[nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article

Tamara Smith-Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Sat Mar 13 20:30:20 UTC 2010


Cheryl,

I hear ya!  When I'm blabbling on about nothing (or my dog, who is
something, but I can blab on about nothing about my dog for ever!), it's no
problem to remember to proofread -- unless I get lazy, in which case I
should have, because there are more typos then for some reason...

When it's a highly emotionally-charged subject on which I feel passionately
and want to say *exactly* the right thing....  Ugh!  I've been getting losts
of practice attempting to communicate with our VR agency -- which is,
literally, impossible.  So I also try to evaluate everything I write for
posterity (that being whoever I send the full set of e-mail communication to
in the hopes they will do something *about* these people!) and it can take a
whole, mentally exhausting day to write a simple e-mail, and heaven forbid I
screw up and make a type or misuse a word because I'm the one who is blind
here....  Crazy!

Anyway, keep up the passion and communication.  How we present is important,
especially when it comes to communicating about blindness in general, or our
dogs, or...  I'm not sure how being held to a higher standard when it is so
difficult to get adaptive tools makes any sense.  Proofing in JAWS is really
difficult for me still, when I know that every little thing will be judged.
Learning braille takes time, and now the VR agency wants to take away the
braille display I've been using (long story), so that's a bummer.  Making
that transition to proofing and editing in sound is maddening, even in
prose.  In programming...  Well, we all deal, don't we?

So, while keeping up our writing and spelling and, etc., skills is
important, and while we are judged more harshly on it than some bozo who
happens to be sighted but can't write English to save his/her soul...

It is also important to speak out!  So keep up the good work, and keep
learning.  /smile/

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...  My dog was a
monster this morning!  We had time to do some work on it, but good heavens!
Then we came home with a new haul from the new pet store she discovered for
us (wasn't that generous of her), in which I grabbed a new shadow ball...
Which Daisy destroyed before we noticed.  /lol/

I make fun of Portlanders, and our response to changes in the weather.  At
this time of year, we're all just nutty, no matter what the weather is, for
some reason.  Our dogs are just as bad!  /lol/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of cheryl echevarria
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 11:02 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article

Thank you Albert.  I appreciate it, sometimes as we write and even when we 
listen to what we are writing we get a little crazy.  No worries and thank 
you for the compliment we are here to help one another.


Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 2:03 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article


> Girl, I would never have called you out on that in front of people like
> that. you had so much great content, I just want others to see you for the
> powerful and successful business owner you are.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of cheryl echevarria
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 1:45 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article
>
> no worries.  And yes I agree my writing isn't the greatest, and I am 
> working
>
> on improving this as well.
>
> Cheryl Echevarria
> Independent Travel Consultant
> http://Echevarriatravel.com
> 1-866-580-5574
>
> http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
> Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel 
> CST-1018299-10
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 1:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article
>
>
> > Wayne and all,
> >
> > I never intended to share my seemingly abrupt comments with all of you 
> > in
> > this open forum, cheryl and I write to each other frequently off line 
> > and
> > share many things we do on this thread and in our professional 
> > endeavors.
> > I
> > want to apologize for having thought this was sent privately to cheryl
> > rather then publicly. It came off as rude and callous which was not my
> > intent. It was meant solely for Cheryl's eyes only, please forgive my 
> > faux
> > paux cheryl,
> >
> > Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> > CEO/Founder
> > My Blind Spot, Inc.
> > 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> > New York, New York  10004
> > www.myblindspot.org
> > PH: 917-553-0347
> > Fax: 212-858-5759
> > "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who 
> > is
> > doing it."
> >
> >
> > Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> > Behalf
> > Of Wayne Merritt
> > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 10:54 AM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article
> >
> > Just proves that it pays to read over your message/letter before
> > sending it. Not only will you catch any spelling errors, but you can
> > also work on or change the wording if needed.
> >
> > Wayne
> >
> > On 3/11/10, Albert J Rizzi <albert at myblindspot.org> wrote:
> > > Cheryl do you know how to use spell check?? You are reinforcing
> > perceptions
> > > and stereotypes when you send out a letter with applaud rather then
> > appalled
> > > and the serious number of spelling and grammatical errors such as the
> > > ones
> > > in your letter to the food critic from that paper in Florida. While 
> > > your
> > > position may have been one of significant importance your delivery did
> > > not
> > > relay that at all.
> > >
> > > Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> > > CEO/Founder
> > > My Blind Spot, Inc.
> > > 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> > > New York, New York  10004
> > > www.myblindspot.org
> > > PH: 917-553-0347
> > > Fax: 212-858-5759
> > > "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one 
> > > who
> > > is
> > > doing it."
> > >
> > >
> > > Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > > Behalf
> > > Of cheryl echevarria
> > > Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:10 PM
> > > To: nagdu
> > > Subject: [nagdu] Fw: Dining in the Dark article
> > >
> > > Marion and all:
> > >
> > > I also wrote to the reporter of the article.
> > >
> > > Please read the response below.
> > >
> > > Cheryl Echevarria
> > > Independent Travel Consultant
> > > http://Echevarriatravel.com
> > > 1-866-580-5574
> > >
> > > http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
> > > Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
> > > Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel
> > CST-1018299-10
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: <LReiley at sptimes.com>
> > > To: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> > > Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 3:28 PM
> > > Subject: Re: Dining in the Dark article
> > >
> > >
> > >> Ms. Echevarria,
> > >>
> > >> I appreciate your letter and am chastened that my reporting on the
> > >> event,
> > >> in your opinion, served to reinforce stereotypes about the blind. It
> > >> certainly wasn't my intention to perpetuate any myths or insinuate 
> > >> that
> > >> being visually impaired is shameful.
> > >>
> > >> Thank you for taking the time to write,
> > >>
> > >> Laura Reiley
> > >> Food Critic
> > >> St. Petersburg Times
> > >> 490 First Ave. S.
> > >> St. Petersburg, FL 33701
> > >> (727) 892-2293
> > >> Blog: http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/dining
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> cheryl echevarria <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> > >> 03/11/2010 12:41 PM
> > >>
> > >> To
> > >> <lreiley at sptimes.com>
> > >> cc
> > >>
> > >> Subject
> > >> Dining in the Dark article
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Good morning Ms. Reily:
> > >>
> > >> My name is Cheryl Echevarria and I am the Treasurer of the National
> > >> Federation of the Blind of Greater Long Island Chapter.  I read about
> > your
> > >>
> > >> article from my friend Mr. Marion Gwizdala, who is the President of 
> > >> the
> > >> East
> > >> Hillsborough of the NFB and the President of the National Association
> > >> of
> > >> Guide Dog Users.
> > >>
> > >> I am totally applaud by how these people feel that blindness is to be
> > >> pitied
> > >> or felt sorry for people who are blind and need to be blinded folded 
> > >> to
> > >> find
> > >> out who it is to be blind.
> > >>
> > >> From someone who was sited up until 2001 when I lost both my vision 
> > >> and
> > my
> > >>
> > >> kidneys to diabetes, I have some vision left in my right eye but not 
> > >> to
> > be
> > >>
> > >> considered sighted.
> > >>
> > >> Currently I have nothing against people trying to find a cure for
> > >> blindness,
> > >> but there will always be something that causes it, either by accident
> > >> or
> > >> illness, there is no shame in being a blind person.
> > >>
> > >> Yes, when I first lost my  vision I had to learn things over again.
> > >> But
> > I
> > >>
> > >> am not a pig when I eat, or taste any different, or hear any 
> > >> different,
> > or
> > >>
> > >> have to use 2 hands to eat.
> > >>
> > >> The best way for these people to learn or for your readers to learn
> > >> about
> > >> blindness is going to anyone of NFB Chapters throughout the USA and
> > Puerto
> > >>
> > >> Rico, including Washington, D.C. by going to the nfb.org and locating
> > >> one
> > >> of
> > >> our state affiliates and they will be glad to get you in tough with
> > >> that
> > >> local chapter.
> > >>
> > >> As you can see by my signature on this e-mail, not only have I become

> > >> a
> > >> person again to which the article feels that blind people are to be
> > >> felt
> > >> sorry, but I have also become a business owner.
> > >>
> > >> Many of my brothers and sisters within the NFB and throughout the 
> > >> world
> > >> are
> > >> capable human beings, who just need the education and mobility
> > >> techniques
> > >> that are out there for anyone who wishes to use these services as 
> > >> well
> > >> as
> > >> the National Federation of the blind to help as well.
> > >>
> > >> We are trying to change the way that we are discriminated against and
> > >> fighting to educate those that blindness is just a characteristic to 
> > >> us
> > >> and
> > >> nothing to be ashamed of.
> > >>
> > >> Thank you for listening.
> > >>
> > >> Sincerely,
> > >>
> > >> Cheryl Echevarria
> > >> Treasurer, Greater Long Island Chapter of the National Federation of
> > >> the
> > >> Blind
> > >> 10 Aljan Drive
> > >> Brentwood, NY 11717
> > >> 631-236-5138
> > >>
> > >> Independent Travel Consultant
> > >> http://Echevarriatravel.com
> > >> 1-866-580-5574
> > >>
> > >> http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
> > >> Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
> > >> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel
> > >> CST-1018299-10
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > nagdu mailing list
> > > nagdu at nfbnet.org
> > > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
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> > >
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> > > org
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > nagdu mailing list
> > > nagdu at nfbnet.org
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> > >
> >
> >
> > -- 
> > Follow me on Twitter at:
> > www.twitter.com/wcmerritt
> > My blog:
> > http://wayneism.blogspot.com
> > My websites:
> > www.wayneism.com
> > www.whitecaneday.org
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > _______________________________________________
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