[Nfb-krafters-korner] Braille & Art/Craft

River Woman riverwoman at zoominternet.net
Sun Oct 2 13:18:00 UTC 2011 

Hi Ramona,
I have to say that I had a 15 week rehab. training in Homestead, PA that was 
wonderful for me. I had been blind for 7 months before I went there, in 
2008. After that, I had more mobility and tech training at my home for a 
number of months. It enabled me to do just about anything I want to do.I am 
very independent and I am the same person I was when I could see - high 
energy and tenacious, and a life long learner. I love life, with or without 
sight - I love it all.

I think it is absolutely STUPID that a person like me is not permitted to go 
on the blind association van when they take folks to the mall or little 
things like this. If I have to have an escort with me, then I would just 
have my grand daughter drive me there and the two of us can shop all we 
want. Why would I take HER on the van?! It's crazy. Pointless.  And, it 
fails to recognize that a bllind person can get along just fine with the 
white cane, and can go off and do things on their own.  I absolutely HATE it 
when someone tries to take my arm and guid me somewhere - I do not need it 
or want it.

Yes, I love to go to art shows just as much as I have loved going to them 
most of my life. If I want to see a painting, my husband tells me what he is 
seeing there and i can enjoy it. I also love the fiber arts so much, and the 
sculpture, and pottery, and other things that are 3 D...I agree with you, we 
CAN enjoy ART no matter what.

The blind association in my county has to be 100 years behind the times in 
blind information, I think.  I don't think they belong to any blind 
organizations like NFB and do not seem to be UP on anything exciting and new 
in the blind world.  I am just so glad I found NFB on my own through an 
email from another blind person who read an article I wrote in Matilda 
Ziegler Mag. a couple years ago. He put me in touch with Joyce and the rest 
is history! I am so thankful I have found this KK group, and NFB.

Lynda River Woman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ramona Walhof" <ramona.walhof at gmail.com>
To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2011 10:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Braille & Art/Craft


> Linda, programs for the blind range from very good to very regressive. 
> Unfortunately, some of the small local ones are the worst.  I am not 
> familiar with the particular ones in Pennsylvania, but I know that there 
> are a lot of relatively small private programs for the blind in that 
> State.
>
> There are doubtless some blind people who have progressed beyond going 
> places only with a sighted guide, and, like you, they just don't go on 
> trips like that.  There is nothing wrong with going with someone who can 
> see, but it certainly should  not be required.  Independent travel 
> training with a white cane also is not tops in Pennsylvania.  However, 
> there are very good travelers there.  Many of them are off doing what they 
> choose and are no longer in need of much service from those agencies.
>
> AGain, I do not know the particular programs where you are, but there are 
> many programs that do expect to give different kinds of services and have 
> higher expectations for the blind.  There is a group here in Boise that 
> made a quilt for the Commission for the blind, and it is designed to have 
> some tactile features, but it is also a very attractive quilt.  There is a 
> deaf-blind quilter who has won national recognition for some of her work 
> here.  There is an artist in Colorado who does a session at Conventions 
> for blind people to experience art.  Some is tactile; some is not.  I 
> would love to see your pottery, but it is a long way from Boise to PA.  I 
> would want descriptions of the colors, but I would also love to touch the 
> items for shape, texture,  and other characteristics.
>
> We often say that blind people are a cross section of society, and we have 
> been making big progress during the last half century.  I went to Art in 
> the Park, a huge show here and a fundraiser for the art museum, a couple 
> of weeks ago.  I skipped the painting displays, but I loved the sewing 
> work, the pottery, the jewelry, the rock lamps, and lots of other things. 
> There were more than 250 different artists there.   It was not a show for 
> the blind, but it was for me!
>
> Ramona
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "River Woman" <riverwoman at zoominternet.net>
> To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2011 9:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Braille & Art/Craft
>
>
>> Friends,
>> I like the idea of letting anyone touch and embrace my pottery much 
>> better than making any kind of signs.  All one has to do to see  my work 
>> is to experience it by putting their arms around the larg vessels, or 
>> holding the smaller ones.  My work says "Please toucn me" and that is how 
>> it is best experienced by anyone.
>>
>> Before my show I did extensive advertising and sent out personal packets 
>> of information along with invitations to the blind associations in our 
>> surrounding area. To my knowlege no one ever came. I asked them to come, 
>> bring others, and that I would meet them personally at any time there to 
>> walk through the show with anyone who is blind or any groups. I know of 
>> only one blind person who came and she was a friend of my friend. So, 
>> where I live, it does not seem that the blind organizations are much 
>> interested in supporting the creative work of another blind person.  What 
>> I experience is that the organization likes to treat us as a charity 
>> case, take us to lunch once a month - shuttle us in and shuttle us out - 
>> with little interaction among us. In fact, I am not even allowed to go on 
>> their "trips" to a mall or shopping without a "escort" which is 
>> rediculous as I do not need an escort at all and enjoy going places by 
>> myself.
>>
>> My experience here is that these local organizations are way behind the 
>> times - and see us as unable to do anything on our own.  Does anyone else 
>> experience this?  Is it just here in western PA, or is this normal?
>>
>> There is a blind organization just a few blocks from the museum where my 
>> show is currently - no one even responded to my invitation nor came to 
>> the show from that organization.  This is very small town rural 
>> PA...maybe you have different experiences in your area.
>>
>> OH, and the other thing, is that NO blind people are even employed at my 
>> local organizations. I have heard them bragging that everyone who works 
>> for them has a car and drives and it is mandatory to do this to be 
>> employed there.  So you see what I mean, blind people are not even there 
>> to answer a phone or volunteer in the organization as far as I know.
>>
>> What is it like where YOU live, folks?
>> I would love to hear about it.
>>
>> Lynda River Woman
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: <Blindhands at aol.com>
>> To: <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2011 11:28 AM
>> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Braille & Art/Craft
>>
>>
>>> Linda and all,
>>>
>>> I believe this is a topic that you may find a lot of different opinions 
>>> on
>>> especially in this group of Visually Impaired people.
>>>
>>> I understand the two sides of this.  Linda never depended on Braille 
>>> and
>>> she decides not to use it in any way in her art work or displays of her 
>>> art
>>> work.  That is her decision.  It may afend some with her use of 
>>> distraction
>>> for viewers, but again that is her choice as the artist.
>>>
>>> The blind people in the population is a majority, so we do appreciate 
>>> when
>>> there is an attempt to make things accessible to those of us that 
>>> Braille
>>> might  be an option.
>>>
>>> A consideration in the future maybe  just a tape recording of each 
>>> display
>>> with the label of the display on the recording.  You can do an  array of
>>> gimmicks from as simple as audio tapes available bring your own tape 
>>> player
>>> to leave a deposit that you will get back when player is returned. 
>>> This
>>> would not be a distraction and I believe it might be enjoyed especially 
>>> if the
>>> artist does the recording, then the individual will feel like the artist
>>> gave them the tour of their art work.  Great advertising tool, too. 
>>> You
>>> could make up a small amount like 10 and I bet it would not cost hardly
>>> anything or make up a bunch and write it off as advertisement.
>>>
>>> Joyce  Kane
>>> _www.KraftersKorner.org_ (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
>>> Blindhands at AOL.com
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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