[nabs-l] IMPORTANT: The #HowEyeSeeIt Campaign from FoundationFighting Blindness

Wed Sep 28 23:42:43 UTC 2016

The ACB isn't running a campaign to convince sighted people that 
the blind are incompetent and thereby making it less likely blind 
people will be hired and more likely judges, juries, and social 
workers will feel justified in taking away the children of blind 
parents.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Vejas via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 28 Sep 2016 14:39:45 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] IMPORTANT: The #HowEyeSeeIt Campaign from 
FoundationFighting Blindness

While I respect all of yours and President Riccobono's desire to 
abolish the blindfold challenge, I still don't quite understand 
how getting involved is going to be beneficial.
The  way I see it,  we as an organization also do not agree with 
the ACB. I'm sure that we would want to try to change ACB peoples 
views, but we seem to have come to understand that, while we do 
not agree with them, they are there, and still respect these with 
an ACB lifestyle.  Similarly, there are training centers all over 
the country with very low expectations, but we don't really try 
to implement the NFB model on all of them. Some training centers 
do come forward and wish to subscribe to the NFB model, such as 
SAVI of Arizona while I was an LCB student, but had they not 
wanted to, we never would have tried to implement their way of 
thinking on them.
Vejas

 On Sep 28, 2016, at 05:06, Kathryn Webster, NABS President via 
NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:

 Dear NABS:

                On August 25, 2016, the Foundation Fighting 
Blindness (FFB)
 created what they are calling the "Blind fold Challenge," under 
the hashtag
 "#HowEyeSeeIt (eye as in E. Y. E.)  In this challenge, people 
are asked to
 put on a blind fold for a minimal amount of time to preform a 
day-to-day
 task. In doing so, a person is supposedly made aware of what it 
is like to
 be a blind person.

 It is the hopes of the Foundation Fighting Blindness that, 
because they
 recognize the struggles blind people face, they will donate 
money to "cure
 blindness."

                Our members of the National Federation of the 
Blind have
 spoken out against this campaign, and we have been silenced. In 
fact, we are
 not inherently opposed to medical research for blindness. What 
we find
 problematic is the inaccurate portrayal of blind people as 
helpless; or
 worse: blindness as something to fear. For example, one of the 
videos
 demonstrates "what it would be like if you lost your sight.what 
it is like
 to no longer see your children." In an age where blind parents 
are
 systematically subjected to third-party custody or separation 
from their
 children, on the bases of their blindness, videos misconstruing 
blind
 parenting is offensive, dangerous, and frightening to us.

                We have explained, using scientific research, why 
blind fold
 simulation is harmful in societal interactions and practical 
application. We
 have fought back hard, by demonstrating what it is truly like to 
be blind,
 independent, and capable. We have been marginally successful. 
The fight does
 not stop here. We must continue the fight to show that we can 
live the life
 we want.

 There are three things we must keep in mind and take action:

 1. Do not participate in the blindfold challenge: they are 
destructive and
 dangerous to our work.

 2. Do not donate to this campaign: we are not against medical 
research, even
 medical research conducted by the foundation. We are against 
this campaign,
 though!

 3. Educate people. Please post videos, pictures, and text. This 
will explain
 how you live the life you want. We know that blindness is not 
the
 characteristic that defines us, or what holds us back. We know, 
with
 alternative techniques and proper training, we can perform the 
same task as
 an average person in an average setting.

 In pushing back, we must stay respectful. We must continue 
educating the
 public because it is the low expectations of blindness that 
create obstacles
 between us and our dreams.

 I believe in us, the students, to show our capabilities by 
pushing back on
 the Blindfold Challenge. Let's join together, the national 
Federation of the
 Blind, the most powerful blindness organization in our nation.

 #HowEyeSeeIt

 Please let me know if you have any questions; and I can't wait 
to see all
 the posts our blind students have to share!

 Yours and the Movement,

 Kathryn Webster

 President | National Association of Blind Students

 (203) 273-8463

 Nabs.president at gmail.com <mailto:Nabs.president at gmail.com

 Nfb.students.com

 @nabslink

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