[nabs-l] My Blindness Philosophy is Better than Yours

[KENNEDY STOMBERG]

To be completely honest, I see both sides of this argument. 
On one hand, I have had sighted people tell me that they don't feel it's fair that I get "special treatment." This has made me tempted to stop using perks such as getting  onto a bus or plane first. 
However, I also feel that as blind people, we have to face challenges that sighted people don't think about. Even walking to class can be a scary  adventure, especially when there is ice and snow to deal with. So, going to the front of the line or sitting on the bus before others seems to even the playing field. Therefore, I usually take this option, but only if it is offerred. I never ask people if I can go first, simply because I'm blind. 
For example, during my first year of college, there was a large event at my university, and the line was huge. I was standing with a sighted classmate, and he made a comment that surprised me. Have said, "Hey. I know how we can get to the front of the line... We just have to say we're with Kennedy. ... Hey Kennedy, will you tell the people in charge that you want to go to  the front of the line?" I refused, because I didn't feel that he understood why such options are sometimes offerred to blind people. (Though, in this particular case, so option was never explicitly offerred.) 
I supose what I'm trying to say is that if a perk is offerred to me, I often take it. But I do not ask for perks, such as boarding a plane first, or special seating at a play. Those things are efficient, and they can be nice. But if they aren't offerred, it's okay. I don't mind waiting in line with those around me. 
Sorry for the long-winded e-mail, but I would love to know what other people think about this entreguing issue! 
Thanks!  
Kennedy 

Kennedy Stomberg 
(218)295-2391 

> On Jun 13, 2016, at 7:18 AM, Joshua Hendrickson via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I agree.  I'd say if you were able to board a bus before others would
> be a good thing whether you were blind or not.  I certainly would have
> gotten on the bus first.  When I used to take the Van Gelder bus from
> Rockford to Chicago, the driver would help me find a seat on the bus.
> I never thought anything about it.  It was just nice to get my seat,
> turn on my NLS player and listen to a book while the bus was on its
> way to Chicago.
> 
>> On 6/13/16, Joe Orozco via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Should a blind person use their disability to take advantage of social
>> perks?
>> I briefly touched on the following story elsewhere in these pages. It
>> has bearing on the current point though, so hang in there for a
>> moment.
>> Back in college I was once traveling with a fellow blind friend on
>> Greyhound. We happened to arrive at the gate before anyone else, but
>> because my traveling companion was, probably still is, an ultra
>> independent blind person, they refused to board the bus first. The bus
>> driver was confused. Why would this person want to let other
>> passengers skip ahead when we'd beaten everyone else to the gate? The
>> bus driver couldn't understand my companion was refusing to get on the
>> bus ahead of everyone else on principle. Allowing persons with
>> disabilities to skip ahead in line is just something society expects,
>> and my companion, following their own philosophy of independence, was
>> not going to feed into that presumptive notion.
>> I have always wondered about the rationale to this way of thinking.
>> What is it about using certain social perks directly linked to
>> disabilities that inspire such delicate feelings of inferiority?
>> Perhaps we are afraid to look inept by jumping to the front of a line.
>> That speaks to perception, and just as laws do not change minds
>> overnight, your position in line is not likely to automatically make
>> someone think you are any more or less capable by standing ahead or
>> behind. Do we really believe standing in the middle of the crowd will
>> somehow make us more a part of the people? Will that translate to
>> making us more approachable? More datable? More employable? Your
>> subsequent words and actions after getting in line are more likely to
>> have an influence over someone's opinion of you as a blind individual.
>> Making a scene to be treated as an equal does not create equality. It
>> creates a spectacle.
>> 
>> Read the rest of the article at:
>> 
>> http://joeorozco.com/blog_my_blindness_philosophy_is_better_than_yours
>> 
>> Joe
>> 
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