[nagdu] blindness attitudes

Tamara Smith-Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Tue Mar 10 07:34:03 UTC 2009


Linda,

I've been thinking of how to express the difference in attitudes and
adjustment and any number other of small expressions of self-confidence I've
seen as I've gotten to know people who have been blind since the bad old
days as opposed to young adults who have also been blind since birth or
early childhood.

If anyone ever wonders if all the hard work the NFB has done has been worth
it, that will tell you right there!  It absolutely blows my mind.

It's easy to notice the jerks and the bad attitudes and the negative
stereotypes, and I know they still baffle me and often shock me enough that
I go on about them trying to figure out how to even begin to respond to
something so bizarre....  Then I remember the other 98 percent (I'm making
that up!) of the people I interact with on a day-to-day basis as I go about
in the world who seem to assume that I'm no different from them except that
I have curly hair, freckles, and a white cane or black poodle.  Way cool.

Then again, I'm still recovering from the mind-blowingly negative attitudes
of the people responsible for keeping us blind newbies working and
productive and only just getting to the point of once again trying to
convince someone to hire me....  These days, the bright sides is I will have
no way to tell if any given rejection (oh, how I love that!) is because I'm
blind or if it's just that there were 2 gzillion other candidates with more
current experience than me.  Okay, so that's not the bright side, and it
doesn't cheer me up.  It just means I can be very zen about seeking the odd
employment opportunity that floats by without all the existential angst.

As far as our equality and weakening of the negative stereotypes and bad
attitudes is concerned, I'm really curious to see how all the general
economic, political and cultural upheaval and backlash going on now will
affect our lives a blind citizens.  Or as any other type of citizen.  I've
studied just enough history and just enough in tune with current events to
be scared stupid and utterly fascinated to see how it will all turn out.  I
am really glad we have such great organization to work with us and for us to
continue to better things.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 4:01 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] blindness attitudes

Well, Buddy, unfortunately this is just an example of how entrenched the 
negative feelings about blindness is in our society as a whole and it also 
infects us blind folks!

It seems like a vicious circle - the society looks negatively at blindness 
and we are a product of that society so we also inherit that same attitude 
ourselves.  It is so hard to teach ourselve to stop thinking that way about 
blindness and our own blindness.  Society thinks negatively about blind 
PEOPLE as our horribly high unemployment rate is.  Because we can't get 
jobs - good jobs -  we blame our own blindness and we have negative feelings

as well. Sighted people then think we're being negative and bitter about it.

It goes round and round (grin!).

We have to break this cycle for us to feel positive about our own blindness 
and we also have to teach society to be more positive about it as well. 
Then maybe we'll have true equality!

I do think this is happening as more young people come up into adulthood 
with the NFB training centers and technology. I see a real difference in the

attitudes of young blind people as opposed to the older blind people. It's 
just going to take alot of time.

Linda and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Animal Advocate Calls Blind Guide Dog Users Cruel &unfi


>
> On Mar 8, 2009, at 7:29 PM, helene ryles wrote:
>
>> I don't like this parting quote:
>>
>> "I hope you never go blind and need a dog."
>
> I quite agree. Apart from my issue with the "needing" a dog, it sounds  a 
> bit like a curse. After all, is blindness that bad? Sure, it's a  right 
> royal pain in the ass sometimes, and I'm sure it would be hard  to adjust 
> to after not being blind, but such a statement only  perpetuates the 
> stereotypes that we already struggle with; that  blindness is necessarily 
> a terrible, horrible fate, and you'd never  wish such a tragedy on anyone.

> No, of course I don't wish for people  to go blind, but I don't really 
> wish for people to go sighted or deaf  or short, either. If we really 
> believe that blindness is respectable,  and indeed if we want others to 
> believe this as well, I think we'd do  well to be mindful of how we 
> ourselves discuss blindness. Furthering  our cause might be better 
> accomplished if we don't give people reason  to strengthen their already 
> well entrenched negative attitudes.
>
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> 


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