[Nfbf-l] I hate this when the media takes advantage of a situation - Misconceptions

[Alan Dicey]

I hate this when the media takes advantage of a situation.  I'm glad now to 
see the other side of the coin.
The rest of the true story about "the deaf Belgium twins who decided on 
assisted suicide last year"!
With Best Regards,
Alan
Miami, Florida

Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 10:50 AM
Subject: PCB Misconceptions




As Paul Harvey used to say in that wonderful voice and manner of his,
"And now, the rest of the story". Here's a deeper look into the lives of
the deaf Belgium twins who decided on assisted suicide last year and why
they did it, but more to the point, it's a deeper look into our media
and the lengths they go to in order to sensationalize and twist the
emotions of those they communicate to.

There's a reason our forefathers had what seems to be a redundant phrase
in the oath of testimony when a witness is sworn in to testify in court.
That phrase is "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth so help you God?" One can tell the truth and add
lies. One can even tell the whole truth and embellish it with lies. But
if one tells nothing but the truth, there is no room for lies. When the
media reports a story, why don't they adhere to the oath of testimony?

"And now, the rest of the story;"
The article is copied and pasted into this message, or you can go to the web 
site at:
http://dbtt.org/misconceptions-and-myths-dont-belong-here/


In mid-December 2012 a news story got around the world all the way to the 
United States from Belgium. This news story made people all over the world 
shudder and wonder what was happening in Belgium. The disabled communities 
in America, especially the DeafBlind, were mostly outraged and saddened by 
the news. There were a lot of questions asked but not much knowledge with 
which to answer them. The news flash was about Belgian twins who were 
euthanized because they were deaf and going blind from glaucoma, which was 
not the main reason for the action. Yes, the twins requested assistance with 
euthanasia and it was granted after a two year period of seeking what is 
known in layman's terms as assisted suicide.

Now you may be wondering what exactly is the problem here? Did not the twins 
do this legally? Yes, they did. Weren't they aware of the consequences that 
this would cause? They may have been as a family member seemed to indicate 
they knew. Well, what is the problem? If this was done legally and the twins 
seemed to be aware of the consequences, why the big fuss?

My friends, the problem with this lies in the very fact that the Belgian 
media took advantage of this news and reported that the twins were in no 
physical pain nor suffering from a terminal illness. Both of these facts are 
incorrect. The twins were both in a lot of pain and one had a serious heart 
disease. The other had a spinal disease and could hardly walk. There was 
also a respiratory problem where the affected twin could not breathe good 
and had to sleep from a sitting position. Neither twin was able to get 
relief from pain with medications because medicine did not work. However, 
the media, Belgian and other media outlets, upon initial reports chose to 
focus on one aspect of the twins' decision to seek euthanasia and that 
aspect was the issue of 'deaf and going blind'.

By focusing on the 'deaf and going blind' aspect the media gives the 
impression that DeafBlind individuals around the world should be treated as 
second or third rate citizens. This impression only comes from a big 
misconception that people with a dual hearing and vision loss are not 
capable of doing things that may require both hearing and sight. This 
misconception is also a false myth. Many DeafBlind individuals, including 
myself, are indeed first rate citizens in that we live a productive and 
successful life. We are just as robust as our hearing and sighted peers. We 
have abilities to perform tasks that those with hearing and sight believe we 
should not even attempt to do. We get these abilities from a desire to do 
what we know we CAN DO and the name of this 'CAN DO' attitude is CAPABILITY!

Why was the media apparently taking advantage of this news and attempting to 
make it sound like the Belgian twins were focused on euthanasia because they 
were 'deaf and going blind'? One concept is that the media believed the 
twins could not bear to lose communication with or even not be able to see 
each other with the possibility of becoming full blind. This concept is 
based on the twins' feelings and may not have been based on the ability of 
the twins learning to communicate through tactile sign language, learning 
Braille, or obtaining support from other individuals who are DeafBlind. 
Perhaps the twins were not aware of resources that could help them cope and 
learn. Perhaps the media is not even aware of how DeafBlind individuals are 
able to function.

These twins were 45 years old and had been born deaf. They had adapted to 
being deaf, learning how to cope and function. Thus the deaf issue is moot 
here. The issue of going blind was perhaps the most difficult issue the 
twins had to face other than the physical pain and disease they were already 
experiencing. People have the belief, a belief that may have been spurred by 
the media, that the twins were scared of facing the world without sight as 
the main reason for pursuing euthanasia. Their brother, the family member 
mentioned earlier in the beginning of this article, indicates the twins 
pursued euthanasia because of the pain and suffering they had based on the 
other factors of their health. This was a personal decision on the twins' 
part and we may never know just how much influence on their decision the 
going blind part had.

The media, when reporting matters or actions of someone's life, should show 
more compassion, when it comes to basing their information on facts. They 
should not report something just for an advantage. And if they do not have 
proper information, simply don't report it at the time.

DeafBlind individuals are intelligent human beings and know how to deal with 
their own lives. They can gain a lot of support through social media, 
support groups, and government agencies such as certain service agencies 
that can help them with their needs. However, the public should become more 
aware of who we, the DeafBlind, truly are and what we can do. Public 
Awareness of DeafBlind people will open thousands of doors for both the 
public and DeafBlind individuals.

It is time for change, time for any country, whether it be somewhere in 
Europe, Asia, the Americas, or even Iceland to grasp the idea that there are 
misconceptions and myths about the DeafBlind. Time for governments at every 
level to realize that DeafBlind individuals exist and have capabilities that 
can be put into focus and used in ways that will help a lot of people become 
aware of what DeafBlind individuals can do.

The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed in this article are those of 
the author. DBTT is a social platform of diverse opinions and thoughtful 
discussions, and thus, articles do not reflect an official position by DBTT.

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