[nabs-l] The Importance Of Independent Travel
Justin Williams
justin.williams2 at gmail.com
Thu Jul 21 13:23:33 UTC 2016
I agree. Super blind to me is a little disrespectful, as well as when
someone says, "you're just so independent." Or, I'd fall flat on my face if
I had to do that. I always say, no you wouldn't, you'd do the same thing I
do.
Justin
-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carly Mihalakis
via NABS-L
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 6:32 PM
To: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>; National Association of Blind
Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>; Steve Jacobson
<steve.jacobson at visi.com>; National Association of Blind Students mailing
list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] The Importance Of Independent Travel
Exactly.At 04:02 PM 8/28/2014, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l wrote:
>Yes. And I have to ask, Would we call somebody "super-sightie" because
>they go places completely on their own, by car or on foot? I suspect
>not, so then why is a blind person who does the same thing
>"super-blind?" Why do we hold blindpeople to a different standard of
>independence than the sighted?
>
>Arielle
>
>On 8/28/14, Steve Jacobson via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > Carly,
> >
> > As a blind person, I am aware and even concerned with how my actions
> > might affect other blind people, and therefore do my best not to use
> > help I don't need. Having said that, my primary reasons for trying
> > to travel as independently as possible have little to do with
> > proving anything
> to anyone.
> > I wil readily admit that if someone more or less forces me to be
> > assisted to do something for which I do not need assistance, I do
> > feel moved to show them that the assistance was not required if the
> > opportunity arises. For example, if someone insists I take an
> > elevator instead of the steps when the stairs are more convenient, I
> > will probably push to take the steps since I know they won't be a
> > problem. I probably wouldn't do that with a heavy suitcase, though,
> > but I might take an escalator. I wouldn't do either, though, if I
> > didn't feel confident that I could do it. .To the greatest degree
> > possible, I want to be in control of my own destiny. I can't always
> > have the control I want, but I work hard to have as much as is
> > possible.
> >
> > Years ago I went to the airport to fly to Washington DC. When I got
> > to the counter and received my gate information, I asked for
> > directions to the gate. When the person
> behind the
> > counter acted confused, I asked if he would just tell me which
> > direction to go from the counter. I was told they would get me an
> > electric cart and that I should wait. I was a little new to airport
> > travel at that time but I asked again for directions noting that I
> > did not need an electric cart. To make this long story shorter, the
> > person would not give me directions and refused to help me in any
> > way except to insist that I wait for an employee with a cart. Carts
> > were apparently in short supply that day and I waited and waited,
> > not feeling I should advocate. Nowadays, I would have just picked a
> > direction and asked someone else but I was too timmid then. After
> > repeated calls for a cart, one finally arrived forty-five minutes
> > later. When I got to the gate, everyone was on the plane and I just
> > barely made it. I decided then I was not going to be in that
> > position again. In addition, someone else had to wait longer for
> > that cart, probably someone who really needed it, and an airport
> > employee was tied up offering me help I neither needed or requested.
> > The more independently one can travel the more options they have,
> > and the better it is for everyone.
> >
> > Traveling independently is an important part of most jobs. By
> > "independently," I don't mean that one never asks for help or even
> > that we all have the same ability to travel. However, I have
> > meetings with other people I need to attend and I'm often the only
> > one in my area of the building attending.
> > If I want to be hired for a job, I
> > have to be able to add as little extra to what I expect from my
> > employer as possible. Even though I'm a computer analyst, this
> > means being able to travel around the complex I work in as
> > independently as possible. Could someone who has more difficulty
> > traveling do the job I am doing? Yes, they certainly could, but
> > they might need to work out strategies that inconvenience their
> > co-workers as little as possible.
> > They would not likely succeed in the long run by grabbing the
> > shoulder of "ol' sighty" out by the escalator. At least a little
> > thought needs to be given to the possible inconvenience of the
> > person from who you are more or less demanding help.
> >
> > Finally, I have to say something about this superblind thing. In my
> > experience, this is a term used by people who want to remove all
> > responsibility from themselves to be as independent as their
> > abilities allow. If you have an injury that prevents you from
> > handling certain aspects of travel, that certainly has to be taken
> > into account. We are not all going to be the same. But does that
> > mean you should
> urge others
> > to not strive for as much
> > independence as possible? That does not seem fair to me at all. I
> > knew a man once who told me that he didn't have to learn to travel
> > independently because he had a wife and five kids and a secretary
> > who worked for him. I know for a fact that his secretary guided him
> > to the men's bathroom. If he had some sort of learning disability
> > that made independent travel impossible, then I would certainly
> > accept that he was managing as he could. However, I also knew that
> > he had rejected any attempts to teach him independent travel which
> > was why it was thought it would be helpful for me to talk to him and
> > show up at his office on my own.
> > He lost his sight while holding the
> > job he had and apparently managed well enough to keep his job, but
> > he would have had a difficult time getting the job he had with his
> > attitude.
> >
> > We are never all going to achieve the same degree of
> independence. Further,
> > interdependence is a part of any
> > civilized society to some degree. Still we will never achieve
> > without striving. We will never know what we can do without
> > sometimes discovering things we cannot do. Many of us routinely
> > cross busy streets, but i'll bet there was not a single one of us
> > who was not scared to cross that first
> street, or
> > maybe the first dozen streets. But
> > if we had never taken that first scarey step, we wouldn't be
> > crossing the streets we cross routinely. Helping each other strive
> > to achieve more helps us achieve more, but it
> doesn't mean
> > we achieve everything for which we
> > strive, but that's okay. One very rarely ever achieves something by
> > accident, though, one has to strive to achieve first. I do not find
> > the fact that there are blind people who have done things that I do
> > not do as unsettling, rather it reminds me that there may be things
> > I could do as a blind person that I simply have not yet discovered.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Steve Jacobson
> >
> > On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 04:45:01 -0700, Carly Mihalakis via nabs-l 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.
> >>>
> >>>_______________________________________________
> >>>nabs-l mailing list
> >>>nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> >>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> >>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> >>>for
> >>> nabs-l:
> >>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/carlymih%40comc
> >>>ast.net
> >
> >
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>nabs-l mailing list
> >>nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> >>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> >>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> >>for
> >> nabs-l:
> >>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/steve.jacobson
> %40visi.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > nabs-l mailing list
> > nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> > for
> > nabs-l:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmai
> > l.com
> >
>
>_______________________________________________
>nabs-l mailing list
>nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nabs-l:
>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/carlymih%40comcast.
>net
_______________________________________________
NABS-L mailing list
NABS-L at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
NABS-L:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40gmail
.com
More information about the NABS-L
mailing list