[Nfbf-l] [NFBF-l] Letter Opposing Dining in the Dark

Sun Oct 14 20:24:52 UTC 2018

Hi Brian thanks for your message. I am glad that you and Kathy were able to provide this advice to the other guests at the event. I am sure your advice was greatly apprecitate.

On Oct 14, 2018 1:12 AM, Brian Norton via Nfbf-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> I have not previously attended a Dining in the Dark event. However, 
> when my friend Kathy Davis informed me that our local Center for the 
> Visually Impaired recently had its annual rent increased by the present 
> Tallahassee administration and DBS from its previous nominal annual 
> lease charge to an increased rent of $50,000 I had no alternative 
> except to help. My personal experience that dinner evening with the 
> many sighted persons attending was best described by empathy, rather 
> than sympathy or fear. Kathy and I discussed to our table-mates the 
> challenges of eating out in restaurants and showed them some training 
> tips which made the whole experience pleasant and often humorous. The 
> woman sitting next to me initially showed anxiety and fear, but I held 
> her hand and discussed my emotional distress upon becoming blind in my 
> middle age. I explained that my fears disappeared as I gained adaptive 
> knowledge from workers at places similar to the CVI. I explained that 
> such learning is provided by CVI free to all blind persons, and 
> alternative state agency training was unfortunately insufficient. Chris 
> Dixon spoke confidently of his traumatic teenage accident which stole 
> his vision at 16 years old, the resulting emotional distress, and his 
> wonderful emergence    from  self pity and dependence into a successful 
> educated professional.
> The Center for the Visually Impaired   through Dining in the Dark 
> donations raised thousands of dollars to keep its doors open for blind 
> adaptive and accessible training without charge to students of all ages.
> I believe the hundreds of dinner guests realized that blind persons can 
> be confident and successful at more than just eating in the dark, and 
> that contributing to educational centers for blind motivated 
> individuals is a noble form of charity. It is wrong to assume that 
> persons donate time and money out of pity rather than kindness, 
> compassion, and love of others. Blind persons receive many special 
> social, economic, and political benefits. I do not believe that 
> receiving these special services   make blind persons the object of 
> pity. White Cane laws, favored social security disability status, the 
> state agency DBS, and even favored treatment to Guide dog users do not 
> necessarily interfere with a blind person’s motivation and self-image. 
> Taking advantage of these favored status benefits assist blind persons 
> to more fully enjoy life independently in spite of their physical 
> impairments. I never felt any pity from contributors at the recent CVI 
> Dining in the Dark event. To the contrary, the various sighted guests 
> were amazed to realize that I was totally blind. They were very 
> interested in my story of adapting my life successfully to the 
> challenges of losing my vision,while    still retaining my positive 
> self image, motivation, and humor. Blindness does not define me, and 
> every day is a new adventure. , .
>
> Brian Norton, J.D.
> NFB Greater Daytona Beach President
> Florida NFB Deaf Blind Vice President
> NFB National DB Division Board Member
>
> Original message:
> > Kathy this is well written. You have been blessed and in turn have 
> > helped many blind people in your community and beyond. There are many 
> > ways of teaching people about blindness that are you effective. Thank you.
> > Marilyn Baldwin
>
> > Sent from my iPad
>
> >> On Oct 11, 2018, at 3:48 PM, Kathy Davis via Nfbf-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> >> Beautifully stated Brook! I totally concur with you! I have raised 3 
> >> sighted children as a blind mother, worked for 30 years as a counselor 
> >> and teacher at Daytona State College, founded the Center for the 
> >> Visually Impaired, carved out a new life for myself after my beloved 
> >> husband was called home to the Lord, engaged in a myriad of community 
> >> activities, lived alone for almost 15 years now, graduated from the 
> >> Louisiana Center for the Blind in my sixties and on and on. By no means 
> >> do I consider myself a victim but instead strive to be an example to 
> >> others who have recently lost their sight or were not blessed with 
> >> parents like I had who made me believe I could do most anything. Sure, 
> >> there are things I truly wish I could do like drive a car, see my 
> >> children and grandchildren's faces, enjoy photographs like was once the 
> >> case but then most of us have some sort of disability or challenge that 
> >> make some things not doable.
> >> I am all about dining in the dark events and have chaired two of them 
> >> for the Center for the Visually Impaired, a wonderful agency I founded 
> >> back in the late eighties. Although our guest all dine in complete 
> >> darkness, I am able to address the guests when the lights come on once 
> >> more. At that time, I stress the fact that blindness doesn't have to 
> >> hold us back from achieving most of our hopes and dreams once we learn 
> >> the crucial skills of blindness. Our guests learn a whole lot from the 
> >> event and so much interest is stimulated about the worth of the Center 
> >> for the Visually Impaired. Many want to observe the training activities 
> >> we provide and make a donation to support our mission. No, I do not 
> >> feel like a victim. Instead, with God's help and guidance from the NFB 
> >> and CVI as well as the Louisiana Center for the Blind, I am able to 
> >> lead a very active and productive life. I particularly enjoy reaching 
> >> out to other blind and visually impaired folks who need my guidance and 
> >> support.
>
> >> With warmest regards,
>
> >> Kathy Davis
>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Nfbf-l [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of PLipovsky 
> >> via Nfbf-l
> >> Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2018 2:11 PM
> >> To: 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'
> >> Cc: PLipovsky
> >> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Letter Opposing Dining in the Dark
>
> >> Wow Brook, that was excellently stated.
>
> >> I too love that little jem of a quote, "be yourself, everyone else is 
> >> already taken".
>
> >> I personally have never thought of myself as a victim, but someone who 
> >> can do what she wans, when she wants.  I've never let anyone tell me I 
> >> couldn't do anything, although I know as a person living with vision 
> >> loss there are definitely limitations.  For instance, I'll never be a 
> >> brain surgeon, but then this also applies to a whole bunch of other 
> >> folks sighted or not.
>
> >> Anyway, just adding my two sense.  Hope you are doing well.
>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: NFBF-l <nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Brooke Evans via Nfbf-l
> >> Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2018 11:55 AM
> >> To: nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> >> Cc: Brooke Evans <brooke6358 at aol.com>; nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> >> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Letter Opposing Dining in the Dark
>
> >> Bah humbug!  I say.
>
> >> I have read every word posted on the dining in the dark opinions, which 
> >> are not always in sync with all people at any given time.
>
> >> Briefly, I support any activity I can use as a tool to enhance my life 
> >> not only as a blind, low vision person but a blind profoundly hard of 
> >> hearing person diagnosed as  deaf blind.
>
> >> What I hear throughout all I read has been the blind are still 
> >> perpetuating the idea that we are a victim of society. I am not a 
> >> victim of society. As a blind woman with profound hearing loss I have 
> >> engaged in education about my own way of living life as I moved through 
> >> my life as a young child, student, wife, mother of four, grandmother, 
> >> great-grandmother, supporting a career military husband for 28 years, 
> >> working part time, full part time, whatever was needed to help the 
> >> family coppers and never ever thinking I was a victim of my own circumstances.
>
> >> Any event, such as dining in the dark, to me is an invaluable tool for  
> >> myself as well as four  others in my life  circles. I have attended for 
> >> dining in the dark events in the past 10 years and believe it or not, I 
> >> have learned more about my own self through these events which has 
> >> given me a wider perspective on blindness and how to communicate that 
> >> to my family, and people in the public square.
>
> >> Just giving  my humble opinion here which  was hugely   expanded when I 
> >> saw a “hashtag” gem of a    quote,  by one of our very own NFB Floridians.
>
> >> This nugget told me to* “be yourself. Everybody else is taken.”
>
> >>  This little Oscar Wilde gem tells me I am not a victim of the world I 
> >> see. I am walking through life as everyone else walks through life... 
> >> experiencing and lending my understanding to those whom I meet along my 
> >> journey, and this includes events such as dining in the dark.
>
> >> I appreciate the psychological data and what it takes to build data but 
> >> we are no longer  avictim of anything but ourselves. Take a look at 
> >> what we have accomplished in nearly 80 years of advocacy, tough  
> >> advocacy, breaking down all manner of  barriers. The list is long. This 
> >> is now 2018 and for me all that has gone before me has helped me to 
> >> come into this moment of wisdom.
>
> >> Thank you for listening.
>
> >> Brooke Evans
>
> >> Ask yourself: “do I dare shake up the universe?”     ~T.S. Eliot
>
> >> Begin forwarded message:
>
> >> From: Marion Gwizdala via NFBF-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> >> Date: October 10, 2018 at 8:06:13 PM EDT
> >> To: "NFB of Florida Tampa Chapter List" <nfbf-tampa at nfbnet.org>, "NFB 
> >> of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> >> Cc: Marion Gwizdala <marion.gwizdala at verizon.net>
> >> Subject: [Nfbf-l] Letter Opposing Dining in the Dark
> >> Reply-To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
>
> >> Dear Florida Federation Family,
>
> >>               A week or so ago, I sent a message to these lists 
> >> concerning Dining in the Dark fund raising events. These messages were 
> >> triggered by a Tampa Bay chapter member who, in spite of knowing the 
> >> National Federation of the Blind's opposition to such events, announced 
> >> one being hosted by the Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind. I understand 
> >> another community rehabilitation program (CRP) is hosting such an 
> >> event. As per my previous message, it is the policy of the NFB to voice 
> >> our opposition to such events when we learn of them and to encourage 
> >> those conducting them to reconsider an event that only serves to 
> >> reinforce the negative stereotypes of blindness and demean the blind 
> >> they purport to serve.
>
> >>               As the president of the National Association of Guide Dog 
> >> Users and with the encouragement of President Riccobono, I have written 
> >> the message below with the unanimous consent of the NAGDU board of 
> >> directors. I encourage you to read this message, along with the 
> >> supporting supplemental information accompanying it so you are better 
> >> educated about our rationale for opposing these sort of events.
>
> >> Fraternally yours,
>
> >> Marion Gwizdala
>
> >> From: president at nagdu.org [mailto:president at nagdu.org]
> >> Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2018 4:00 PM
> >> To: 'cbenninger at guidedogs.com'
> >> Cc: board at nagdu.org; officeofthepresident at nfb.org
> >> Subject: Concerning Canine Heroes Auction
> >> Importance: High
>
>
>
> >> Dear Ms. Benninger,
>
> >> Via Email: CBenninger at guidedogs.com
>
> >>           I am writing on behalf of the National Association of Guide 
> >> Dog Users (NAGDU), a division of the National Federation of the Blind 
> >> (NFB), concerning Guide Dogs for the Blind's intention to use a 
> >> blindness simulation episode during its upcoming Canine Heroes Auction. 
> >> Though the National Federation of the Blind is a proponent of the use 
> >> of learning shades - sometimes referred to as "sleep shades" - to 
> >> effectively train individuals in the techniques of blindness, we object 
> >> to the use of simulation as a fund raising technique. Whether intended 
> >> or not, simulation exercises tend to invoke fear and pity in the 
> >> participants, compromising the goals of the National Federation of the 
> >> Blind and, I would hope, those of guide dogs for the Blind.
>
> >>           Placing a blindfold on a sighted person does not help the 
> >> person understand what it is like to be blind; rather, such simulations 
> >> only serve to reinforce the negative stereotypes and misconceptions 
> >> that compromise our ability to fully participate in our community as we 
> >> strive to live the lives we want. This is not only the opinion of the 
> >> National Federation of the Blind; it is also the conclusions of 
> >> research in simulation exercises conducted by social psychologists. A 
> >> blindfolded sighted person will not encounter a waitress asking their 
> >> 5-year-old what her father wants to drink, strangers grabbing and 
> >> pushing the blind person where the well-meaning individual thinks they 
> >> are wanting to go, A doctor asking the blind person who bathes them, or 
> >> the condescending comments of pity offered by the public, all incidents 
> >> I and nearly every other blind person have experienced.
>
> >>           We realize the importance of raising funds to continue the 
> >> work of Guide Dogs for the Blind; however, we object to the 
> >> exploitation of the fear of blindness and the demeaning of the blind as 
> >> the tool for raising those funds. We believe the Canine Heroes Auction 
> >> would be just as successful without the simulation episode and urge 
> >> Guide Dogs for the Blind to publicly join the National Association of 
> >> Guide Dog Users and the National Federation of the Blind by condemning 
> >> and opposing the use of simulation exercises as a fund raising technique.
>
> >>           For your information, I have attached the text of Resolution
> >> 2012-04 condemning the use of simulation exercises as a fund raising event.
> >> I am also including below links to two articles which recently appeared 
> >> in the Braille Monitor, the monthly publication of the National 
> >> Federation of the Blind. One of these articles is written by Mark 
> >> Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind, and the 
> >> second by Dr. Ariel Silverman, a Social Psychologist.
>
> >> Walking a Mile: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Simulations by Mark Riccobono
>
> >> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1704/bm170402.htm
>
> >> Disability Simulations: What Does the Research Say?
>
> >> By Ariel Silverman, Ph.D.
>
> >> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm17/bm1706/bm170602.htm
>
> >>           In closing, I would like to share the spontaneous, 
> >> unsolicited impressions of an executive with a major airline after 
> >> attending two simulation events. "It struck me as not a realistic 
> >> simulation of what it must be like for a blind person to eat a 
> >> meal.After having done the exercise twice, I have learned a few of the 
> >> techniques that a person might use to eat their dinner, but I have no 
> >> illusions that it taught me much at all about the overall experience or 
> >> skills required in life.  Unfortunately, I'm sure that a large number 
> >> of people who left the exercises think they learned more than they really did.
>
> >> With kind regards,
>
> >> Marion Gwizdala, President
>
> >> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)
>
> >> National Federation of the Blind
>
> >> (813) 626-2789
>
> >> President at NAGDU.ORG
>
> >> Visit our website <http://nagdu.org/>
>
> >> Follow us on Twitter <http://twitter.com/nagdu>
>
> >> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the 
> >> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise 
> >> expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind  
> >> people and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not 
> >> what holds you back.
>
>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Nfbf-l mailing list
> >> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/brooke6358%40aol.com
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Nfbf-l mailing list
> >> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/plipovsky%40cfl.rr.com
>
> >> ---
> >> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> >> https://www.avg.com
>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Nfbf-l mailing list
> >> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/kdavisnfbf%40cfl.rr.com
>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Nfbf-l mailing list
> >> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/commmdb%40aol.com
>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Nfbf-l mailing list
> > Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/benorton%40samobile.net
> _______________________________________________
> Nfbf-l mailing list
> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/rbacchus228%40gmail.com