[nabs-l] The Importance Of Independent Travel

Mon Sep 1 09:03:32 UTC 2014

Steve,

I can usually tell when something is just uncomfortable because of blindness or something that is genuinely not safe. The way I tell is to ask myself if a similarly situated sighted person would do it. When I say similarly situated, I mean that this hypothetical individual has all of the same abilities and challenges that I do except that this person can see. If this hypothetical person wouldn't do it, then it's probably not safe. If this hypothetical person would do it, then I probably need to buck up and do it. Because there are more seeing people then blind people, it's usually pretty easy to come up with examples of similarly situated sighted people who are doing most all of the things I think I can't do. I also think about the other blind people I know. If they are out there doing it and they are pretty similar to me in most ways, I think it's safe to say that I should afford myself the same opportunity. The trick is to make sure that blindness, or any other so-called disability, presents an opportunity for growth rather than an excuse.

Respectfully,
Jedi

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 31, 2014, at 2:31 PM, Steve Jacobson via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Carly,
> 
> What concerns me sometimes about discussions like this is that there are really two separate factors, in my opinion.  The first is that we do have to recognize that we are not all built the same.  We don't all have 
> the same abilities or the same disabilities.  There is no guarantee that two people with the same disability will be able to accomplish everything with the same degree of success.  Therefore, we have to take some 
> care to encourage one another rather than judge one another.
> 
> The second factor, though is that of comfort.  To say that people should just do what is comfortable sets off alarms for me, but obviously you may have a different meaning for "comfort."  There isn't one thing that 
> I have ever learned that didn't bring with it a bit of discomfort when I learned it.  As I said in an earlier note, crossing a street was certainly not comfortable for me at first, and neither was learning to cook.  So how 
> do we know when we should avoid doing something because we are not comfortable with it or whether our discomfort is because we just haven't learned how to do it yet?  I am interested to know what you 
> think.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Steve Jacobson
> 
>> On Sun, 31 Aug 2014 05:38:28 -0700, Carly Mihalakis via nabs-l wrote:
>> 
>> Good morning, Arielle,
> 
>> Seems to me, a given situation as well as the traveler's level of 
>> comfort ought to call for however one needs to travel. THAT'S all I 
>> was seeking to say. If in fact, you are most comfortable as you 
>> repeat dutifully to go where you want, when you want, then do that! 
>> Just do what you feel.
>> Car
> 
>> 8/28/2014, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l wrote:
>>> Hi Carly and all,
>>> 
>>> Again, for me traveling independently has absolutely nothing to do
>>> with proving a point to sighted people. I travel independently because
>>> it is most convenient for me, for others or both. I like being able to
>>> go somewhere when I want instead of waiting on people. And I don't
>>> like inconveniencing others when I can do something myself. It's not
>>> "super-blink" to utilize the same natural right of independent
>>> movement that everyone else in the world gets as a matter of course.
>>> 
>>> Respectfully,
>>> Arielle
>>> 
>>>> On 8/28/14, Kirt via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> Karlee,
>>>> In general, I trust members of a group to advocate that group 
>>> standards more
>>>> than, say, disillusioned outsiders. I'm not going to learn about Islam, for
>>>> example, from an evangelical Christian. Nor will I go to Sean Hannity or
>>>> Rush Limbaugh to learn about The policies of Barack Obama. For that matter,
>>>> I won't go to MSNBC to learn about the tea party. I think you see where I'm
>>>> going with this.
>>>> Best,
>>>> Kirt
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>> On Aug 28, 2014, at 5:45 AM, Carly Mihalakis via nabs-l
>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Good morning,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Personally, I like to think of it as interdependent travel, recruting your
>>>>> fellow man, and sort of directing him where you need to go. Admittedly,
>>>>> this means of travel found me after becoming injured such that I was
>>>>> unable to keep track of direction and what they call rout reversal, became
>>>>> for me no more than a pipe dream.
>>>>> 
>>>>> In my experience, however, if you just let go of this idea that to prove
>>>>> to Ol'Sighty of  blindness' being  what is it, little more than a mere
>>>>> inconvenience, everyone must be some kind of super blink whom, by simply
>>>>> waving his long, white cane can travel any course, under any circumstances
>>>>> in pitch ocular darkness. Sure, this social construct is certainly
>>>>> possible to live within and many people do it, but not everybody is super
>>>>> Federationist blink!
>>>>> 
>>>>> After all, interpersonal contact, I believe, is more of a palpable,
>>>>> alternative to demonstrating to Ol'Sighty things of which most of us are
>>>>> capable, that Ol'Sighty might remember. I'm fond of iterating that
>>>>> Ol'Sighty cares not about the means to which the blink reaches the same
>>>>> ends, noticing only that, eventually he gets there. So, if it becomes a
>>>>> matter of walking through an airport, say, to demonstrate to Ol'Sighty
>>>>> ways in which most blinks can, and do advocate for themselves, it may be a
>>>>> plausible course of action to grab Ol'Sighty from one of the hoards that
>>>>> are invariably around and, placing your hand on his shoulder, tell him
>>>>> where you need to be and see if he can help you. Of course, should he be
>>>>> in a hurry you can find someone else, but wait for an indication of said
>>>>> sighted person being unable to help. It is in this way you can actually
>>>>> have a conversation with a sighted person, maybe even exchange names?
>>>>> Agreed, the super blink means of seamlessly gliding through a crowd is
>>>>> intimidating, and not exactly if I may say so myself, realistic of every
>>>>> blink. Let that go! Probably, you are not a super blink, at least by their
>>>>> rigid standards.
>>>>> for today, Car
>>>>> 408-209-3239
>>>>> :52 AM 7/16/2014, Roanna Bacchus via nabs-l wrote:
>>>>>> Dear Students,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I'd like to discuss another topic with all of you.  On Monday I had a
>>>>>> conversation with my mobility instructor during my training session at
>>>>>> UCF.  We were talking about the importance of traveling independently as
>>>>>> blind individuals.  I got very emotional while we were having this
>>>>>> conversation and began to cry.  Because I've never traveled independently
>>>>>> in the community, I lack the experience of traveling on my own.  Can each
>>>>>> of you tell me your stories about inarependent travel? Hope to hear from
>>>>>> you soon.
>>>>>> 
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