[rehab] Blindness mannerisms:

Sun Oct 1 03:17:42 UTC 2017

Thank you for your kind words angel. I do not cheat for the very reasons you stated. Not all of us have a definite prognosis because not all of us have a specific diagnosis. Doctors have no clue what happened and I have no idea what will happen in the future. At 45 I am blessed to still have so many Isabel vision. I am as you said though to the point where using vision alone as my main source of information is not effective or efficient let alone trustworthy. I I am glad I understand the sighted world but wish I had the opportunities in the 1970s and 80s to learn the same techniques you had no choice but to learn. I wasn't formed recently that everything changed because of a poorly written research paper stating we was residual vision could be trained to see better if we used our vision. Your friends who learns the same things with you were truly given a gift. 

Not only for myself do I wear the shades, but also my now totally blind boyfriend. When we met 30 years ago he had more vision then I have ever had and I have seen what can happen to someone. He lost the rest of his vision three years ago. Sometimes surgery works and sometimes it does not. I'm thankfully comfortable and both worlds but I did notice when I stopped wearing my glasses people treated me differently even though I  carried the cane all the time long before I stopped wearing my glasses. The sighted world is a strange place sometimes!

Again thank you so much for writing this to me angel. I am totally glad that you are on this list responding because I Believe those younger than us need to understand the past. We did not always have the technology that makes things so much more "user friendly" and accessible. I realize things are better than they used to be, but I appreciate things more because I know what it was like. 

Ericka Short
 from my iPhone 6+

> On Sep 30, 2017, at 6:19 AM, Angel238 via rehab <rehab at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I thank you for your most kind offer to assist me, a person whom you don't know.  To deal with a difficult situation.  But, it is not necessary.  Allow me to say right now, It has been my personal experience, those in the blind community, are among the kindest, and the most considerate persons it has been my pleasure, and honor to know.  I am sorry I might have given the impression this occurred recently.  It happened over 50 years ago.  Even before the "Rehabilitation act of 1973".  When, in my state, the only requisite to be a rehabilitation councilor, was that one have a seventh grade education.  Though this particular counselor, about whom I wrote, was among the few holding a Bachelors degree.   Sense that time, I have accomplished successfully many things, as a totally blind person.  I brought this example to your attention to point out, too often, we blind people become so absorbed with our own success, as  blind persons.  We forget there are levels of success.  Which must be achieved by all.  Before an equal level might be reached.  Also, perhaps, to bring out the fact, there are those among us, who hate themselves,and others, because we, and they are blind.  I went to school with a young woman.  Who was guilty of this hatred. She wasn't afraid to let us know this either.  As soon as it became possible, she broke relationship with any blind persons altogether. Regarding the sleep shade incident about which you wrote.  Take comfort in the knowledge, those who "cheat" while using them will suffer in the end. It takes enormous levels of self confidence for a partially seeing person to abandon himself to traveling with only his other senses, and a white cane. Those who do travel while using sleep shades have my undying admiration. Because the temptation to cheat while using them is so great.  You are certainly among those whom I admire.  Because you understand, perhaps intuitively, you will never be sorry for developing the enormous self discipline it takes to abandon ones sight. In favor of  trusting  solely his other senses, along with just a white cane.  To inform him about his surroundings.  Those who aren't as wise as are you, and do cheat,  often fail to realize the jeopardy they put themselves in by not developing this self confidence.  Which assist them in other areas of life.  Because, skills learned in one area of rehabilitation radiate.  Touching other aspects of a blind persons life.     They might come to a point when their sight provides them with false information about their immediate surroundings.  Which might, in turn, lead them to experience unforeseen, and most unfavorable consequences. When I was a little girl, in the 1950's.  There were, learning with us totally blind scholars, in our resource room, scholars with only partial sight.  In those days, it was a requirement we all learn to read and to write Braille with our fingers only,   Regardless our level of sight.  Some of these partially sighted children felt it was "cool" to "cheat".  By looking as much as was possible at the Braille.  They were assigned to read.  Of course, in those days, our sighted teachers also were proficient readers and writers of Braille with their fingers alone.  As many had learned the code to instruct the blinded world war II former soldiers. The philosophy, then being, one could not successfully teach a challenged person unless he could perform the same tasks he was attempting to teach experiencing in as much as was possible, the same challenge.  As did those whom he taught.  In any case, many of these children, and I  remained friends throughout the years.  Without exception, they, all, eventually lost the partial sight they had then.  They, then were unable to read Braille at all.  Because they hadn't learned to read the code with their fingers alone. Of course the reading of the code might have lost some of its importance for some blind people, because of modern technology.  But, at that time it was essential to know.  To lead a well rounded, successful life, as a blind person.  There was an exception to this.  There was a partially seeing girl. With whom I went to school.  Who never abandoned her sleep shades.  When learning to read the code.  She read Braille with her fingers with as much fluency as did we, who were totally blind from birth.  I am sure this helped her a great deal.  Because when she graduated from high school, she got a job as a medical transcriber at a local hospital.  This was long prior to the development of modern day computers, and word processors.  With their spell and grammar checks.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ericka via rehab" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
> To: "Rehabilitation Counselor Mailing List" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "Ericka" <dotwriter1 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 29, 2017 9:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [rehab] Blindness mannerisms:
> 
> 
>> You have some very good points angel! I am at training in one of the NFB centers. I just started last week so being under sleep shades is comfortable in some circumstances and not in others. I am not familiar with the area where we live or outside the center so today when I had to walk and mass with open chair people with canes to get to our designated fire safety spot I was very confused. The rest of the students couldn't figure out why I was confused and overwhelmed. Everyone tried to give me directions and explain things at the same time which did not help that I appreciated their assistance. The staff member spoke up and reminded them that I had only been there barely 2 weeks and it was understandable that I did not know where curbs or street names. He also reminded them that I take a different bus  then the rest of the students and that was why their orientation directions were not helping. See, my boyfriend is at the end of his training and I ride in with him and a roommate of his. These people were so used to where there were going because either they have been here for seven months and are at the end of their programs or have had pretty good training when younger. Then there are some who cheat with their shades. Just goes to show that it isn't just people who have been blind for 20 years that can have that attitude. I am so sorry the counselor made you feel so bad. I don't know which is worse; having Low Vision all your life with little skill opportunities until you desperately need them or losing vision later in life and going through what you did. I totally agree that everyone needs to remember where they came from and try to understand the journey is different for all. I really appreciated the staff member who though totally blind realized that one out of 10 people was struggling and asked me how I was doing. We had a talk afterwards and he helped me. This experience today just reminded me of what you had written. Hang in there Angel, and if you want to talk off-line I'd be happy to.
>> 
>> Ericka Short
>> from my iPhone 6+
>> 
>>> On Sep 29, 2017, at 10:08 AM, Angel238 via rehab <rehab at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I don't know whether my post was sent to an individual.  Or whether it was sent to the list.  So, I am sending it to the list.  I apologize, if it was sent twice.  The post follows.
>>> Blind people can be the hardest, and the meanest toward each other.  When it
>>> ought to be the other way around.  They ought to be the first to understand
>>> the blind child or young adult.  Who may have been sheltered their whole
>>> lives.  Not truly understanding how to properly socialize.  I well remember,
>>> in the mid 60's.  I was introduced to the adult rehabilitation process. The
>>> first time I and my totally blind rehabilitation councilor met.  I had to
>>> fill out a form.  Stating all the skills I could perform, and how well I was
>>> able to perform them.  They were skills I never was taught.  Because, I was
>>> one of those sheltered blind children.  He said, nearly after each question
>>> I answered no to :  "My wife can do that perfectly well."  Now, his wife was
>>> also totally blind.  Perhaps, his intent was to spur me to a level of higher
>>> achievement.  Telling me, his wife was totally blind, and implying that, if
>>> she could accomplish laundering, cooking,  and sewing, and such, so should I
>>> be able to do such things equally as well.  But, what he did succeed in
>>> accomplishing was quite the opposite.  I left him with tears in my eyes. I
>>> told my mother this, and she was quick to remind me, his wife was some 20 or
>>> so years older than was I, and was married, with children, and with
>>> experience.  Which is why, we always should be sure those blind people for
>>> whom blindness is an entirely new experience. Or those blind children, who
>>> lived sheltered lives. through no fault of their own.  Receive a proper
>>> prospective.  As it relates to their circumstances. Just because others who
>>> are totally blind accomplish things, or possess skills which a child or a
>>> newly blinded adult isn't capable, doesn't mean he is a failure, and will
>>> never learn.  Of course, this goes without saying, when we talk among
>>> ourselves.  But, we forget, sometimes, the sheltered young adult, or newly
>>> blinded person doesn't know blind people who succeed aren't somehow super
>>> people.  Whose achievements aren't beyond themselves to accomplish. After
>>> all, isn't the stereotype of the challenged person, that he does marvelous
>>> things.  When he accomplishes even the simplest things?  So, from the
>>> beginning of a blind persons journey he feels incompetent.  Because his
>>> expectations of what he might be able to do are so low.  So when he meets
>>> successful blind people, and when he compares his achievements to theirs,
>>> how inadequate he must feel.  Then, some blind writer comes along and tells
>>> him, he is looked upon by sighted people as being somehow weird.  Because he
>>> rocks, or claps, or can't cook.  What must do to his motivation to even try.
>>> Each blind person needs to be encouraged as much as is possible.  Never
>>> causing him to think he is weird, or less than ordinary.  Regardless the
>>> mannerisms he might exhibit.  I think those who take exception to seeing
>>> blindness mannerisms are exhibiting a hatred of themselves.  Perhaps due to
>>> their blindness.  They are the ones who need to examine themselves. Rather
>>> than criticizing those.  Who may not be as far along on their journey to be
>>> all they are capable of  being.
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