[nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and AccessibletoBlind Folks

Sat Dec 17 23:17:17 UTC 2011

Hey Ryan,

Wow, that was kinda my reaction, though, I must say, not nearly so eloquent. My home, my comfort, if I can do something to keep my home comfortable for me yet still make it accessible for you, great. I mean, it's not like the rest of the world exactly bends over backwards to make *us* comfortable. But we have to, are expected to, in the name of "looking normal" or "knowing what's expected"? In *my* home? Even in *my* *home* I'm expected to conform to the sighted "norm"? See, the operative word here is "my". Let's turn that analogy around. Do sighted people have to make their homes accessible to us, or comfortable for us? Of course they don't. When we come to visit, we're expected, as we should be, to be careful of breakables, and we don't demand that things be made pleasant for us, or more accessible, or to have braille put on someone else's microwave, while we visit. If people choose to, or are able to, make their homes more comfortable or accessible to us for our visits, all the better, and thank them for it. But why do we think that this double standard is OK? Why do we have to even work twice as hard to "make the right impression", ***even in our own homes***? Will I go out of my way to make my guests uncomfortable, just because I might like something better? Of course not. But neither should I be expected to sacrifice my own tastes and my own comfort in the place where I go to relax just to make people feel as though I "know what's expected". Sure, I'll do what I can to accommodate visitors, where such accommodations don't impact my own ease or comfort in my home, but I think that we should at least have *one* place where we can go and not have to worry about conforming for goodness sake. It's one thing I just don't understand, why it is that we have this double standard. Ah well. Count me among the grumpy.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY

On Dec 17, 2011, at 5:46 PM, Ashley Bramlett wrote:

> Ryan,
> what is your masters in and what is your job? Sad to hear you are working at a job for which you're over qualified for.
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Ryan O
> Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 5:07 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Making Our Homes Comfortable and AccessibletoBlind Folks
> 
> Jimbo:
> 
> Next time your friends come over and bitch about the lack of light, say
> something like this:
> 
> "You know what," (insert name) "...You know what? Every freakin' day, I get
> up and move around in a sighted world. I work on a finite schedule with the
> aid of public transit because I can't drive. If the bus or train is
> late...so am I. If inclement weather strikes, I don't get in my car and turn
> on the windshield wipers. I freeze my nuts off in the rain or snow until I
> can get on a bus. When I go shopping, I pray to God that I can land a
> shopper's assistant who is, at the very least, literate. If they speak
> English, it makes my day. If they speak English fluently...Jesus, I've been
> known to weep with joy. If I shop on line, I'll be lucky if capcha, internet
> graphics and flash don't give me a migraine that could floor Robin Williams
> on a coke binge!
> 
> Sorry if I seem a little grumpy. I just came from a job for which I'm vastly
> over-qualified. I have a freakin' master's degree in mathematics, or
> genetics, or whatever, but every institution/company at which I apply is run
> by sighted pricks who have figured out a way not to hire me. God bless the
> ADA and the well-intentioned, ignorant bastards who sleep better at night
> for having passed it. And God bless social security, who is still haunting
> my ass four years later because I forgot to report the income I made running
> a cash register so that I could put bread on the table in between college
> semesters.
> 
> It makes a guy wonder if Walter White didn't have a point. Screw it! Can
> blind people be meth cookers? You ever see Breaking Bad? You know...it's
> that super good crime show on AMC that doesn't air with description because
> Hollywood is too God damn cheap to give us description with all of their
> content, even though they can well afford to do so with minimal effort.
> 
> You want friggin' light bulbs? Drive to the store and grab a few boxes. I'd
> take you myself, but I haven't won the Power Ball yet and can't afford a
> self-driving car. But let me give you directions. Siri! Work! C'mon, damn
> it! What's the nearest Wal-Mart? Flashlight? Who are you kidding? What
> friggin' flashlight? Just use my cigar lighter to light your way to the
> door. Pick me up a new can of butane on the way back. Yes, I smoke cigars.
> No, I'm not amazing. Dealing with your ignorant ass makes me wanna smoke one
> right now. No, I don't need help lighting it. Get your damn hands off me
> before Mr. Fist meets Mr. Sack!
> 
> It's your world and you're the king. Every day, I get up and I don't just
> live. I thrive, brother. Grow the hell up!"
> 
> Then, out loud you can say:
> 
> "Umm, sure thing, man. Sorry for my insensitivity to your situation. Can you
> drive me to the nearest Safeway to grab a few bulbs? And hey...can we swing
> through for a Big Mac on the way home?"
> 
> Now, Jimbo, I've been assuming that the people in question are men. If they
> are women, just say:
> 
> "Lights? Honey, for what we're gonna be doin', we don't need no freakin'
> lights."
> 
> Sexist and boorish, but oh so true.
> 
> 
> 
> RyanO
> 
> 
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