[nagdu] Critical blind people

Sun Aug 1 20:56:32 UTC 2010

Lyn, I love this quote! "Hang out with the people who like you for who you
are and blow off the rest." May I have your permission to tweet it?

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Linda Gwizdak
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2010 12:30 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

Cathryn,
Lots of people teach their dogs all kinds of things when we get home from 
guide dog school.  Everyone has different abilities and skills sets.  the 
important thing is that you get your butt out there everyday and live your 
life!  Who can ask for more!!

As far as blind people being critical of other blind people - well, I call 
this marginal grooup behavior.  Take any minority group and you'll see them 
doing it to the others in that group!  How do I handle it?  I know the 
dynamics of this so I just develop a thick skin and blow the behavior off. 
Hang out with the people who like you for who you are and blow off the rest.

There's people at our blind center who don't care too much for me because I 
don't take part in the gossip.  I am a masculine LGBT person and am not in 
the closet.  I am an independent thinker who has progressive, left politics.

BUT... I am respectful to all and kind to all. I have plenty of friends who 
like and value me for the good, decent person that I am.  I've also seen 
this dynamic among mothers and their kids!

Cheers,

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cathryn Bonnette" <cathrynisfinally at verizon.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 4:52 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

> Hi Rox,
>
> As soon as I brought Abby home from SE, I started teaching her the "find"
> command. I was also told it was unreasonable to expect her to find things
> like elevators and exits for me. Well, I don't have a hearing problem, but

> I
> had problems with special orientation and getting lost easily even when I
> could see. When I lost my sight a few years ago, my ability to get lost
> improved dramatically! /smile/ If my guide dog can't find the escalator, 
> or
> elevator, or office door etc., we might never find it, but she actually
> learned the new command and now does exactly what I need.  I struggle to
> comprehend why the rudeness you experienced is so common among blind 
> people.
> Well, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am doing at least some 
> of
> the same things that you are to get oriented, and I wish you hadn't had
> those experiences. As for a long term answer- I'm still working it out. It
> seems that if I hang around with other blind folks, I am very likely to be
> criticized fairly frequently just for living! On the other hand, as I
> experience increasing distance from other social groups I don't much care
> for the Hermit lifestyle either. Ah so. Maybe I'll figure that out
> tomorrow-/smile/
> Your thoughts?
>
> Be well-
>
> Cathryn (& Abby)
>
> -----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 7:14 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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