[nabs-l] Feeling Inadequate After National Convention?
Beth Taurasi
bethslists at gmail.com
Sun Jul 13 21:10:10 UTC 2014
That's just it. College doesn't equal success. As a classic
example, look at Bill Gates. Although I must admit Microsoft has
a lot of improving to do, Mr. Gates didn't go to college, and
look where he's at. Stevie Wonder, who's closer to the blind
community, did not go to college. The thing is that schools are
not encouraging us to just do voc ed. There's a good book with a
good chapter on voc ed, which I don't think is a dirty word.
Thank you for letting us all know about this one, Allana.
Beth
----- Original Message -----
From: Alana Leonhardy via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: Rebecca Leon <becsjoynfb at gmail.com>,National Association of
Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:15:34 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Feeling Inadequate After National
Convention?
From what you've said, I gather you're dealing with a
neurological, intellectual, or psychological issue. The desire to
give up can be a strong one. For a time, I didn't think I'd be
able to live independently, let alone go to college. I should
point out though, that college doesn't equal success. If you are
unable, or just don't want to go to school, it doesn't mean that
you are a failure. I hope you find a future that makes you happy.
Best, Alana
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 13, 2014, at 11:31, Rebecca Leon via nabs-l
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Hey Elizabeth,
I really appreciate your courage and openness in starting this
thread.
I am really new within this organization, but simply from
attending
convention I can understand how seeing leaders or members within
the
blind community with such incredible levels of talent or with a
life
which we deem highly successful can serve to raise personal
feelings
of frustration or inadequacy instead of inspiring us.
I don't necessarily think I have exactly the same problems as
you.
However, I certainly have other issues then blindness including
fairly
major food intolerances and some difficult but more
circumstantial
issues. Obviously, this list isn't really the proper arena to
discuss
all our personal issues in detail, but my point is this:
We all have stories, and, while blindness may not define us, it
is
part of a long list of traits and circumstances and thoughts
which
really do, although we certainly define them as well. It is easy
for
us to draw up lists of very real issues with which we are
struggling
and compare them with the shorter list which our friends or
acquaintances seem to have. Believe me, I've done it a lot!
However,
this often isolates us and estranges us from the communities
which
could most empower us. It is very easy to set up the leaders in
this
organization as measuring sticks by which we belittle ourselves,
and
our accomplishments, and our future, when instead they could
serve as
wonderful resources as we chase our dreams! I hope all of this
makes
sense and doesn't sound obnoxiously like I have my life
together… I
definitely don't!
As for living the life you want despite multiple disabilities or
issues ontop of blindness, I have a close and trusted friend who
I
believe has experienced many of the same life issues and with
whom I
have had many similar conversations. I think she would make a
great
resource as well as sounding board. I would love to get her in
contact
with you if you are interested. I have already discussed this
thread
with her and asked if she would let me share her contact info
with
you, if you were interested. Shoot me an email if you have any
questions for me or are interested in getting in touch with my
friend.
My email is:
becsjoynfb at gmail.com
Again, good job on speaking up :-)
Rebecca –
"The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence,
but by
oft falling."
-Hugh Latimer
On 13/07/2014, at 12:57, 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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