[nfbmi-talk] Meet the Blind Month Activities for averysmallchapter?
joe harcz Comcast
joeharcz at comcast.net
Fri Sep 10 13:35:51 UTC 2010
One of the things that struck me very hard and in a good way about promotion
of Braille in daily lives was when I was on the CIC and pushed a motion over
raised character and Braille signage. I think, you Donna were on the CIC
then.
anyway Brunhelde Merc-Adams wisely pointed out that she heard that young
blind folks often said, "Why learn Braille for we don't see (or feel
it...smile) anywhere."
In other words until it is open and in the environment it often isn't
practical.
The point was not lost back there in 2002 or 2003 and everyone whether NFB
or ACB or whatever voted unanimously for the motion.
Sometimes things like this boil down to the very simple and to things as
mundane as a simple sign, and even a simple room number.
Sometimes it boils down to the fact that denials of these simple
accommodations by state agencies rise to the level of a civil rights
violation and mass acts of discrimination.
I must also add that for many Braille is the most effective alternate format
to recieve printed information.
And of course thrugh hopefully knoledge and even wisdom.
The failure to produce upon demand dooms us to a world of ignorance. And if
agencies for the blind cannot even accomodate requests for information via
simple e-mail then how can they produce Braille in a timely manner?
The answer is obvious and the question is, of course rhetorical.
But, this colleagues is why I'm so danged strident on these issues.
This, ultimately is the perfidy of MCB and Director Cannon too.
For rather than aiding us in our liberation and quest for information,
knoledge and wisdom even when it comes to simple signs on or about a door on
a room he continues to trully blind us to othe world around us.
Now, I'll say this to all my Braille skills are not the best, for I lost my
sight slowly and over time due to RP. But, I sure in the heck can and do use
it daily in labeling and can and do use it to read simple room signs, of
course where they exist in the first place!
The reason they are required is obvious and that is because they link
accessable information with wayfinding in the built environment.
I was talking with an ADA coordinator about this just yesterday. He knew the
simple fact that as a sighted person his very room wasn't labeled then no
one would find him and no one could access his services.
Sadly such logic is lost on the master of dillusion, and the most egregious
violator of the ADA, Pat Cannon.
Of course he has no Braille or other skills and isis dependent on his state
funded assistants for everything on our collective taxpayer's nickels.
One need only ask the simple question, "What is wrong with this picture?" to
get to the bottomline here.
Neither Braille nor any other medium for that matter of deliverying
information will be made available to the blind or promoted in real terms so
long as this true "Uncle Tom" continues his reign of terror against, not
just we the organized blind, but all people who are blind.
The perfidy over time is so immense; the damage so large; that it is simply
mind boggling and incalcuable.
Finally, it strikes me as deeply sad, though I value the efforts here that
individuals like you, Donna and JJ have to fight a sort of guerella war to
simply eexpose folks to Braille.
This is certainly not a knock on you or JJ or anyone in these regards. In
fact I applaud all efforts like this. Please understand that, I really do
appreciate and applaud all efforts great and small.
This said why are not institutions following the requirements we all have
fought for in these regards?
Without institutional compliance with long standing laws from the ADA
through Section 504 through IDEA and so on and so forth there is no true
change; no true liberation; no true reality of a blind community that is and
acts with informed consent in all of our individual and collective affairs.
And we all are or become ignorant in the strictest sense of that word, but
not by our own devices, but, rather by the design of puppet masters who
violate our civil rights.
Puppet masters wish for us to be divided, confused, uninformed and ignorant.
They hold in there hands access to the printed word and not unlike book
burning Nazis they deny accessible information to us for a reason. That is
to keep us again ignorant and thus to keep us like some sort of chattel or
sheep.
We re not people with dreams, hopes and aspirations to these paternalistic
types. We are just a sort of quota to recieve some federal funds and to keep
the machinery that pays the bills of bureucrats going.
Time, my colleagues, is not on our side. The new fiscal year budget for the
State of Michigan is fast approaching and last year to us has not only not
been reconciled but has not even been deliverrred to us in accessable (or
for that matter inaccessible) form.
This of course is monstrous. And now the ship of state is sinking fast and
we don't even have a tea cup to drain the water.
That was taken away a long time ago by Patrick D. Cannon.
Before folks think again I'm too strident let me notify all that the denial
of accessable information including Braille of course is akin to blinding
one in the first place and, even more appropriately as an allusion is akin
to chopping ones hand off so that one cannot read, be informed and become
wise enough to act upon the information.
Sadly, in history, and not to be hyperbolic, the gas chamber itself isn't
far behind when these events occur, if one reads his or her history, (if it
is accessible to read in the first place), then one would know what is in
store ultimately when we, the blind become in the eyes of those who exclude
us "useless eaters".
Oh yes they want us ignorant, uniformed, and pliable. The system wishes for
us to exist only so long as they can make a buck on us.
It is time to break out of the mold created for us and to become trully
liberated.
Today is the day for true revolution.
And it starts, inmy mind with basic delivery of information including simple
things like "draft minutes" via e-mail and simple things such as Braille
signs on state rooms for crying out loud.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donna Posont" <donnabutterfly50 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 8:28 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Meet the Blind Month Activities for
averysmallchapter?
> Along with writing the names in braille in the classroom I have taken
> braille alphabet cards and handed the name cards out and let them figure
> out whose name is on the card. I have played games with m and m's or
> skiddles or dots and let them write their own names in braille. You could
> use a twin vision book and show them how you read with braille. The idea
> is to take the fear and mystery out of blindness and just talk to them
> about how you do things as a blind person.
> Also yu could set up a table at a cider mill or craft fair and hand out
> literature about blindness and offer to write names in braille. Be sure
> and contact the national office soon to obtain materials in plenty of
> time. Have fun!
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "J.J. Meddaugh" <jj at bestmidi.com>
> To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 8:32 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Meet the Blind Month Activities for a
> verysmallchapter?
>
>
>> You could find a local school and do a presentation or demo on blindness,
>> braille, etc.
>> Only cost would be perhaps some braille paper to write kids' names, etc.
>>
>> J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
>> A premier licensed Code Factory, Sendero, KNFB Reader, and iBill
>> distributor
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "trising" <trising at sbcglobal.net>
>> To: "NFBofMichigan List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 6:13 PM
>> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Meet the Blind Month Activities for a very
>> smallchapter?
>>
>>
>>> Our Ann Arbor chapter is averaging four to five members per meeting,
>>> including Nick and I. We have had two meetings so far, with our
>>> third scheduled for this Saturday. I would like to have us do a Meet the
>>> Blind activity in October. I have never actually been a
>>> part of a local chapter before, and now I am running a local chapter!
>>> What are some meet the blind month activities that work well
>>> for a fledgling chapter with essentially no treasury?
>>> Terri Wilcox
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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