[Ohio-talk] good idea or not

[Marianne Denning]

Deborah, you said it so well.  I know the parents and others mean well
but the message is terrible.  Thank you so much for sharing your
perspective since it is so similar to hers.

On 8/14/15, Deborah Kendrick via Ohio-talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Marianne,
> This makes me want to cry.  Or maybe scream.
> I am so weary of stories like this, portraying blindness as such a tragedy,
> pushing the panic button in people to rush out and see everything possible
> before that horrible curtan of darkness descends to shroud soul and mind in
> doom and gloom.
> These parents might mean well, but they are projecting their own desires on
> this kid who, as the story did happen to mention, is most interested in
> whether to be a princess or a mermaid!
> They would serve her better by telling her stories of mermaids who read
> braille and princesses who, despite complicated castle corridors, find
> their
> way to the golden treasure by using a white cane and good sense!
> I was five years old when I lost my sight.
> What do I remember of that age?
> The smell of my favorite doll.
> The taste of my gradnmother's cookies.
> The feel of that top bar on our swing set under my knees when I climbed up
> there to hang upsidedown like a monkey, and the breeze on my face when I
> pumped my legs as hard as I could to swing as high as the sky.
> And yes, dimly, I do remember a blur that was the sight of the hedge in
> front of our house that marked the end of my traveling boundaries when no
> one was with me!
> And again, dimly, the image of cowboys on horses when I pulled a stool up
> to
> the TV screen.
> The latter are just memories in a catalogue, while the former trigger much
> joy!
> I have hoped all these years that my part in media portraying peopl as just
> plain people whether they have a disability or not might affect my fellow
> professionals.
> When I see a story like this one, I can't help but feel that I have failed.
>
> Thanks for sharing...
> Deborah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marianne
> Denning via Ohio-talk
> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2015 2:30 PM
> To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
> Cc: Marianne Denning
> Subject: [Ohio-talk] good idea or not
>
> I am very disturbed by this whole bucket list for children going blind and
> here is a five year old going to Rome.  What are your thoughts?
>
> http://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-year-old-girl-whos-slowly-going-blind-will-get
> -to-see-rome/
>
> --
> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
> (513) 607-6053
>
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053