[nfbwatlk] fw: Safe not sighted

[Kaye Kipp]

I read that story.  It was good.

Kaye
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 2:09 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] fw: Safe not sighted


> Maureen Pranghofer uses a wheelchair and went thru BLIND Inc. She wrote a 
> few Monitor articles; also, she had a story in the kernel book "Toothpaste 
> and Railroad Tracks".
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joanne Laurent" <joanne at blindcoach.com>
> To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 1:37 PM
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] fw: Safe not sighted
>
>
>>
>> Below is a forwarded email I read on the O&M listserv seeking support for
>> blind wheelchair users in the UK:
>>
>> Freedom is a fundamental human right but the UK government is threatening 
>> to
>> take it away from blind wheelchair users. Help protect our right to 
>> freedom.
>>
>> The Department for Transport is consulting on proposed changes to the 
>> UK's
>> laws covering powered mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. One of 
>> the
>> proposals is to introduce a fitness to drive test including an eyesight
>> test. Imposing a vision requirement would have appalling consequences for
>> those of us who are blind and need to use a wheelchair; it would strip us 
>> of
>> our right to freedom.
>>
>> With appropriate use of long canes, guide dogs and/or electronic obstacle
>> detectors, blind people can and do safely use powered mobility vehicles. 
>> The
>> assumption that good eyesight is necessary for the safe use of powered
>> scooters and wheelchairs is prejudice, discriminatory and utterly
>> unacceptable.
>>
>> I am blind and use a powered wheelchair, a long cane and an electronic
>> obstacle detector. I am able to independently and safely get out and 
>> about
>> in my local area. Being able to get around my house, go for a potter 
>> around
>> the village, pop to the mailbox or go to get a pint of milk from the 
>> village
>> shop are things that matter hugely to me. If the use of powered 
>> wheelchairs
>> were restricted to those with good eyesight, blind wheelchair users, such 
>> as
>> myself, would be trapped in our homes and robbed of our right to freedom.
>> That simply cannot be allowed to happen.
>>
>> Users of powered mobility vehicles need to drive safely; we do not need 
>> to
>> be sighted. That is the message we must get across to the Department of
>> Transport, the National Health Service, scooter and wheelchair suppliers,
>> the general public and the media. To do this, we need evidence and 
>> personal
>> testimonies.
>>
>> Wherever you live in the world, you can help. If you are a blind 
>> wheelchair
>> user, or if you have worked with any blind wheelchair users, please share
>> your experiences. Why is it important that blind people can get around
>> independently? Do you believe that blind people can safely and 
>> independently
>> use powered wheelchairs and scooters? If so, how? What are the 
>> techniques,
>> tools and skills that make this possible? How did you, or your students,
>> learn to use the powered wheelchair or scooter safely? Do you know of any
>> published research or practice reports that show that blind people can 
>> use
>> powered wheelchairs or scooters? The more evidence and testimony we can
>> gather from across the world, the better our chance of preventing the
>> Department for Transport from implementing this disgraceful plan.
>>
>> If you are able to share your experiences, I would appreciate it if you
>> could also let me know whether you are happy for me to pass it on to 
>> other
>> blind wheelchair users in the UK, quote excerpts from it on the Safe Not
>> Sighted campaign blog (http://www.safenotsighted.wordpress.com) and/or 
>> quote
>> excerpts from it in my response to the Department for Transport's
>> consultation. If you are happy for me to use your feedback in any of 
>> these
>> ways, please also let me know whether I may include your name or whether 
>> you
>> would prefer your comments to be anonymous.
>>
>> If you live in the UK, don't allow the Department of Transport to 
>> imprison
>> blind wheelchair users. Please respond to the consultation on proposed
>> changes to the laws governing powered mobility scooters and powered
>> wheelchairs (DFT 2010-10), by 28 May 2010, available online at
>> http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/2010-10/ and oppose the 
>> inclusion
>> of an eyesight test in the fitness to drive test. Tell them that we need 
>> to
>> be safe not sighted.
>>
>> Thank you in advance for your anticipated support of the freedom of blind
>> wheelchair users.
>>
>> Sasha Ayres
>>
>> Visit the Safe Not Sighted campaign blog at
>> http://www.safenotsighted.wordpress.com
>>
>>
>> Joanne Laurent
>> Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist
>> If you can't learn it, I'm not teaching it right!
>> <http://www.blindcoach.com/> www.blindcoach.com
>>
>> Highest Expectations Travel and Adaptive Skills Instruction for the Blind
>> P.O. Box 586 Ariel, WA 98603
>> (360) 231-4597
>>
>>
>>
>
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