[rehab] Heartbraking story

[Angel]

Blindness is a challenge which lends itself to those who would take 
advantage of it to gain advantage over others.  Using the prejudice and 
sympathy others feel toward those who are blind.  It is easier to choose 
this way to get what a person needs.  Than to try as best as one can to work 
around the inconvenience blindness causes.  The sighted too often encourage 
a sense of helplessness to exist within us blind people.  Often it is most 
difficult to live lives of empowerment and strength.  But, in the end, it is 
worth it to live independent lives.  Despite constraints foisted upon us by 
a well meaning paternalistic society. Here is a link to an interview given 
by Ray Charles about his mothers attitude toward him and toward his 
blindness, and of the misunderstanding of this positive attitude by those in 
her community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjFxEwyPknc
 In our day, such things as she made him do to learn self reliance would be 
considered "child abuse".  But, he demonstrated to us all the worth of her 
teaching.  Would we have sighted parents now, a we had in days past.  Who 
were courageous enough to teach us things we had to know.  To cause us to be 
independent and to be self sufficient.  It doesn't take degrees, or an 
education to teach a blind child to be independent and self reliant, and to 
have enough to contribute financially to the community in which he lives. 
It just takes the desire to do so, and the willingness and courage to fight 
the waves of societies paternalistic attitudes to make it happen.  It is 
such stuff which makes a true man or a true woman .  All that lives exists 
with both advantages and disadvantages.  It is each humans obligation to 
maximize his talents and advantages.  While minimizing his disadvantages. 
If he focuses on that which disadvantages him, he will always know failure. 
Rather than success.  Tell your friend:  He can get the currency identifier 
he seeks free of charge.  By asking his regional branch of the National 
Library for the blind.  If he is registered with them, the government will 
send to him a currency identifier.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Everett Gavel via rehab" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
To: <rehab at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Everett Gavel" <everettg at successfuladaptations.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: [rehab] Heartbraking story


> Hi Michael, Adrijana, and all,
>
> I'm not going to discuss Joseph's life too much
> here, other than to say that I've been on the
> phone with him multiple times, with many more
> emails in-between, since December. I've been
> trying to help him with a computer. The one thing
> I'll point out in regards to what Michael touched
> on is that Joseph himself has said to me that he
> also has some kind of learning disability.
>
> His story is like many I'm aware of in the
> disabled community. At least in some general
> respects. We all have our stories and our quirks
> and our issues. I lived alone for more than a
> decade, between marriages, and I had small and
> low-income sorts of apartments, choosing to try to
> live within my means. I went to food pantries
> occasionally to get through some months. And I
> utilized discounted bus passes at times when I
> felt I needed to, or at least wanted to.
>
> All I think I know for sure is that blindness is
> very much like politics. There are different
> camps, and different foundational beliefs leading
> the camps.
>
> There are those that choose to simply do the best
> they can to survive, and try to enjoy the life
> they have, try to work, and volunteer and do what
> they can to contribute back to society, as well.
> These are generally the sorts that see a mountain
> and look for the way up and over, or around it.
> Rather than complain about it and look for someone
> to remove the mountain from their path.
>
> In another camp, and these are generalizations of
> course, but in another camp there are those blind
> souls who seem to think they *need* whatever help
> they can get, merely because they are blind or
> disabled. Too many often whine and even fight
> against the idea of real independence. They give a
> sob story at times, because they seem to be stuck
> feeling sorry for themselves. These types often
> seem to think society owes them something. They
> may see a mountain and decide to stay where they
> are, setting up camp there and not really going
> any further.
>
> Of course there are those that aren't as easily
> peggable into either of these 2 main groups of
> blindness thinking. Let's call them Libertarians
> or the Green party or whatever. But these 2
> generalizations above are the 2 main groups, in my
> opinion. Much like Republicans and Democrats,
> politically.
>
> Some might describe them at times as the NFB and
> the ACB, too often choosing sides rather than
> focusing on making life better for all blind
> people. Again, much like the damnable politics of
> this country, IMO.
>
> Anyway, I don't know all of Joseph's issues,
> truly. But after reading what he wrote, except for
> the possible cognitive issues at hand, and the
> possiblle physical abuse he may have suffered
> growing up, well, much of the rest seems quite
> commonplace, unfortunately. Fixed income, low
> income, at times no income.
>
> And yet he continues on, as most do. And, also
> like many, even while begging for help via radio
> stations and any other platform he can access,
> note that I mentioned our relationship was one
> that started from him looking to purchase a
> computer. So, like many on low incomes, most
> people still tend to find the money or means for
> what they deem important.
>
> And some, while doing their best to find ways to
> volunteer and/or work to get ahead, hey, some do
> find it easier to beg for help by way of sympathy.
> I've known too many 'homeless' people who choose
> to make a living by begging, rather than actually
> looking for a job and trying to be legit about
> earning a living. But that's another story for
> another time.
>
> All this being rambled on about, I'll finish by
> saying that while I wouldn't stop from helping
> Joseph where I think I can, I'm not too worried
> about him, either.
>
>
> Strive On!
> Everett
>
>
> ----- original message ----- 
> Hi Angel
> Personally I don't think this case is all about
> blindness.The writer, Joseph
> says: "
>> I was locked up in a mental institution for
>> defending myself against my
>> mother's attacks." This sends alarms his side
>> her side and the right side.
> Joseph as a child seems to according to his story
> have had parents who might
> have had some mental issues which he may have
> inherited which is why he
> couldn't pull himself out of the man hole as
> yourblack  coleague did.
> This sounds like a multiple handicapped issue and
> perhaps even Joseph
> himself is in denial to some degree blaming
> everything on the external
> circumstances and nothing on the internal
> condition.
> How long was he kept in a mental institution? What
> did the doctors find out?
> Washe during this episodeas a   child put in to
> therapy probably not
> probably no follow-up back then. And how violently
> did he attack his mother?
> was her life endangered?Was she hospitalized as a
> result?
> Did the local district attorney choose to put
> Joseph in an institution
> because it was believed to be a safer place for
> this blind criminal than
> prison? Has Joseph had any other violent eppisodes
> since that time?
> He also writes: "
>> I lived in constant terror of my parents. This
>> had caused me severe
>> psychological
>> problems that persist to this day."
> Could he be schizophrenic or suffer some other
> mental illness?
> He says his family abandoned him but if he
> attacked his mother and nothing
> was done to fix the problem he was known to have
> did they abandon him or
> were they afraid of him?
>
> Note,  This isn't a "young man" he is 69 years old
> born in 1947 he wrote:
> Back then times were much different which is why
> he hasn't gotten the needed
> followup therapy. If he displayed problematic
> mental characteristics it is
> probable that counselors and social workers just
> dealt with him at some
> level believing he would not be employable except
> at perhaps an agency like
> goodwill or salvation army. When counselors
> working with services for the
> blind sent him to the other agencies who largely
> believed blind people are
> incapable and also saw his mental issues if he did
> work at a sheltered
> workshop I imagine he didn't make very much. Most
> likely if mental issues
> were pravelent he was viewed as a difficult case
> and somewhat as a threat to
> other clients so as soon as possible he was
> removed from the protected
> populations. He probably felt he was  not provided
> adequate services and
>
>
>
>
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