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<DIV>I know what you mean. It’s almost like we don’t exist.
Pam.</DIV>
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style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org">Connie Schwarzfeld via
NFB-Seniors-Discussion</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 08, 2021 5:52 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org">NFB Seniors Division Discussion
List</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Cc:</B> <A title=conniej1250@gmail.com
href="mailto:conniej1250@gmail.com">Connie Schwarzfeld</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NFB-Seniors-Discussion] I hate being blind - Can or do
you ever say this?</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV> </DIV>Hi,
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>What an interesting topic for discussion. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have retinitis pigmentosa so I remember seeing but have no vision
remaining. </DIV>
<DIV>I believe I have continued to live a very good life. I enjoy my life to its
fullest.</DIV>
<DIV>I agree with Robert that much of my frustration comes from other people’s
perceptions. </DIV>
<DIV>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>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>Wouldn’t it be great to be able to buy household appliances which were
immediately accessible instead of having to label everything ourselves? <BR>
<DIV>Oh, what a wonderful dream…</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Connie, Erie PA </DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV>On Mar 8, 2021, at 1:21 AM, Lauren Merryfield via NFB-Seniors-Discussion
<<A
href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org">nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org</A>>
wrote:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=WordSection1
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; WORD-SPACING: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; page: wordsection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">Hi,<o:p></o:p></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">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></o:p></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><o:p></o:p> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">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></o:p></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><o:p></o:p> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">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></o:p></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">Blessings,<o:p></o:p></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">Lauren
Merryfield<SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Segoe UI Emoji", sans-serif'>❤</SPAN><o:p></o:p></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><o:p></o:p> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><o:p></o:p> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><B><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">"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)"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in">Abdu’l-Baha<o:p></o:p></DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><o:p></o:p> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="BORDER-TOP: rgb(225,225,225) 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in">
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><B>From:</B><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>NFB-Seniors-Discussion <<A
href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion-bounces@nfbnet.org">nfb-seniors-discussion-bounces@nfbnet.org</A>><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><B>On Behalf Of<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></B>RobertLeslie Newman via
NFB-Seniors-Discussion<BR><B>Sent:</B><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>Sunday, March 7, 2021 10:35
AM<BR><B>To:</B><SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>NFB Seniors
Division Discussion List <<A
href="mailto:nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org">nfb-seniors-discussion@nfbnet.org</A>><BR><B>Cc:</B><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="mailto:robertleslienewman@gmail.com">robertleslienewman@gmail.com</A><BR><B>Subject:</B><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>[NFB-Seniors-Discussion] I hate being
blind - Can or do you ever say this?<o:p></o:p></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><o:p></o:p> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">Hi Fellow Discussion
List Members<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">It has been very quiet
here of late, and so read my short paragraph below and
share-<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">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></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">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></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">Respectfully
yours,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">Robert Leslie
Newman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif">Omaha,
Nebraska<o:p></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; MARGIN: 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </DIV></DIV><SPAN
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