[nfbwatlk] fw: Safe not sighted

Sun Mar 28 00:09:38 UTC 2010

But not a power chair.

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jedi" <loneblindjedi at samobile.net>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] fw: Safe not sighted

>I recommend that you have David Andrews forward this message throughout the 
>lists. That way, you can get more responses from wheelchair users. As a 
>thought, what about Maria Bradford? She uses a wheelchair sometimes.
>
> Respectfully,
> Jedi
>
>
> Original message:
>> 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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>
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