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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>One thing that gets me is when I tell people I am totally blind and their response is I’m sorry! In some cases I comment back, sorry for what? I have a wonderful wife, I have a full time job, able to travel, we are buying our home ETC! Then I follow this up with I love my life!!!!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Steve Cook<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Association of Guide Dog Users Board Member<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the National Federation of the Blind of SC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President of the SC Association of Guide Dog Users Division of the NFB of SC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>1<sup>st</sup> Vice President of the Columbia chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of SC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina now has our own podcast. Using your favorite podcast platform, just search for National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina. If you have suggestions for the podcast, please send Steve Cook a message at <a href="mailto:cookcafe@sc.rr.com">cookcafe@sc.rr.com</a> or call/Text at 803 260 1292. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> NFBF-L <nfbf-l-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>flmom2006--- via NFBF-L<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, September 6, 2023 12:33 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List' <nfbf-l@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> flmom2006@gmail.com<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [NFBF-L] Strange Stuff<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>That’s a great story JD. I needed the laugh! Thanks.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> NFBF-L <nfbf-l-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>JD Townsend via NFBF-L<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, September 2, 2023 6:20 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List' <nfbf-l@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> 1587@BELLSOUTH.net<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [NFBF-L] Strange Stuff<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>These stories make me smile, a little sad smile, but it is there.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Living in New York City I rode the subway to work and other places. One day entering a subway care with my dog guide, Abbey, a woman jumped up and ran out of the car screaming, “Blind Dog!”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>JD<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> NFBF-L <<a href="mailto:nfbf-l-bounces@nfbnet.org">nfbf-l-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Camille Tate via NFBF-L<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, September 1, 2023 6:50 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List' <<a href="mailto:nfbf-l@nfbnet.org">nfbf-l@nfbnet.org</a>>; 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <<a href="mailto:blindtlk@nfbnet.org">blindtlk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> Camille Tate <<a href="mailto:ctate2076@att.net">ctate2076@att.net</a>>; 'NFB Talk Mailing List' <<a href="mailto:nfb-talk@nfbnet.org">nfb-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [NFBF-L] Strange Stuff<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Mark: <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I laughed so hard when I read this! Here is another funny for you and everyone else. One of my former neighbors has three children. Her oldest, a girl who is now 17, was fascinated meeting a blind person who lived on their own. She had never met a blind person before. One day she was trying to hide from me on the stairs as I was leaving to go out. I told her to move and she started laughing. She told all the other kids in the building I found her by using my echo location stick. Can you believe it?! I have never heard the cane called an echo location stick before! Of course, we then had to take a walk in the neighborhood so she truly understood how I used O&M skills to navigate, but every once in a while she jokingly called my cane an echo location stick. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Sincerely, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Camille Tate <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>2<sup>nd</sup> Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Florida <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President, Melbourne Space Coast Chapter, National Federation of the Blind of Florida <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: 321 372 4899 <o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> NFBF-L <<a href="mailto:nfbf-l-bounces@nfbnet.org">nfbf-l-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Mark Tardif via NFBF-L<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, September 1, 2023 6:25 PM<br><b>To:</b> Blind Talk Mailing List <<a href="mailto:blindtlk@nfbnet.org">blindtlk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> Mark Tardif <<a href="mailto:markspark@roadrunner.com">markspark@roadrunner.com</a>>; NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nfbf-l@nfbnet.org">nfbf-l@nfbnet.org</a>>; NFB Talk Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nfb-talk@nfbnet.org">nfb-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> [NFBF-L] Strange Stuff<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Alright, friends. I’m going to tell you something that will either leave you laughing or crying, and it is to demonstrate that no matter how well educated you are, if you are not familiar with blindness, well, you can still come across as, to put it politely, not the brightest light in the room. The other day I saw a doctor I had never met before. He had never spoken with someone who was born blind, and I suspect he had never spoken with any blind person. Anyway, he saw my long white cane and, get this, asked if this was my “eye stick.” Yes, that was the term he actually used, “eye stick.” I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to just moan with sadness, but one does need to remember manners in this situation, so I told him that we call it a long white cane and told him what it was for. He actually asked a number of good questions about blindness, which I thought was good, but it was clear that he needed much educating. He seemed surprised I can actually walk around town independently. I guess we have a lot of work to do, still, to put it mildly. Also, I must say that while people up here are often extremely nice and courteous, they seem to pride themselves on being quite insular, even more than the rest of Maine, which is my state incidentally. I say that because along with the term “eye stick,” I’ve often heard some very strange and, frankly, primitive ideas that I won’t actually go into here, but I do often think that holds us back in a lot of ways. Anyway, I just thought I would share that bit of strangeness. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Mark Tardif <br>Nuclear arms will not hold you. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>