[Nfb-krafters-korner] answer for Naima

[Annette Carr]

Great post Debee!  Thanks for sharing.

Annette


-----Original Message-----
From: Nfb-krafters-korner [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Deborah Armstrong via Nfb-krafters-korner
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2016 9:18 PM
To: List for blind crafters and artists
Cc: Deborah Armstrong
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] answer for Naima

Sighted people will always say something is easier with sight, but that's
because for them, if they put on a sleep shade they couldn't do whatever it
is they wanted to do: knit, cook, scrub the floor, go to work. Sighted
people who have never worked with the blind are not authorities and  their
opinions are uninformed.


When I injured my knee and could barely walk I found many ordinary
activities nearly impossible. But I work with the physically disabled, so I
knew that people whose disability was permanent learned how to independently
handle the tasks I struggled with. So when I couldn't figure out how to use
some of the bathrooms, or manage my crutches on stairs, or unlock certain
doors with one hand, I asked the clients I serve and they helped me learn
new ways of doing things.


   My knee healed up and  I didn't have to cope for long, but even in that
short time I learned how hard it is to imagine alternative techniques when
you've always had a perfectly working way of accomplishing a task. Remember
that your sighted friends have those prejudices and you cannot fix them, but
you can do an attitude adjustment on you!


Know too, if you can't do something it might be a lack of talent or patience
rather than blindness. I am very good with computers. Many people are not.
It isn't blindness that makes them struggle with technology; it's that they
don't have a talent for technology.


I'm not very mechanical. I can't figure out how to assemble things I buy or
repair things at home. I have blind friends who are very good at these
things. They have more mechanical talent than I do. I know blind people who
play music beautifully; I struggled to master three guitar chords!


I love growing things and consider myself a green thumb. I know blind people
who have beautiful gardens and others who kill plants with over-watering or
neglect. Blindness has nothing to do with either their success or failures.


I have written a long article about this for the NFB of Utah called "How To
Be Your own O&M Instructor" at:

     http://blindhow.com/posts/540#content


--Debee




On 9/2/2016 8:12 PM, Ramona Walhof via Nfb-krafters-korner wrote:
> Naima, there are literally thousands of people in the National 
> Federation of the Blind who understand how you are feelingl.  We all 
> have to figure some things out for ourselves, but most are very happy 
> to share their experiences, too.  Sometimes it feels as though you are 
> alone, but truly, you are not.
> Ramona
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfb-krafters-korner 
> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Naima 
> Leigh via Nfb-krafters-korner
> Sent: Friday, September 02, 2016 8:38 PM
> To: 'List for blind crafters and artists' 
> <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Naima Leigh <nleigh2016 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] answer for Naima
>
> Thanks
>
> No, I still have some sight but not enough to see colors or patterns. 
> I have light perception, just enough vision to tell if the light is on 
> or sometimes depending on which way the sun is positioned, I can tell 
> if the sun is out or not.
>
> Yes, It is very frustrating to convince people I can help with 
> volunteer positions in spite of my disability. My family doesn't 
> understand me sometimes because I'm different, and I don't understand them
either.
>
> I do my best with this condition.
>
> Naima
>


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