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

Fri Jul 23 00:27:24 UTC 2010

RJ, I feel sorry for your sister, but you are wise to pay her no mind. 

Your sister is right about one thing, though. You said, "...she likened the
NFB to the NAACP." Actually, there are some similarities. Both are primarily
advocacy and civil rights organizations. Both have been responsible for
positive changes for those they represent and for society as a whole. Both
are organization are made up of and governed by the people they represent
and advocate for. Neither are governmental agencies run by those who are not
representative of the respective organization's unique population. We make
no apologies for similarities between NFB and other properly organized and
operated, representative organizations.

I don't know your sister, and would not presume to judge her in any way. I
will only make the observation that people who harbor an uninformed
prejudice against one group, often harbor similar prejudices against others.

Dan 

"New ideas pass through three periods: (1) It can't be done. (2) It probably
can be done, but it's not worth doing. (3) I knew it was a good idea all
along!" 
                      - Arthur C. Clarke

> -----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 10:36 PM
> To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Blind Couple's Baby Returned Kansas City, MO
> 
> So, I just pay her no mind! 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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