[NFBNJ] Federation Action Needed: Challenging the Fear of Blindness

[joe ruffalo]

    Greetings to all!
Please read and share the following notice from President Riccobono.
Let’s get involved and make a difference!

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President 
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
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Subject: Federation Action Needed: Challenging the Fear of Blindness

Dear Federation Affiliate Members: 

 

Some of you have brought to my attention the social media campaign using the hashtag #HowEyeSeeIt

. The people using this hashtag are making videos of themselves attempting to do everyday tasks under blindfold with the misguided view that this experience will help them know what it is like to be blind. The motivation for the campaign is to raise funding to eliminate blindness. We in the National Federation of the Blind know that blindness doesn’t hold us back. We also know that living with blindness requires learning the techniques blind people use to do everyday tasks without vision. We are not opposed to medical research, but the way to generate interest in medical research is not by further spreading the fear of blindness and strengthening misconceptions about the lived experience of blind people. 

 

The current videos being circulated with the #HowEyeSeeIt campaign are perpetuating the idea that blindness is something to be feared and that blind people adhere to low expectations. Some of the tasks people are encouraged to do in this campaign are having a friend give them an unidentified amount of cash and then, under blindfold, attempting to pay for a meal with this money. Another particularly outrageous example is people are asked to attempt to take care of your child for one minute while blindfolded. At a time when we have launched new efforts for blind parents who have their children take away because of misconceptions about blindness, this is dangerous and offensive. These examples and the dozens of others used in the campaign rely on the notion that vision is a requirement for success, but we know the truth—blindness does not define us or our future.

 

It is critical that we now join together to combat this harmful campaign. I urge all Federation leaders to lead by example and to encourage the members of the Federation in your state to join with me in changing the perception that blindness is something to be feared and that significantly limits our lives. Now is the time to turn our fear into power and that power into action. We have the opportunity to demonstrate how we live the lives we want as blind people in a commanding way. All you have to do is:

1.    Make a video of yourself accomplishing an everyday task as a blind person. For example, show how you dance, sing, exercise, care for your children, go to school or work, play sports, manage your finances, travel, participate in social events, enjoy your hobbies—in short, take a video of yourself living the life you want.

2.    At the end of your video, say that you’re a proud member of the National Federation of the Blind, and tag three friends or family members to keep the trend going. You can also urge your audience to make a donation to the NFB.

3.    Upload your video to social media using the hashtag #HowEyeSeeIt. Make sure to link to our website, www.nfb.org, and tag the NFB in your Tweet, Facebook, or Instagram post. If the people you mentioned in your video are on social media, be sure to tag them too. 

 


Together, we can show the world that blindness is not what holds us back by demonstrating how we live the lives we want. We’ve published a blog, “Challenging the Fear of Blindness,” that I encourage you to share. Please be sure to share with me other ideas you have about how we take this opportunity to demonstrate the truth about blindness. Send me an email with your ideas to officeofthepresident at nfb.org. Please provide me with updates on how the effort is moving forward in your affiliate and how I can help.

 

Let us work together with love, hope, and determination to erase the fear of blindness and raise expectations.

 

Mark A. Riccobono, President

National Federation of the Blind

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place

Baltimore, Maryland 21230

Phone: (410) 659-9314

Fax: (410) 659-5129

Email: officeofthepresident at nfb.org

Twitter: @Riccobono and @NFB_Voice

Web: www.nfb.org

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

 
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