[Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.

Thu Mar 28 20:31:44 UTC 2013

Since Barbara is the Editor of the Buckeye Bulletin and President Emerita of the NFB of Ohio and still writes copy for the Braille Monitor she didn't have to choose battles.
If she had chosen to she could have just changed the wording.
I understand why she didn't but I hope we are not starting a precedence.
Colleen Roth

----- Original Message -----
From: Cheryl Fields <cherylelaine1957 at gmail.com>
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
Date: Thursday, March 28, 2013 4:27 pm
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.

>
>
> Barb, My hat goes off to you! We should choose our battles carefully,
> if we don't we will loose the war.
> Blessings,
> Cheryl
> 
> On 3/28/13, Barbara Pierce <bbpierce at pobox.com> wrote:
> > As the editor that let the "differently abled" term through what is
> > undoubtedly the most rigorous affiliate-newsletter-editing  process in the
> > NFB, I think I should weigh in on this discussion. I was glad to read
> > Colleen's grumble about the term "differently abled". She is correct: this
> > kind of euphemism is exactly what our position opposing political
> > correctness should remove from our speaking and writing, and I am happy
> > that
> > it bothered at least one reader. So why did I let the term get through? In
> > a
> > word, I trust Carol. More than most of us she is always talking to more
> > than
> > one audience simultaneously. I know where Carol stands in the matter of
> > respect to varied and multiple disabilities. As KJ was wont to say, "In her
> > heart she is as blind as the rest of us."
> >
> > When I read such dodges, part of me wants to kick my feet and demand that
> > people just get over it. Their kids are blind and maybe have other issues
> > that complicate their lives, but Mom's hiding her head in the sand about
> > that truth will only make the situation worse. That may be true, but it
> > doesn't change the fact that Mom won't improve the situation for the child
> > if she stamps off and refuses to read anything that forces her to face the
> > truth or move faster toward acceptance of it than she can.
> >
> > The fact is that in all Carol's sizeable article, that one phrase was the
> > only place where she dodged around the fact of disability. My reasoning was
> > that, if a skittish parent read that far through the article and came
> > across
> > a term that provided some comfort, maybe that would be enough to keep him
> > or
> > her (probably her) reading down to that devastatingly honest question at
> > the
> > end: are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution for
> > your child? I want such parents to stick around with the Federation long
> > enough to watch us horsing around with their kids and showing them how to
> > walk fast with a white cane, pound a nail, make and serve brownies, and
> > pull
> > weeds while leaving the flowers to bloom. Carol talks with more parents
> > than
> > I do. I am going to trust her to guide them into seeing and treating their
> > children like normal kids whose lives are a bit more complicated than those
> > of their friends. That was my thinking, and I hope I was right.
> >
> > Barbara
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> > purplecakers
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 10:40 PM
> > To: n8tnv at att.net; ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> > Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.
> >
> > Colleen,
> > I am sorry if I offended you with my use of terms. I had a reason behind
> > what was said & how it was said.
> > In writing my article, I was targeting a much broader audience than just
> > our
> > own NFB members, hence my terms. The global use of phrases that are
> > acceptable to the general public is constantly evolving.  In order not to
> > offend the masses, I tried to use terms that would be sensitive to new
> > parents,  new readers & or those who are not yet comfortable in their
> > disabled skins or with the blunt terms. I think it is important sometimes
> > to
> > start eating the elephant one bite at a time, rather than trying to devour
> > it all at once. It is my hope that  people  come to accept their
> > disabilities or those of their children on their own terms. Sometimes thus
> > takes time. My next article adresses that, but I thot it would be overload
> > to try to mesh the two into one. Many people,  & parents have difficulty
> > with terms because the medical world has difficulty exposing them to those
> > terms.  It can be a shock & very offensive if someone pushes the cold, hard
> > reality & crushes every hope that they gave, before they are ready to face
> > it.  It can also be a permanent turn off to a genuine resource sych as the
> > NFB, if people are bluntly told to just get over it because your kid is
> > blind or disabled.  It sends the wrong message. We are here to help,  to be
> > a positive influence, to be sensitive to the needs if the people,   & if I
> > can do that by using these terms, then that is what I will do. While I am
> > nit disagreeing that blind & disabled are useful terms, they may not always
> > be the most appropriate at the time.
> > We are all entitled to disagree.
> > Carol
> >
> > Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone
> >
> > -------- Original message --------
> > From: COLLEEN ROTH <n8tnv at att.net>
> > Date: 03/27/2013  9:37 PM  (GMT-05:00)
> > To: ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> > Subject: [Ohio-talk] Political Correctness, Etc.
> >
> > Hello,
> > I would like to say that the Spring, 2013 Buckeye Bulletin was a pleasure
> > to
> > read. It is so nice to have Nfb of Ohio Members send things to Barbara for
> > inclusion in the Newsletter.
> > She always needs our contributions and it's nice to see so many.
> > I do have to comment about a phrase in one Article.
> > Carol Akers refers to people as differently-abled.
> > I understand that some people have trouble saying that they or their child
> > has a disability.
> > It is resptable to be blind or have any other disability.
> > I am blind, therefore I am disabled.
> > My girls were Multi-handicapped, therefore they had disabilities.
> > I didn't love or value them less because of their disabilities.
> > I know that Carol doesn't view her son as any less valuable either, I just
> > think we are so afraid of offending people.
> > Words like diherently-abled, hard-of-seeing, Visionally-challenged, a
> > person
> > who happens to be blind are clumsy and unnecessary.
> > Let's just say what we mean.
> > Colleen Roth
> > President
> > At Large Chapter
> > NFB of Ohio
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > com
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> >
> >
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> 
> 
> — 
> Peace
> 
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