[rehab] Blindness mannerisms:
Angel238
angel238 at sbcglobal.net
Sun Oct 1 03:49:03 UTC 2017
It might also be a good idea for rehabilitation councilors to advise their
partially sighted clients to at least carry an identifier cane, if they
choose
not to carry a traditional white cane. This, to avoid rude responses. When
the client asks questions about things he can not see. Some years ago, I
was standing at a bus stop. When I heard a lady ask a bus driver the number
of a bus. He told her quite rudely. Then, he told everyone who cared to
hear: "She asks this same question every day." It seemed obvious, to me,
she, perhaps, had difficulty with her vision, and wasn't carrying any sort
of a cane. This is a rude world in which we live. To soften just a little
of that rudeness carrying such a cane might help. ----- 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: Saturday, September 30, 2017 11:17 PM
Subject: Re: [rehab] Blindness mannerisms:
> 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 trusti!
> ng 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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>>
>>
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