[nabs-l] Burning Questions: An Interesting Topic for Discussion

Wed Feb 22 16:24:27 UTC 2017

Jessica:

One good online forum to learn about a specific area of town is City
Data. You can usually find a decent thread and then find links to
related topics about specific areas. Visually, one good way to tell if
you're in a good part of town is by the condition of the vehicles
parked along the streets. This may not help a blind person but could
help their companions if walking about in groups. At one point I would
have said that the degree of pedestrian friendliness and condition of
sidewalks could have been a good indicator, but I used to live in
Northeast DC near Catholic University where assaults and burglary were
becoming a little too common. The problem is that in some areas, there
could be a world of difference from one street to the next.

Alexandra:

If you don't get something in an accessible format in college, you may
try searching the title on BookShare.org, NLS, or approach the
publisher directly to see about obtaining the electronic format with
proof of purchase. If the material is a handout, either get the
professor to send you the computer file, or pair up with a classmate
to read the material to you.

My own burning question has to do with international travel. I've done
it, but I have always done it in the company of sighted people. I hear
of blind people traveling to all manner of destinations and admire
their ability to do so without the landmarks, customs, and general
accommodations of our American culture.

Also, closer to home, how does one go about traveling to destinations
off the beaten path? I can understand the conveniences of things like
Uber to get around town, but if you wanted to take off to some remote
cabin for the weekend, are we basically depending on sighted friends
to catch rides out to these detached locations?

Thanks in advance!

Joe

On 2/22/17, Sarah via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> This is a situation I face on a regular basis. I consider it my job to be
> familiar with the types of food that tend to have ingredients I am allergic
> to. I don't make a practice of reading labels obsessively--it is too
> time-consuming and stressful. Instead, I have educated myself about cooking
> and the types of ingredients that go into certain types of foods. I know,
> for instance, that baked goods often contain wheat and oats, both of which
> I
> am allergic to but produce different symptoms. I can eat wheat in limited
> amounts but cannot have oats. Sometimes I will take a very small test bite
> from someone else before filling my own plate. If I suspect too much that
> the food will have too many ingredients I should not have, I move on to
> another item. I also always carry "safe food" with me so that I can eat
> something even if it is not the same food that everyone else is eating.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vejas
> Vasiliauskas via NABS-L
> Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2017 4:12 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Vejas Vasiliauskas <alpineimagination at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Burning Questions: An Interesting Topic for
> Discussion
>
> Hi Chris and All,
> I see that there have not yet been any replies to this, so I will try to
> get
> us started:
> How would you deal with a party/open house setting if you are going alone
> without friends and you want to eat the food, but you have allergies? Often
> at these events people have brought things from all over and there's no
> one
> person  consistently there who knows about what is in everything.
> Vejas
>
>> On Feb 21, 2017, at 21:38, Chris Nusbaum via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>>
>> Hey NABSters:
>>
>>
>>
>> As one of the co-chairs of our newly formed Outreach Committee, one of
>> my goals is to engage our list members in NABS as a whole and to fuel
>> conversations on the list which provoke thought and encourage us to
>> think more deeply about our attitudes toward blindness. In an effort
>> to achieve this goal, I will post a question from time to time which I
>> hope will kick off a lively and productive discussion among
>> newly-blind students and seasoned Federationists alike. This is the first
> post in that series.
>>
>>
>>
>> During a conversation I had yesterday with the director of the
>> Louisiana Center for the Blind, where I am currently receiving
>> training, she mentioned that all of us have a few "burning questions"
>> about our blindness, whether or not we've had training or been exposed
>> to Federation philosophy. Of course, those of us who are in training
>> don't learn all we need to know in nine months at a center, nor do we
>> stop learning and growing after our graduation. Moreover, those who
>> are newly-blind or who are just being introduced to nonvisual skills
>> may have many such questions, or may believe that something can't be
>> done without sight until they learn from other blind people the
>> alternative techniques they can use to get the job done. So, here's my
>> question to each of you: What is your "burning question?" In other
>> words, what are you most uncertain about doing as a blind person? This
>> could be about anything, from education to travel to daily
>> living-anything that's been nagging at the back of your mind waiting
>> to be let out. If all goes well, your question can be answered by
>> another blind student who has faced the same challenges you are now
>> facing and who can give you advice and support. This networking and
> support is what this list and the Federation are all about.
>>
>>
>>
>> I hope this little Q&A session will serve as a helpful and fun way for
>> us to learn from each other. As you post your questions, please be
>> assured that this is a judgment-free list, and that you can feel free
>> to be honest with your questions without fear of criticism or attack.
>> I look forward to learning from all of you and to hopefully helping
>> someone who is facing a roadblock on their journey with blindness. Let's
> discuss!
>>
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
>>
>> Chris Nusbaum, President
>>
>> Maryland Association of Blind Students
>>
>> Board Member, National Association of Blind Students
>>
>> Phone: (443) 547-2409
>>
>> Email: cnusbaumnfb at gmail.com
>>
>> Twitter: @Chrisn98 and @nabslink
>>
>>
>>
>> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
>> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
>> expectations for blind people, because low expectations create
>> obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life
>> you want; blindness is not what holds you bak.
>>
>>
>>
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