[nagdu] Critical blind people

Charlene Ota caota at hawaii.rr.com
Sun Aug 1 02:29:24 UTC 2010


Then there's the guys in the wheelchairs at conventions, too! I give them
credit for even coming back a second time. It's really bad when they try to
get into the elevators. People push in front of them and won't let them in
and give them all kinds of trouble.

I find oftentimes blind people don't deal with others who have multiple
disabilities very well at all. People are so critical about how other blind
people do things and then when you add additional disabilities, well, we all
have seen what happens. I've often thought that it might really be good to
spend some time at National conventions dealing with issues around multiple
disabilities and encouraging tolerance and awareness and respect for others.
Now my work at a center for independent living is showing!  (smile!) Working
in those places you either learn to be flexible and willing to learn and
embrace different situations than your own or you'd just best go your way.
It's a really worthwhile and takes a whole lot less energy in the end to
learn to accept others and meet them where they are then to fight our
differences and we make much better friends by learning to be tolerant than
we do by fighting it. (smile!) 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of The Pawpower Pack
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 1:14 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

Hi Dan,
Oh yes, I get judged quite a bit because I can't use my ears to orient to my
environment.  I went to an NFB convention in 2006 which was held at the
hotel in Dallas.  I got lost quite a bit and every time I'd ask someone for
assistance, they'd invariably say, "Listen to the fountain, where you want
to go, that's left of the fountain."
I couldn't hear the fountain at all and when I said that I was deaf, I got
quite a few nasty comments, the most polite of which was, "well I can't help
you, then."
Also when I ask a person for directions, and they snap their fingers or tap
on a chair/table and say "Over here!" and then they get frustrated because I
can't figure out where over here is, exactly.  I can hear people speaking if
we're in a quiet place, but I can't tell where the person is because like
you, I can't localize sound.
I've also been chastised by other blind people and guide dog program
employees for expecting my dog to help me in convention settings by finding
things such as the elevator, or the door outside.  I spend a great deal of
time training this skill and I would say that my dogs are far more fluent in
the "find" cue than most guide dogs because it's a necessity for them to be.
For many blind people, the find cue is just an added bonus.  I've been told
that it is too much to expect my dog to find elevators or whatever and that
I am going to stress my dog out, that I'm not taking responsibility for my
part in the team and that my dog can't be expected to just take me where I
want to go.
I do have very good O&M skills, but I'm also deaf so my needs are different
than for most guide dog handlers who are blind only.
I get frustrated sometimes because I don't know why we can't just appreciate
the one another's differences instead of getting upset when someone can't or
chooses not to, do things like the majority.

Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out
that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half- wit, and
the emperor remains an emperor."-- Neil Gaiman
http://www.pawpowercreations.com/retreat.html
pawpower4me at gmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl

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