[nabs-l] Personal characteristics and traits of successful blind people

Fri Mar 28 03:24:01 UTC 2014

Hi all,

The oft-quoted NFB mantra is that "with proper training and
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere nuisance". The "with
proper training and opportunity" caveat is huge and, I think,
under-appreciated. Some folks think the NFB is saying that blindness
is a mere nuisance for everyone, but that's not true; it's only a
nuisance for those with training and opportunity or in situations
where opportunity is present. The real problem is that too many of us
still lack either proper training, sufficient opportunity, or both. If
all of us had training and opportunity, blindness simply would no
longer be a problem for our success. I know in my life, in areas where
I have had proper training and opportunity, blindness is a non-issue.
In other areas where I haven't been given good skills or where others
deny me opportunity, blindness becomes an obstacle. So instead of
blaming blindness for our problems or praising ourselves and others
for "overcoming" blindness, we really should be seeking training and
opportunity and calling attention to situations where it is denied us.
Keep in mind, too, that sighted people also require training and
opportunity to be successful. The sighted person who lacks education
or financial resources is still at a disadvantage in our society. So
it's not about blindness as much as it is about the fact that blind
people are still placed in a marginalized position where training and
opportunity are lacking.

Arielle

On 3/27/14, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is a great discussion folks; I'm loving it.  I'm seeing on hear that
> some people are saying to have a great work ethic, and work twice as hard.
> My theory is to Have a great work ethic, and work smart.  Work smart, not
> hard.  Proper application of effort/force.  I work hard in spurts, and do
> so
> when necessary.  Twice as hard burns you out.  To deny the blindness is a
> factor and is irrelevant is to like Joe said, deny the unemployment rate.
> If it is irrelevant, to you, then why are you on the list?  It is what it
> is
> guys.  I never said that you have to have or do any one thing, but if you
> do
> what your sighted counterparts   around you do, you will usually find
> yourself lost in the shuffle.  I've trained blind people for years in
> computers and in customer service.  I've seen this time and time again.
> You just have to have a little more than simple hard work; unfortunately,
> like most minorities, you just have to raise your level.  Remember, your
> sighted counterparts are also in many cases subscribing to the hard work
> theory.
>  When I was most of you guys' age, I would have given anything to have
> someone tell me that, and to show me how to blend my skills.  Don't get
> caught up on semantics and precise definitions; I am not going to define
> them for you.  And if you want to find outliers and arguments to refute my
> claim, then so be it; please do so, knock yourself out.  I don't care.  I
> am
> only speaking from my observations, and my own experiences.  One more
> thing.
> I read Joe's blog; it's great.  Make sure that you love and have a passion
> for what you do, and no what it is you want to do.   That burning desire is
> a kindled flame that will burn when all else seems to fail and if tended
> properly, will carry you through.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joe
> Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 9:12 PM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Personal characteristics and traits of successful
> blind people
>
> Phil,
>
> A successful blind person looks, acts, and communicates like me. Isn't that
> obvious?
>
> But, kidding aside, I want to give you a different perspective from the
> people whining about how it is unfair to make blindness a factor in
> success.
> Apparently some of us believe that success is success and blindness is
> irrelevant, but to deny that blindness is a factor is to deny the reality
> that more than 70% of our blind peers are unemployed. To a degree,
> overcoming blindness is success onto itself, and if you can't succeed
> there,
> a person's likelihood of succeeding anywhere else is slim. Is the person
> willing to advocate for themselves? Are they willing to work twice as hard
> to achieve tasks their sighted peers can complete sometimes in half the
> time? Are they honest enough with themselves to tell if they possess
> sufficient daily living, technology, and communication skills to succeed at
> life, let alone the workplace? It may be true that our sighted peers may
> need to ponder some of these points, but not with the same necessity or to
> the same depth as the blind person who has to be extra competitive to beat
> sighted applicants.
>
> At some point over the past several years I stopped subscribing to the NFB
> notion that blindness can be reduced to the level of a nuisance. Were that
> true, I believe we would have seen better progress where blind people are
> concerned. Blindness presents certain unique challenges a person must
> regularly overcome to excel. Yes, building up confidence makes the process
> easier, but I don't know that we have reached a point in our evolution of
> independence that blindness is irrelevant, and certainly not so minimal as
> to be labeled a minor inconvenience.
>
> Now, as to success across the board, blind or sighted, I think pursuing
> your
> own passions is a key ingredient. I wrote a blog post on the subject, which
> you can read at the link below:
>
> http://joeorozco.com/blog_are_you_living_someone_elses_dream
>
> --
> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>
> Visit my blog:
> http://joeorozco.com/blog
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Phil
> Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 6:29 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: [nabs-l] Personal characteristics and traits of successful blind
> people
>
> Hi all,
>
> I'm working on a research paper, and would like to hear what you think.
> Obviously there are external factors such as accessibility barriers, social
> and attitudinal barriers and so on that affect a blind person's likelihood
> of success in life.  But if we focus on personal characteristics for a
> moment, what do you think are some personal characteristics that can help a
> blind person succeed, or ask in a different way, what characteristics and
> behavior traits do successful blind people around you exhibit? And what
> makes you cite these traits?
> For example, some have rightly pointed out that a sense of curiosity and
> exploration is key, both curiosity to explore one's physical surrounding,
> intellectual curiosity to explore different subjects and career
> possibilities, and so on. Others have also pointed out having the courage
> to
> be different is important as a blind person.
> What else do you think are important characteristics or behavior traits?
> Hope to hear lots of diverse views on this.
> Thanks!
>
> Best,
> Phil
>
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