[Nfbc-info] Fw: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] The film entitled Going Blind

[Lisamaria Martinez]

I saw this film about 2 years ago--maybe about a year and a half ago.
We watched it at work and had some great discussion around the whole
film. I think this would make a fabulous chapter project at a nearby
screening.

LM


On 10/27/12, Mary Willows <mwillows at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> FYI.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wilson, Joanne" <JWilson at nfb.org>
> To: <nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 7:24 AM
> Subject: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] The film entitled Going Blind
>
>
> Dear Affiliate and Chapter Presidents:
> Some of you have asked about a film that is being screened across the nation
>
> and may be appearing soon on your local public television station.  The film
>
> is entitled Going Blind.  It is the story of New Yorker Joe Lovett, who is
> also the film's director, as he loses more and more of his vision to
> glaucoma.  You have asked whether anyone on our national staff has seen the
>
> film and what our thoughts are, and how you should react to its screening in
>
> your area or on your local public television station.
> I, along with some other Federationists, have viewed this film.  It
> primarily focuses on the medical process of going blind, and in that respect
>
> it is an accurate portrayal of what many people who are losing vision
> experience.  Mr. Lovett is given little advice by the medical professionals
>
> who are trying to maintain his vision on how he will deal with its loss.
> Indeed, he tells us that he does not even realize how much vision he has
> lost until he visits a low vision therapist on the advice of someone other
> than his doctor.  Mr. Lovett interviews several blind individuals who are at
>
> various stages of coping with their blindness or vision loss, including an
> Iraq war veteran blinded by an explosion, an employee at The Seeing Eye, a
> young boy, and an art teacher who resumed her career after going blind and
> now works with students with multiple disabilities.  These individuals have
>
> adjusted to their blindness to widely varying degrees and have various
> things to say about their blindness and adjusting to it, some of which are
> easy to agree with and others which reflect typical misconceptions about
> blindness and blind people.
> The filmmaker has often invited medical professionals, persons who appeared
>
> in the film, and others to participate in panel discussions following the
> screenings.  Mr. Lovett has reached out to and met with officials of the
> Federation, including Dr. Maurer, and is more than willing to have us attend
>
> screenings and participate in these panel discussions.  The NFB of New York
>
> has even set up literature tables at some of these events.  I participated
> in one of these panel discussions in Washington, D.C., following the
> Congressional screening of the film that recently took place in one of the
> Capitol office buildings.  Other Federationists, including our D.C.
> president and Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives John Paré, were
> also present for this screening.  The discussion was productive, and people
>
> seemed to appreciate our perspective.  We therefore encourage those of you
> who are aware of a screening in your area to arrange to attend and, whether
>
> from a panel or from the audience, participate in the discussion that
> follows the film.
> As mentioned earlier, the film is currently being scheduled on public
> television stations throughout the country.  A current list of airings is
> located at
> http://www.goingblindmovie.com/broadcasts<http://visitor.benchmarkemail.com/c/l?u=19996F9&e=20ABAF&c=9144&t=0&l=2B31078&email=Kv2GGEdotY%2Ft0B6D2GdV55jGAA6rwhdP>.
>
> In some cities, events may be organized around these airings.  I encourage
> you to check the Web site
> www.goingblindmovie.com<http://www.goingblindmovie.com> to learn if events
> are scheduled in your area, and to contact the organizers of these events.
> Ask if your chapter or division can participate in the event in any way,
> including handing out literature or participating in a post-screening
> discussion.  We can use screenings of it as a vehicle for encouraging
> participation in the National Federation of the Blind, for promoting our
> positive philosophy of blindness, for balancing the medical perspective
> represented in the film and likely to be represented in discussions of the
> film, for discussing discrimination and other barriers faced by the blind,
> and for emphasizing the importance of good training in the nonvisual
> alternative techniques of blindness.
>
> Sincerely,
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>
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