[Ncabs] I need your help

Sun Dec 9 01:50:51 UTC 2012

Wow where to start. I remember that one time I went to the mall
shopping with two of my friends. One was sighted and the other one was
blind. We got lunch, and my friend who is sighted helped me and mhy
other friend who is blind. As we got to the table. A woman who was
sitting in the next table ask, "Excuse me are you working for those
two blind girls?"  My friend "No they are my friends."  This made me
so upset. to think that because I am hanging out with a sighted friend
and trying to have a shopping day as we girls know we love those! I
believe that the fact that I am blind does not mean that I just have
blind friends. Let along that I like everyone who is blind or that I
know them. People often ask me about someone who is blind, and I just
do not know who they are. I do not hang out with people because they
are blind I hang out with them because I like who they are!

On 12/8/12, sharon_newton <sharon_newton at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Great e-mail Justin.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Justin Salisbury" <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>
> To: "North Carolina Association of Blind Students List" <ncabs at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 11:31 PM
> Subject: Re: [Ncabs] I need your help
>
>
> This has been a great conversation for an even better cause.  I'm really
> glad to see it.
>
> Some people believe in a hierarchy of sight.  Those blind people with the
> most sight are
> the most independent, and those with the least sight are the least
> independent.
>
> Many sighted people ask blind people what percentage of their vision they
> have.  Vision
> loss is usually nowhere near that simple.
>
> Some sighted people think that they can imagine what it's like to be blind
> by simply
> closing their eyes.  While some stimuli may be effectively presented this
> way,
> accessibility barriers are not so simple as opening our eyes to navigate the
> problem.
>
> Some sighted people ask me if I'm "partially blind or blind."  I tell them
> that I'm blind.
> I have a legal document that says that I'm blind, but that does not mean
> that I can have
> no vision at all.  It is perfectly acceptable for a blind person with some
> vision to call
> himself "blind."
>
> Some sighted people believe that the fact that blind people with no sight at
> all can
> travel independently is the work of innovative, high-technology canes.
> While cane
> technology has indeed evolved in recent decades, independent travel is much
> more a
> function of the skills of the blind person than it is a function of some
> electronic SMART
> Cane.
>
> Some O & M instructors believe that, if a blind person lifts his cane tip
> off the ground,
> he will become disoriented and not know where he is, that constant contact
> between the
> cane tip and the ground is vital.  Need I explain how wrong this is?
>
> We are not all rich because of government money.  This seems absurd, but I
> have heard it
> from many sighted people.  "Blind people are rich because they get money
> from the
> government."
>
> Some think that we want to sithome and collect government money.  We do not.
>  We want to
> participate fully in society and contribute our fair share.
>
> Last, but certainly not least:
>
> Blind people are inherently less productive on the job and consequently less
> employable.
> It is not right to expect blind people to produce at the same level as their
> sighted
> counterparts.  Since blind people cannot be as productive in the work place,
> it is only
> fair to both the employee and employer that the employer is allowed to
> charitably employ
> blind workers at wages below the federal minimum wage.  This accommodates
> both the blind
> person's desire for work and the financial needs ot the employer to not take
> a loss when
> hiring and paying its workers.
> This is absolutely incorrect!  With the proper training and opportunity (and
> both are
> important), blind people can be equally as productive as their sighted
> counterparts.
>
> Keep it up!
>
> Justin
>
> Justin M. Salisbury
> B.A. in Mathematics
> Class of 2012
> East Carolina University
> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>
> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
> the world;
> indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”    —MARGARET MEAD
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Ncabs [ncabs-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Cala Estes
> [cala.estes at gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 9:59 PM
> To: North Carolina Association of Blind Students List
> Subject: Re: [Ncabs] I need your help
>
> Kevin,
>
> I don't know if this is still applicable, given how late it's coming,
> but I think a good overarching theme for this would be, "You know what
> they say about assuming." with misconceptions about blind people, it
> all comes from others making assumptions about how we live or what we
> do based on stereotypes. Just because I'm blind, don't assume I should
> be dating a sighty who can take care of me. Don't assume either
> though, that just because I'm blind, I have a blind partner. Don't
> assume that all blind people are straight, or kind-hearted, or nice,
> or religious. there's an eppisode of the big Bang theory in season 5
> where a main character says, "Handicapped people are nice Leonard,
> everyone knows that."
>
> Anyway, in reading over this topic, the age old saying just came to
> mind as a common theme tying all these misconceptions together.
>
> Cala
>
> On 12/7/12, Bobbi Pompey <pompey2010 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>> Just because I'm VI doesn't mean:
>> 1. I'm slow, so don't baby or talk down to me.
>> 2. I don't do things sighted teens and young people do (text, use
>> technology, use social networking sites, go out to parties/clubs, drink,
>> date, etc)
>> 3. I can't excel academically.
>> 4. I won't have a job/career and be successful.
>> 5. I don't enjoy life.
>> 6. I can't hear/see you talking about me.
>> 7. I can't dress myself and keep up my outer appearance (doing hair,
>> nails,
>> make-up, etc)
>> _______________________________________________
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>
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