<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div>Hi, <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">What an interesting topic for discussion. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I have retinitis pigmentosa so I remember seeing but have no vision remaining. </div><div class="">I believe I have continued to live a very good life. I enjoy my life to its fullest.</div><div class="">I agree with Robert that much of my frustration comes from other people’s perceptions. </div><div class="">However, It is frustrating when those who design household appliances, medical devices, and other technologies such as surround sound systems; have given no consideration on how blind people will be able to operate them. This “short-sightedness” makes our lives more complicated. </div><div class="">I hate the thought of having to replace any of my things. I am glad to be part of the NFB which tries diligently to encourage accessibility but it seems always to be an uphill battle. </div><div class="">Wouldn’t it be great to be able to buy household appliances which were immediately accessible instead of having to label everything ourselves? <br class=""><div>Oh, what a wonderful dream…</div><div><br class=""></div><div>Connie, Erie PA </div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Mar 8, 2021, at 1:21 AM, Lauren Merryfield via NFB-Seniors-Discussion <<a href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org" class="">nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta charset="UTF-8" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Hi,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">I don’t hate being blind because I was born blind and do not know any other way to be. It is normal for me to be blind.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">When people ask me what it is like being blind, inside, I sometimes think “Oh no! Not that again. I don’t know how to answer that.” So they asked me; I tell them that the social side of blindness is what it is like to be blind, worse than actually not seeing. Sure, I’d like to have driven a car; read print books with my own eyes, and see people and watch them in the mall back when I took my daughter there to shop—Heaven forbid! <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">I usually tell them how I am seen as less intelligent and less capable than nonblind people, and the exclusion I experience is very sad. But, like Robert said, it is best to keep going on and live our lives.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Blessings,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Lauren Merryfield<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji", sans-serif;" class="">❤</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" class="">"What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living powers. Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold.Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful. In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love."</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" class=""> </span><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Abdu’l-Baha<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: rgb(225, 225, 225); padding: 3pt 0in 0in;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class="">From:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>NFB-Seniors-Discussion <<a href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion-bounces@nfbnet.org" class="">nfb-seniors-discussion-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>RobertLeslie Newman via NFB-Seniors-Discussion<br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sunday, March 7, 2021 10:35 AM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>NFB Seniors Division Discussion List <<a href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org" class="">nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org</a>><br class=""><b class="">Cc:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:robertleslienewman@gmail.com" class="">robertleslienewman@gmail.com</a><br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>[NFB-Seniors-Discussion] I hate being blind - Can or do you ever say this?<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Hi Fellow Discussion List Members<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">It has been very quiet here of late, and so read my short paragraph below and share-<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Most times, when I meet a new person and they ask me what is it like to be blind, I will say something like this:<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Well… Let me start off with telling you that my story starts out with the fact that I was born with Twenty-twenty vision, and at age fifteen, I was in a car accident and lost all my sight; I cannot even see light. Now, I see just as good out of the back of my head, as I do the front. And what I have learned, is that being blind, not able to use my eyes to do things in life is not so difficult; that most everything can be done non-visually. And that I’ve also learned that the toughest and most frustrating part of being blind is how other people view you, and treat you; they can make it more disheartening and difficult to do what I know I can do. But hey, though I hate being blind, life is to big and beautiful to get hung up in the small things; like being blind.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Respectfully yours,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Robert Leslie Newman<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Omaha, Nebraska<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; 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