[nabs-l] My Blindness Philosophy is Better than Yours
Karl Martin Adam
kmaent1 at gmail.com
Mon Jun 13 23:20:15 UTC 2016
Hi Marc,
Regarding standing in lines, as a totally blind person, I've
never had a problem putting my cane on the shoe of the person in
front of me. Being totally blind, I of course have no idea how
this looks, but at least for me what matters is not how it looks
but that it's an efficient way of going through the line. I also
don't need to do this at all if the people in front of me are
talking or otherwise make a sound when they move up (by wheeling
one of the noisy carryons for instance). I don't consider
touching the heel of someone's shoe with the tip of my cane an
invasion of personal space, and I've never had anyone object to
me doing that, though I of course understand how you might have a
problem if you do.
Best,
Karl
----- Original Message -----
From: Marc Workman via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 13 Jun 2016 10:42:33 -0600
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] My Blindness Philosophy is Better than
Yours
I think whatâs missing from this discussion is that some of
these so
called perks, and I donât think thatâs the best term, are
meant more
to make things run smoothly than to make your life easier.
Pre-boarding is done to give those who take a little longer to
get
settled a chance to get on the plane when it is less crowded. The
result is that everyone gets settled faster than they would if
pre-boarding did not exist or if no one took advantage of it. You
could argue that blind people donât take any longer to get
settled. I
think youâd be wrong, and Iâd be willing to bet a large sum
of money
that in a controlled experiment, you would find that blind
people, on
average, take longer than sighted people, on average, to find a
seat,
store luggage, and get settled on a crowded plane. Note the words
âon
averageâ. Certainly some blind people are faster than some
sighted
people. Overall, though, pre-boarding gets everyone on the plane
faster, saving everyoneâs time and the airlineâs money.
Same goes for buses, trains, etc.
I think something similar is true of priority seating and lineup
arrangements, though there are other reasons why a blind person
might
choose to take advantage of these accommodations. Consider
lineups,
with very little vision, it is possible to comfortably and
efficiently
navigate a lineup on your own. As long as you can make out
whether
someone is standing two feet in front of you, youâre good to
go. If
you cannot see the person in front of you though, lineups can be
very
awkward. Iâd be interested in the strategies of the totally
blind.
Iâve heard it suggested that you can gently rest your cane
against the
foot of the person in front of you. Sorry, but I think if the
goal is
to avoid having blind people look strange or awkward, then this
technique, which I would argue requires an invasion of someone
elseâs
space, is probably not the best approach. In some cases, avoiding
the
lineup altogether is probably the more graceful approach.
As for seating, itâs not unusual for someone to stand and offer
me a
seat on city buses. When the bus is very crowded and Iâm not
going a
long distance, I may politely decline the offer. After all, my
legs
are fine. Things are slightly more complicated with the dog now,
but
in general I have no problem with standing on a moving bus. The
challenge is knowing when a seat has opened up. For example,
there may
be no open seats when I board a bus, I decline the offered seat
because I can stand like anyone else, but then two stops later a
seat
opens up six rows back. I of course donât have any way of
knowing this
short of regularly asking those around me. So I continue to stand
as
seats become available around me. Not only is this sort of
strange
looking, it actually does interfere with how efficiently other
passengers are able to get on and off the bus. So as I said, in
some
cases Iâll decline the offer, but for the most part, Iâll
accept,
knowing that the other person is likely going to have an easier
time
finding another seat, and that this arrangement is not only
easier for
me, but it generally improves how smoothly the trip goes for all
passengers.
One caveat to all of this, if you want to do things on your own,
even
if it means slowing things down a bit, of course you should be
able to
do that. So Iâm not saying blind people should be forced to
pre-board,
avoid lineups, and take the offered seat. Just like the person in
the
grocery store who insists on digging through pockets or purses to
come
up with exact change has a right to take longer than I do by
simply
tapping my credit card. If you want to do things your way, all
the
power to you. I would just say that this does not necessarily
lead to
better perceptions of blind people, and that there are good
reasons
why someone might opt to take advantage of something offered,
even
though the accommodation isnât required in the strictest sense.
Marc
On 6/13/16, Julie McGinnity via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Hi all,
I agree with Arielle. If I do not need the accommodation, then
I will
do my best not to take it.
First of all, we should probably call these things what they
are:
accommodations. Shorter lines, priority boarding, and the like
are
accommodations for people with disabilities. Were they meant
specifically for blind people? Not necessarily. Calling them
social
perks not only buys into the general idea that we should take
advantage of accommodations simply because we can, but it is
also
misleading.
It is illegal to force someone into taking an accommodation they
do
not need. I recently had an experience at an airport and
learned
about this part of the law because of it. The desk attendant
told me
that I could not take my dog on the escalator and had to use the
elevator. In this instance, he and I had a discussion that led
to my
discovery that this "rule" was not an airport policy. If it had
been
policy, it would have violated the law.
Let's look at another angle. When I flew to Colorado, I refused
to go
to the shorter line for people with disabilities. I can walk
and
stand just fine and didn't feel that I needed to be in the other
line.
I didn't have a problem with being asked to step in that line,
but I
did say no. The problem was that the airport worker person did
not
take no for an answer. He decided what I needed and did not
listen to
my refusal of the accommodation. I dislike the custodial
attitude
that those without disabilities know exactly what accommodations
we
require. Furthermore, I believe my yes should be taken as a yes
and
my no as a no. I would assert that this is the real problem
here.
This does not happen to me all the time. Sometimes, my "no
thank you"
is enough. But enough people have decided what I may need
enough
times that I believe it is a problem. And no matter the
philosophy on
taking accommodations that do not necessarily belong to us, we
can all
agree that we want our responses respected. We do not want to
be
treated like second class citizens, who accept what is given to
us
without question because that's all we deserve. Right?
So then here we are. Does someone's acceptance of these
accommodations hurt me if I choose to refuse them? Well, no,
except
that when I am advocating for myself, I have to respond that not
every
blind person is the same. Blind dude yesterday may have gone to
the
shorter line, but I am not that person, and I would like to
decline
this accommodation. I believe that this would cause more of a
sceen,
more of a spectical, to use the author's words. I would prefer
no one
compare me to the blind person yesterday who stood in the
shorter
line, but that's not reality. Sometimes people with
disabilities are
seen as all the same. Talk about misconceptions of the public
that
need changing... Again, I assert that this is the real problem.
So, should we condemn someone for a different philosophy? No,
but we
should share our experiences, discuss with them the attitudes of
the
public, and remind them that these are the choices we have.
Finally, I believe that the argument supporting the use of these
accommodations to make our day a little easier is illogical. We
can't
read signs; getting in a shorter line will not solve this. And
that
does not make a plausible excuse. Blindness certainly can be an
inconvenience, but do those accommodations lessen the
blindness-related inconveniences? Sometimes, maybe they do, but
when
they don't, should we take them? Or should we examine why we're
taking them and think critically about what effect our actions
will
have upon society?
Interesting topic... Sorry for the lengthy response... :)
On 6/12/16, justin via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
I used necessary accommodations in college which were related to
blindness,
but I don't do that in social situations. It is very important
to avoid
cutting the line, or using my visual disability to gain an
unfair social
advantage in a social situation. I can't think of many social
situations
for me where blindness is something that should be accommodated
for
outside
of a movie or something like that in a theater. I'm sure they
exist, and
I
just am not pulling them up right now.
I avoid using ramps, and other accommodations related to other
disabilities,
or even blindness accommodations I don't need so everyone who
needs them
can
have fair resources.
Ps.
Some of you folks tried to give me a hard time when I was using
some of
my
accommodations in college. Do any of you remember that?
It was about extended test times which I used anytime I took a
test.
Kenedy, use that extended time....
LOL
Justin
-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Karl Martin
Adam via NABS-L
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2016 10:13 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Karl Martin Adam <kmaent1 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] My Blindness Philosophy is Better than
Yours
Kennedy,
I think extended testing time is related to blindness depending
on how
you're taking the test. I took most of my tests with readers,
and it
just
takes longer to have a reader read the question then tell them
your
answer
make sure they heard you correctly (my first ever exam at
college I got
one
question wrong because the reader heard B instead of D, so I've
been very
careful about this since) etc. And of course it takes even
longer if
you're
say dictating short answers to a reader instead of just having
them fill
out
a scantron.
Best,
Karl
----- Original Message -----
From: KENNEDY STOMBERG via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 13 Jun 2016 08:24:08 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] My Blindness Philosophy is Better than
Yours
I think you bring up a very good point. When are acomidations
offerred as
a
result of blindness, and when are they offred because of
steriotypes.
For example, I think many of us have had the experience of being
offerred
a
wheelchair at an airport. This is something I always refuse. But
I don't
know that it's a distinction that I make often enough..
Definitely
something to think about.
However, some would argue that taking accomidations such as
extended
testing time are not related to blindness. (Though, I happen to
think
they
are, and that is something I take advantage
of.) Definitely a very enteristing discussion.
Kennedy Stomberg
(218)295-2391
On Jun 13, 2016, at 8:00 AM, Arielle Silverman via NABS-L
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Hi Joe and all,
This is a great topic, and one that I have some strong feelings
about.
Generally, as a blind person, I use accommodations that are
related to
my
blindness. I turn down accommodations that are meant for people
with
other
disabilities. These include cuts in lines, priority seating,
ramps and
accessible restroom stalls. Although cuts in lines and priority
seating
are
offered to me as a blind person, my blindness doesn't create a
need for
those accommodations. I recognize that there are individuals
with other
disabilities who actually benefit from, and sometimes require,
such
accommodations. The only reason I am offered such
accommodations is
because
of stereotypes linking blindness with physical weakness. So, I
turn
these
accommodations down. I do it quietly, don't make a scene, but I
do turn
them down. I know people with these other disabilities who say
they are
glad that I turn such accommodations down so that they can use
them. Of
course, if I have a temporary issue that limits my ability to
stand or
walk, such as when I had a bad allergic blister on my foot a
few years
ago,
then I will accept such accommodations. I also recognize that
for some
blind individuals other than me, such as those who use guide
dogs,
accommodations like priority seating or a larger bathroom stall
might be
useful.
The other piece of this, for me, involves following social
rules of
fairness. I believe in taking my proper turn in line. If
something is
first-come, first-served, and I get there first, I'll take it.
If I
get to the gate first, of course I'll board first. But if I get
to the
gate in the middle, I will board in the middle, and not cut to
the front
even if permitted to do so. For me this is a simple matter of
politeness.
It is also a matter of integrity. If I am going to say that I
am equal
to
sighted people, then I need to behave that way.
Again, I do it quietly. For me, it's not a matter of proving a
point or
convincing others of anything. It's a matter of living up to my
personal
values and allowing everyone around me to have fair access to
resources.
I
am very fortunate to have a sighted spouse who gets this, and
defends me
when I turn down unneeded cutsin lines and other special
treatment.
This is just my opinion and I welcome other views on this.
Best, Arielle
On 6/13/16, 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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--
Julie A. McGinnity
President, National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
Division,
Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of
Missouri
"For we walk by faith, not by sight"
2 Cor. 7
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