[Nfbf-l] Blind Couple's Baby Returned Kansas City, MO

Thu Jul 22 14:31:19 UTC 2010

RJ,

Has your sister been around very many blind peiople?  When people have this 
type of attitude, its usually because of negative experiences they've had in 
the past with a few, hence, generalizing, if a few people are a certain way, 
then everyone must be the same.

I personally have raised three childen, and witht the help of things like 
gates, bells on their shoes, etc., really didn't experience any 
extraordinary proglems that any other sighted parents would have 
experienced.  Of course, as a blind parent, you need to be more on your 
toes, and pay really close attention at all times, but other then that, I 
personally really don't see a problwem.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 10:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Blind Couple's Baby Returned Kansas City, MO

>I am not supprised. She tells me I need to face reality, that It is
>impossible for blind people to have kids, and she hates the NFB, she
>likened the NFB to the NAACP. You can't tell her anything! She believes If
>a blind person got a job, it was because some one felt sorry for them! RJ
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim Ellsworth" <jellsworth1 at tampabay.rr.com>
> To: "'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 9:53 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Blind Couple's Baby Returned Kansas City, MO
>
>
>> RJ,
>>
>> That is a very general statement from your sister with no reasons given
>> as
>> to why she feels that way.  Can you provide specifics as to why she has
>> that
>> opinion?
>>
>> There are sighted parents of blind children, blind parents of sighted
>> children and yes, even blind parents raising blind children.  My wife and
>> I
>> are both blind and raising children and in fact I have two daughters who
>> are
>> both sighted and are now grown.  They survived quite nicely and would be
>> the
>> first to tell you that it is very possible for blind people to have and
>> raise children.  They know from first hand experience.  You and your
>> sister
>> would be surprised just how much blind people can do and do it extremely
>> well.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Jim Ellsworth
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of RJ Sandefur
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 7:36 PM
>> To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Blind Couple's Baby Returned Kansas City, MO
>>
>> My sister believes Blind people have no biziness raising children, and
>> that
>> the state has the responiblity to keep children safe! RJ
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Lenora J. Marten" <bluegolfshoes at aol.com>
>> To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 6:34 PM
>> Subject: [Nfbf-l] Blind Couple's Baby Returned Kansas City, MO
>>
>>
>>>
>>> For those of you who heard about this story in Dallas.... here is an
>>> update.
>>> Lenora
>>>
>>>
>>> Visually Impaired Couple Wins Baby Back From State
>>> Erika Johnson, Blake Sinnett Were Reported To Children's Services
>>>
>>> POSTED: 9:02 pm CDT July 20, 2010
>>> UPDATED: 10:55 am CDT July 21, 2010
>>>
>>> KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A couple says ignorance about their blindness
>>> resulted
>>
>>> in their daughter being taken away by the state.
>>> Erika Johnson and Blake Sinnett were reunited with their 2-month-old
>>> baby,
>>
>>> named Mikaela, on Tuesday. Erika Johnson told KMBC's Peggy Breit it
>>> started just after Mikaela was born, when Erika was breastfeeding the
>>> baby
>>
>>> and a nurse became concerned.
>>> "Well, at first I was pretty shocked," Johnson said. "She said because I
>>> said, 'Is she OK?' She said, 'No.' She was beginning to turn blue, but,
>>> you know, it's OK, it could happen to anybody."
>>> Johnson and Sinnett kept tending to their child unaware that someone had
>>> called children's services. That night, a social services agent came to
>>> see them.
>>> "Her concern was because we were blind, we weren't going to be able to
>>> adequately care for Mikaela," Johnson said.
>>> The agent first suggested that the couple get 24-7 sighted care to help
>>> at
>>
>>> home. When they could not make that happen, Mikaela was taken away.
>>> It was through the Federation of the Blind that Johnson and Sinnett
>>> found
>>> attorney Amy Coopman.
>>> "Any parent out there (blind or not), you have a constitutional right to
>>> that relationship with your child. That has been violated here. They're
>>> not going to get that time back," Coopman said.
>>> Breit reported that the couple's first battle is over -- the state
>>> dropped
>>
>>> its petition and brought Mikaela home.
>>> "Well, I'm very happy and grateful that she is finally back in our care
>>> again," Sinnett said.
>>> The couple said that they want to make sure that no other visually
>>> impaired Missourian goes through what they have.
>>> "The most challenging thing, I think we're going to have to face, is the
>>> ignorance of other people -- the assumption that because we are blind or
>>> visually impaired that we can't take care of our child," Johnson said.
>>> Centerpoint Medical Center issued the following statement: "Centerpoint
>>> Medical Center is committed to providing the very best patient care for
>>> our expectant mothers and newborn babies. While patient privacy laws
>>> prevent us from commenting on these specific allegations, the health and
>>> safety of all our patients is very important to us."
>>>
>>>
>>> Copyright 2010 by KMBC.com. All rights reserved. This material may not
>>> be
>>> published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Lenora
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>>
>>
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