be taken against me or any person with or without multiple
>>>>>disabilities.
>>>>>I side with you on this,
>>>>>Beth
>>>>>
>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>>>>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>>Date sent: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:29:51 -0400
>>>>>Subject: [nabs-l] Feeling Inadequate After National Convention?
>>>>>
>>>>>Hello All,
>>>>>
>>>>>I hope everyone who attended the national convention this year had a
>>>>>great time in Orlando. I understand attending a national convention
>>>>>can be a rather inspiring event in the life of someone who is blind.
>>>>>However, as I was listening to the online stream of the national
>>>>>convention this year, I found myself feeling the complete opposite.
>>>>>
>>>>>Instead of feeling inspired and hopeful for the future, I found myself
>>>>>feeling rather defeated and inadequate. As I was listening to the
>>>>>speaches from various leaders within the NFB, I found myself thinking
>>>>>how lucky they must be that the only disability they have to deal with
>>>>>in their lives was there blindness. I was thinking about how easy it
>>>>>must be fore someone who is only blind, and how more difficult it is
>>>>>for someone who has another disability in addition to being blind.
>>>>>
>>>>>Now perhaps this may be a bit too personal to post to the email list,
>>>>>but I was just curious if anyone else has ever felt this way, and if
>>>>>so, what did you do to deal with these kinds of feelings? I would
>>>>>greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who has ever dealt with this
>>>>> kind
>>>of issue before.
>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks,
>>>>>Elizabeth
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>--
>>>>Take care,
>>>>Ty
>>>>http://tds-solutions.net
>>>>He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
>>>>that dares not reason is a slave.
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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