[nfbwatlk] Fwd: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] The film entitled Going Blind

[Mike Freeman]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Wilson, Joanne" <JWilson at nfb.org>
> Date: October 2, 2012, 7:24:18 PDT
> To: "nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org" <nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] The film entitled Going Blind
> Reply-To: NFB Affiliate Presidents List <nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org>
> 
> Dear Affiliate and Chapter Presidents:
> Some of you have asked about a film that is being screened across the nation and may be appearing soon on your local public television station.  The film is entitled Going Blind.  It is the story of New Yorker Joe Lovett, who is also the film's director, as he loses more and more of his vision to glaucoma.  You have asked whether anyone on our national staff has seen the film and what our thoughts are, and how you should react to its screening in your area or on your local public television station.
> I, along with some other Federationists, have viewed this film.  It primarily focuses on the medical process of going blind, and in that respect it is an accurate portrayal of what many people who are losing vision experience.  Mr. Lovett is given little advice by the medical professionals who are trying to maintain his vision on how he will deal with its loss.  Indeed, he tells us that he does not even realize how much vision he has lost until he visits a low vision therapist on the advice of someone other than his doctor.  Mr. Lovett interviews several blind individuals who are at various stages of coping with their blindness or vision loss, including an Iraq war veteran blinded by an explosion, an employee at The Seeing Eye, a young boy, and an art teacher who resumed her career after going blind and now works with students with multiple disabilities.  These individuals have adjusted to their blindness to widely varying degrees and have various things to say about their blindness and adjusting to it, some of which are easy to agree with and others which reflect typical misconceptions about blindness and blind people.
> The filmmaker has often invited medical professionals, persons who appeared in the film, and others to participate in panel discussions following the screenings.  Mr. Lovett has reached out to and met with officials of the Federation, including Dr. Maurer, and is more than willing to have us attend screenings and participate in these panel discussions.  The NFB of New York has even set up literature tables at some of these events.  I participated in one of these panel discussions in Washington, D.C., following the Congressional screening of the film that recently took place in one of the Capitol office buildings.  Other Federationists, including our D.C. president and Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives John Paré, were also present for this screening.  The discussion was productive, and people seemed to appreciate our perspective.  We therefore encourage those of you who are aware of a screening in your area to arrange to attend and, whether from a panel or from the audience, participate in the discussion that follows the film.
> As mentioned earlier, the film is currently being scheduled on public television stations throughout the country.  A current list of airings is located at http://www.goingblindmovie.com/broadcasts<http://visitor.benchmarkemail.com/c/l?u=19996F9&e=20ABAF&c=9144&t=0&l=2B31078&email=Kv2GGEdotY%2Ft0B6D2GdV55jGAA6rwhdP>.  In some cities, events may be organized around these airings.  I encourage you to check the Web site www.goingblindmovie.com<http://www.goingblindmovie.com> to learn if events are scheduled in your area, and to contact the organizers of these events.  Ask if your chapter or division can participate in the event in any way, including handing out literature or participating in a post-screening discussion.  We can use screenings of it as a vehicle for encouraging participation in the National Federation of the Blind, for promoting our positive philosophy of blindness, for balancing the medical perspective represented in the film and likely to be represented in discussions of the film, for discussing discrimination and other barriers faced by the blind, and for emphasizing the importance of good training in the nonvisual alternative techniques of blindness.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
> 
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