[stylist] stylist Digest, Vol 81, Issue 3

Donna Hill penatwork at epix.net
Wed Jan 5 22:04:41 UTC 2011 

Agreed, Judith, but now what? How do we get them to see the truth? If 
people are correct that the root is fear, then what works against that?
Donna

Read Donna's articles on
Suite 101:
www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
Ezine Articles:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
American Chronicle:
www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885

Connect with Donna on
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/dewhill
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
FaceBook:
www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.

Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
Apple I-Tunes
phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374

Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
www.padnfb.org


On 1/5/2011 4:40 PM, Judith Bron wrote:
> Donna and Carry,  Yes, the numbers of dead and wounded in Viet Nam was 
> staggering, but we have to be focused that even though they are from 
> an all volunteer armed forces, they are still our family and friends.  
> When I worked for the Independent Living Center I proposed a program 
> for the newly handicapped that would encompass the vets returning home 
> permanantly disabled.  I was met with negaticves all the way up the 
> line.  The truth is people don't want to understand the handicapped.  
> It's a lot easier for them to stereotype and think of themselves as 
> mightier than you and I because they aren't blind, deaf or travelling 
> in a wheelchair.  Here's a funny anecdote, but you'll see the irony:
> I was at a wedding recently.  I was speaking to my friend next to me 
> about recipes since both of us are on low carb.  I told her about a 
> recipe that I do with eggplant, zucchini, olive oil and grated 
> cheese.  A woman across the table asked me for the recipe again, she 
> wanted to try it.  A few minutes later I needed to use the lady's room 
> so got up and unfolded my cane.  My friend told me later, "She was 
> astounded!  You didn't sound handicapped!"
> How does blind sound?  How does deaf stand out in a crowd?  How does 
> whealchair travel sound?  Friends, after all these years, all this 
> progress and our ever increased abilities, the world is not ready to 
> accept us as equal citizens.  Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: <cosmoscat at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>; "Kerry 
> Thompson" <kethompson1964 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 4:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] stylist Digest, Vol 81, Issue 3
>
>
>> Kerry,
>> True, a higher percentage of wounded vets are now living with severe 
>> disabilities, but I think back to Vietnam. The sheer numbers of 
>> wounded, killed and disabled were so vastly higher than we have seen 
>> in Iraq and Afghanistan that even though a higher percentage are 
>> surviving today, there were still many more individuals surviving 
>> after Vietnam. Guess I'm just saying I don't hold out much hope for 
>> this to make a difference, especially since we now have an all 
>> volunteer armed forces and it's easier for people to turn away from 
>> the problems because they don't have the universal concern that it 
>> could be their loved ones.
>> Donna
>>
>> Read Donna's articles on
>> Suite 101:
>> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
>> Ezine Articles:
>> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
>> American Chronicle:
>> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>>
>> Connect with Donna on
>> Twitter:
>> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>> LinkedIn:
>> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>> FaceBook:
>> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>>
>> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
>> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>> Apple I-Tunes
>> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374 
>>
>>
>> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
>> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
>> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
>> www.padnfb.org
>>
>>
>> On 1/5/2011 3:19 PM, Kerry Thompson wrote:
>>> Donna,
>>>
>>> Free associating a bit here:  There have always been wounded i.e. 
>>> disabled veterans. But, with so many more wounded, with such 
>>> horrific injuries, surviving from Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with 
>>> the fact that so many of them are so young,maybe the wall between 
>>> able bodied and disabled will finally start to crumble. These kids 
>>> are going to need serious care and serious societal change for many 
>>> years to come. Of course, it's already been ten years. How much 
>>> longer, how many more ordinary kids turned into desperately disabled 
>>> citizens is it going to take before the able bodied get the  message 
>>> that, to paraphrase Pogo, they have met the disabled and they are us?
>>>
>>> Solidarity and Peace,
>>> Kerry
>>>
>>> On 1/4/2011 8:56 PM, Donna Hill wrote:
>>>> Hi Kerry,
>>>> Thanks for the Damaris link. I know in high school, her teachers 
>>>> still called her Damari. If I can find her, I'll use whatever 
>>>> spelling she uses. If not, it'll stay Damari. Thanks for the 
>>>> liberating comments about using whatever one I like.
>>>>
>>>> As far as Braille and literacy ... I think one of the understated 
>>>> issues with Braille literacy is that society is undergoing a 
>>>> blurring of standards for literacy in general, which is a shame. I 
>>>> really don't think people get that audio learning isn't the same as 
>>>> Braille or print. When I do radio interviews, I do often ask a 
>>>> sighted host how they would feel if their child came home with the 
>>>> happy news that he/she no longer needed to study reading, because 
>>>> the teacher thinks they're such a good listener. Of course, it 
>>>> isn't OK for sighted children to just listen, when you put it to 
>>>> them that way.
>>>>
>>>> As to your comments about the fact that literacy for all should be 
>>>> the goal and we aren't second class ... I think that this is what 
>>>> Shawn was talking about when he mentioned that we need to make 
>>>> blindness and how we cope with it relevant to the general public. 
>>>> To most people, blind people are not equal. I say this not merely 
>>>> out of experience and observation but because it is what pollsters 
>>>> learn when they canvass non-disabled Americans on their beliefs 
>>>> about people with disabilities. The report I often cite from the 
>>>> early '90s says the general public views people with disabilities 
>>>> as "fundamentally different from the rest of the population." I 
>>>> don't think there's any other way to frame that other than by 
>>>> saying that we are in the minds of our fellow Americans second 
>>>> class. It always reminds me of the movie "Children of a Lesser God" 
>>>> which dealt withdeafness.
>>>>
>>>> In order to get John & Jane Q. Public to understand the injustice 
>>>> of only 10% of blind children being literate or over 70% of blind 
>>>> adults being unemployed,  we have to first convince them that we 
>>>> are part of them, and that there's no reason they have to carry us 
>>>> on their backs. All too often the success stories of blind people 
>>>> are presented and viewed as isolated instances of inspiring 
>>>> individuals who surmounted insurmountable obstacles to get 
>>>> somewhere that can't really be expected of blind people in general. 
>>>> The fact that others could achieve if they had the tools, training 
>>>> and the attitude of these few isn't discussed. I think the public 
>>>> likes to have the occasional blind hero to give them a warm and 
>>>> fuzzy feeling. There wouldn't be as much of that, if we were 
>>>> expected to achieve like everyone else.
>>>>
>>>> I think your points about working for equality like other 
>>>> minorities is right on. It's a civil rights issue based on fear and 
>>>> prejudice. I don't think the public gets that either. They think we 
>>>> are here to be taken care of and to remind them of how good they 
>>>> have it because they can see.
>>>> Donna
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Read Donna's articles on
>>>> Suite 101:
>>>> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
>>>> Ezine Articles:
>>>> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
>>>> American Chronicle:
>>>> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>>>>
>>>> Connect with Donna on
>>>> Twitter:
>>>> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>>>> LinkedIn:
>>>> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>>>> FaceBook:
>>>> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>>>>
>>>> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
>>>> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>>>> Apple I-Tunes
>>>> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374 
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
>>>> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
>>>> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
>>>> www.padnfb.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 1/4/2011 5:18 PM, Kerry Thompson wrote:
>>>>> Hi friends,
>>>>>
>>>>> Donna, maybe the problem, the barrier, is the emphasis on 
>>>>> "braille." The emphasis needs to be on "reading," however the 
>>>>> individual approaches reading. It sticks in my mind that only ten 
>>>>> per cent of blind children are taught to read braille, i.e. the 
>>>>> method of reading appropriate to them. Only ten percent! How would 
>>>>> society at large react if, say, only ten per cent of black 
>>>>> children were taught to read, or ten per cent of Jewish children, 
>>>>> or ten per cent of children from Idaho? It's a question of human 
>>>>> rights. All American children should be taught to read. Someof 
>>>>> them need an alternative method to print. So what? The method 
>>>>> isn't (or shouldn't be) the issue. The issue should be literacy.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes, I realize the above sounds naive and utopian. But, I truly 
>>>>> believe it should be the goal. I mean, the phrase "separate but 
>>>>> equal" comes to mind whenever I hear people talk about braille 
>>>>> literacy. Literacy is the goal, full literacy of the entire U.S. 
>>>>> population. For most that will mean print literacy, for some, 
>>>>> braille literacy. But, the two really can't be separated. To read 
>>>>> is to read, whether with the eyes or with the fingers. The false 
>>>>> dichotomy of literacy and braille literacy needs to be removed, 
>>>>> both in our own minds and in themind of John Q. Public.
>>>>>
>>>>> That reminds me. Did Congress ever do anything about the shameful 
>>>>> lack of accessible textbooks for blind schoolchildren? Again, it 
>>>>> seems to me the emphasis needs to be, not on the difference, books 
>>>>> in braille, but on the colossal injustice ofany American 
>>>>> schoolchild being denied access to schoolbooks. Again, how would 
>>>>> it be if it were some other group being denied access to schooling 
>>>>> or to the necessary books? It wouldn't wash. We have to present 
>>>>> our needs the way Civil Rights and Women's Rights campaigners 
>>>>> presented needs, not as special concessions or favors we're asking 
>>>>> for, but as matters of right, of justice.
>>>>>
>>>>> There was a time when printed books were very rare and valuable. 
>>>>> Now, you can pick up a mass market paperback for five or six 
>>>>> bucks. Braille books are just the same. Now they are dear, but as 
>>>>> demand grows with the increasing literacy of the blind population, 
>>>>> prices will come down. That's simple demand and supply. As demand 
>>>>> grows, supply also grows and prices fall. Again, we all, blind and 
>>>>> sighted alike, have to stop regarding braille as a specialty item. 
>>>>> It's no different from print.
>>>>>
>>>>> I donno. I just get so frustrated and angry at the conditions we 
>>>>> have to accept, conditions no other minority group would put up 
>>>>> with. We're not subhuman. We're citizens just like anybody else, 
>>>>> and we should have the same rights and expectations...
>>>>>
>>>>> End of rant.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim, so glad Lynda is on the mend, if slowly. Continuing prayers 
>>>>> and heart thingies.
>>>>>
>>>>> Judith, For some reason, I always thought "thingy" was chiefly 
>>>>> British. I've always liked it. Yes, it's a very useful word. It's 
>>>>> strange about the pronunciation. Window-eyes pronounces the 
>>>>> singular with the hard g sound but the plural with the soft g. 
>>>>> Just one of those oddnesses we have to get used to, I guess.
>>>>>
>>>>> Judith, yeah, but it's a generic British just like the generic 
>>>>> American. I imagine British JAWS users get just as frustrated with 
>>>>> pronunciation as we do. And, how about the Canadians?
>>>>>
>>>>> Donna, I know there's a girl's name Damaris. The way I've heard it 
>>>>> pronounced is with the stress on the second syllable. Here's the 
>>>>> page from Behind the Name:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.behindthename.com/name/damaris
>>>>>
>>>>> Behind the Name does not have a listing for Damari. It sounds like 
>>>>> a diminutive to me, probably for Damaris or possibly a nursery 
>>>>> name derived from Rosemarie or Rosemary.
>>>>>
>>>>> The thing is, with a rare or even made up name, you can spell it 
>>>>> any old way you like.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim, it's funny you should think the same thing about damari and 
>>>>> Damaris. Great minds...
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm not sure "hood" is out of date even now to mean hoodlum etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> Marion, what race was "hoodlum" supposed to be targeting? Sheesh! 
>>>>> Now, I can see "hooligan" being construed as anti-Irish, maybe, 
>>>>> but "hoodlum?"
>>>>>
>>>>> Solidarity and Peace,
>>>>>
>>>>> Kerry
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Writers Division web site:
>>>>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org 
>>>>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>>>>
>>>>> stylist mailing list
>>>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>>>> for stylist:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epix.net 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>>>>> Database version: 6.16610
>>>>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>>>> Database version: 6.16610
>>>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>>> Database version: 6.16630
>>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>> Database version: 6.16630
>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org 
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%40optonline.net 
>>
>>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org 
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epix.net 
>
>
>
>
>
> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
> Database version: 6.16630
> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>




E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
Database version: 6.16630
http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/

More information about the Stylist mailing list