[stylist] question

[Judith Bron]

John, The reality, as much as you disagree, is that being sighted is better 
than being blind.  Terms like "visually impaired", "Visually challenged" or 
any of the like are legislated terms.  I can't see any better or worse when 
a bureaucrat describes my visual limitations.  I am what I am.  Like I said 
before, I have to take those limitations, do the best I can to do what I am 
capable of and continue striving to be the best me I can be.  I don't care 
how society looks at my limitations.  And, yes, they are limitations.  I 
have to be the one to deal with them.  Almost every person in this world has 
limitations.  Some can create beautiful artwork, some can't.  Some can write 
beautifully, some can't put together a cognizant statement either verbally 
or in writing.  Some have athletic prowess while others are happy being 
couch potatoes.  Some love to eat while others are skinny and physically fit 
their entire life.  All "problems", all "limitations" when put in the 
perspective of the optimum and people all over the world live with them 
every day.  When was the last time you heard of the "art impaired" person? 
Or the person who can't sing one note without causing distress to the other 
person's eardrums?  Are there cultures for the tone deaf?  The person who 
can't draw a straight line?  John, deal with John.  Society has enough 
problems.  As a society we have a lot to deal with, but making John socially 
comfortable isn't one of them.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Lee Clark" <johnlee at clarktouch.com>
To: "'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 1:56 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] question


> Lori:
>
> I love the words blind and deaf.  I abhor anything with impaired in it.
>
> Although the definition of blind may say one who cannot see, and that's a
> negative description, we still have the opportunity to neutralize the word
> itself and have it convey something else entirely, into something that's
> cool.  Same with deaf.  We can take it and turn it around, and associate 
> it
> with culture, pride, ASL, all sorts of great and positive things.
>
> But you can't neutralize and turn around a term like sight impaired. 
> Tthat
> term does two very bad, bad, bad things.  First, it implies that sight is
> the ideal, that it's right, and what we SHOULD have, and that if we don't
> have it, we SHOULD want it.  This is society talking, "Sight is better."
>
> Second, the term implies that we're broken or we're short of the ideal, or
> we've fallen from the grace of what society says is normal.  This is very
> bad, bad, bad.
>
> Does NFB merely "prefer" the word blind?  It shouldn't.  it should embrace
> it absolutely.
>
> John
>
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