[nfb-talk] NY Times Article on Gov. Paterson and Braille

[ckrugman at sbcglobal.net]

Paterson seems to use lots of excuses to deal with his blindness. Although 
not quoted in this article he previously stated that he did not want to use 
a cane or a guide dog in Haarlem as he would stand out as a target in the 
inner city. It all comes down to choices of being a truly independent blind 
person or reinforcing the stereotypes that exist. perhaps Paterson might 
have functioned better as governor had he come to terms with these issues in 
a different manner.
Chuck
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alicia Richards" <alicianfb at gmail.com>
To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2010 1:18 AM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] NY Times Article on Gov. Paterson and Braille


> Joe, I do see the point you are driving at.  For a long time I wouldn't 
> have, but I do have more compassion for people with partial vision who are 
> caught in the middle.  I'm not trying to jump on any bandwagon, but here 
> are my thoughts.
>
> One of my primary questions is this. If Paterson's parents were so worried 
> about him standing out, or getting a stigma attached to him, carrying 
> around big Braille books, etc, then why not think of the other issues? 
> Did it never occur to them that large print books are pretty big, too? 
> Did it never occur to them that he would not look normal, having to press 
> his face so close to the page, when the other students did not have to do 
> this?  Or standing by the board to read the print, when others did not 
> have to?  At least when reading Braille, one can still look up at those 
> around them, which in my opinion, looks far more normal than the 
> alternative.  The things parents will do, or worse, make their child do or 
> sacrifice in the name of so-called normality are unbelievable to me 
> sometimes. and just because he might have learned Braille does not mean he 
> couldn't have been mainstreamed at the same time. Then again, I guess he 
> grew up in a different era, when mainstreaming was far less common, and 
> that must be taken into account.
>
> It is true that Braille has limitations, but I feel he's using that as an 
> excuse. With the advancement of technology, such as scanners, OCR 
> software, and refreshable Braille displays, more is available in Braille 
> than ever before, and it is more convenient to use than before. And don't 
> even try to tell me that the man could not have afforded such technology. 
> For exampel , I imagine that  much of what Governor Paterson relied on his 
> aides to read could have been scanned on a computer, to be read with a 
> screen reader, or put into a Braille note-taker. Then, no reliance would 
> have been needed.
>
> The part about where his mother told him he could not take risks like 
> other boys infuriates me to no end!  What child should not take risks? I 
> was allowed to take the same risks as my sighted sisters when I was a 
> child, thank God, and would advocate that any other should do the same. 
> Now, genuine risks to safety should not be taken by any child, regardless 
> of disability. But to say he shouldn't have as a result of blindness is 
> appalling to me.
>
> Just had to voice all that, for whatever it is worth.
>
> Alicia
>
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