[stylist] {Disarmed} Equal Rights for Blind Americans? Author Says We're not There Yet

Tue Mar 10 23:40:47 UTC 2015

Fellow Writers,
Thought this post may have some interest here        .
Donna

Donna W. Hill posted: "As a member of various blindness, advocacy and guide
dog organizations, it's not uncommon to come across a request from a college
student to take a survey on blindness, and I'm always happy to participate.
Rarely, however, (in fact, never) have I run acro" 

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Equal
<http://donnawhill.com/2015/03/09/equal-rights-for-blind-americans-author-sa
ys-were-not-there-yet/> Rights for Blind Americans? Author Says We’re not
There Yet

by Donna  <http://donnawhill.com/author/dewhill421/> W. Hill 

As a member of various blindness, advocacy and guide dog organizations, it's
not uncommon to come across a request from a college student to take a
survey on blindness, and I'm always happy to participate. Rarely, however,
(in fact, never) have I run across one with the depth of thought displayed
by Drexel student Nora Goldberg. If you're blind or visually impaired, Nora
would appreciate your thoughts, and she has offline options, though this
form is accessible. Act soon, though, her assignment's due the end of this
week. http://goo.gl/UBHm7x

One of Nora's questions is: "Do you feel as though you have the same rights,
privileges and freedoms as people who are sighted? Please explain." This one
really pushed my buttons. No one ever asked me that. The answer is no, and
the explanation took me all afternoon. So, at the risk of revealing too much
about my inner psyche, I thought I'd share my response.

An Author's Background Vis-à-vis Equal Rights

At 65, I have tried to be a useful member of society, giving of my time and
talent, but despite having some accomplishments (such as 3 recordings of
original music, many articles on blindness issues, a self-published novel
and scores of recommendations for my school programs and writing, I do not
feel valued by my community. Even people who seem to enjoy my company do not
reach out to me as friends. 

 Blooming Amarilis with a print copy of The Heart of Applebutter Hill by
Donna W. Hill, a fantasy adventure featuring some awesome flowers: photo by
Rich Hill.
<https://dewhill421.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/thah-w-multiple-amarilis-blo
oms-1-22-15-wl-010.jpg?w=560> 

When I tried to get a publisher/agent for my novel The Heart of Applebutter
Hill, I was told that the industry considers my representation of a blind
girl as "unrealistic" and further explanations revealed that they are
looking for fictional blind characters only in submissive, dependent roles.
More unsettling than all of this is the fact that other blind women I know,
who have more accomplishments and seem more integrated than I feel, talk
about the same things. 

When I ask audiences, they have no problems naming successful blind men.
When asked to name a successful blind woman, however, the most frequent
answer by far is Helen Keller. Ms. Keller died over 50 years ago. In what
other minority can you find such a lack of female presence? And, what does
that say about the public's view of blindness?

ADA: Equality Under the Law?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the federal law purporting to
ensure our rights , has been around for a quarter century. Despite advances
in technology and the achievements of some blind individuals, blind people
are still the minority with the greatest gap between natural abilities
(intelligence, talent and willingness to work) on one hand and the common
measures of success and inclusion (employment, income, social integration)
on the other. 

The ADA and other disability laws are "complaint-driven" laws forcing the
victims of discrimination to file, investigate and prepare cases. No
policeman interviews you, writes up a report and recommends it for
prosecution. A fender-bender on the highway may make you lose a few days of
work, but a cop's there in minutes administering breathalyzer tests and
checking licenses. Having schools who won't provide accessible classroom
materials, being cold-shouldered by a potential boss who can't get over the
fact that you got to the interview "all by yourself" or having cabs,
restaurants and motels refuse you service because you have a guide dog can
damage your life for years to come. 

ADA Mediation Process: Something Less Than Justice

ADA complaints often end up years later with the business who engaged in the
discrimination making a "mediated" settlement in which they don't even admit
to any wrongdoing. Employees at restaurants and motels who refused a guide
dog handler access to the business are usually long since gone before an ADA
complaint even begins the DOJ filing process.

 Abigail & her guide dog Curly Connor at Bargundoom Castle in YA novel, The
Heart of Applebutter Hill by Donna W. Hill: photo by Rich Hill.
<https://dewhill421.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/abigail-curly-connor-bar-gun
doom-castle-in-oval-opening-in-stone-wall-wl.jpg?w=560> 

In 2012, after 42 years of using a guide dog and struggling with access
issues, I finally filed a complaint against a motel for throwing us out of a
room we had already occupied, because they thought the law gave them the
authority to confine us to the "pets only" rooms. The fact that many people
don't understand that this is discrimination and don't even ask why it's not
acceptable, points to the failure of the "do-it-yourself mandate" the ADA
has given us. The mediated settlement doesn't give me the right to even tell
you what motel it was.

Access to Our Digital World Denied to Blind Americans

The other side of this is digital accessibility. The technology for it has
been around for years, is a matter of 1s and 0s and works when designers
choose to use it. Digital accessibility is to blind people what wheelchair
ramps, elevators and accessible bathrooms are to people with physical
disabilities. The difference is that there is a review process for brick and
mortar structures which ensures that a certain amount of physical access be
built in right on the drawing board. 

For digital access to websites, software, controls on household and office
equipment, there is no such process. "Education" and the good will of the
public were supposed to bring digital access to blind people, but the
problem is getting worse, not better.

The November, 2011 issue of the First Monday Journal (University of
Illinois, Chicago) features an academic study explaining the issues and
recommending solutions. 

"Retrofitting accessibility: The legal inequality of after-the-fact online
access for persons with disabilities in the United States" by Brian Wentz,
Paul T. Jaeger, and Jonathan Lazar
http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3666/3077

It concludes that fully 80% of the internet is inaccessible, and it warns
that disability laws are creating a "separate but unequal" online
environment and a "permanent underclass." 

Snapshot of Accessibility Issues Faced by Blind Author

I am forever writing to websites about access issues that make it impossible
for me to independently pursue my career and personal goals. Of the 3 most
highly rated security programs (Kaspersky, Bitdefender & Norton), only
Norton has any measure of accessibility. The digital webcam which my husband
bought so I could do video conferences and interviews has a series of
onscreen buttons to turn it on and off, etc. None is accessible. Social
media sites like Linked In, Facebook, Twitter and Google+, all of which I
use to promote my book, have access issues that make them either more
difficult to use or which prevent people like myself who use screen readers
from taking advantage of some of their functions

. My fellow indie authors at Smashwords, which distributes eBook versions of
my novel The Heart of Applebutter Hill, received a free year's subscription
to the online library Scribd, which carries our books. They can read one
another's work, network and advance their writing careers for free for one
year. I can't participate, because when Scribd set up their platform, they
didn't bother using the methods which would have made it accessible. Our US
Congressman has an inaccessible online contact form. I could go on and on.

There is a "separate but equal" aspect to the laws applying to people who
are blind. This is a "remedy" which as we know was declared unconstitutional
in racial discrimination by the Supreme Court decades ago, but it is
apparently just fine for people with disabilities. 

Are Equal Rights Possible When People are Considered "Fundamentally
Different?

Why is all of this true? I suspect the answer lies hidden in an old survey.
In the early '90s, the Louis Harris organization conducted a survey for the
National Organization on Disability (NOD) to determine how Americans viewed
people with disabilities. I found it in a NOD pamphlet called That All May
Worship and referenced it in Unopened Gifts: Tales Out of School my
nonfiction booklet for communities of faith seeking to be more welcoming to
people with disabilities. The survey summary states, “The public views
disabled people as fundamentally different than the rest of the population,
feeling admiration and pity most often. Embarrassment, apathy and fear are
also common.” 

"Fundamentally different." I don't think that's changed much. Too many
people - and they can be teachers, potential employers, medical
professionals, neighbors and family members - expect that blindness must be
an insurmountable barrier to success, independence and happiness. They see
us as broken people to be admired for merely existing and as needing them to
assume the role of care-giver or decision-maker. They do not see us as
needing them to simply expect us to be equal contributors. Unless and until
this changes, equality will remain just out of reach for blind Americans.

Purchase The Heart of Applebutter Hill & Help Blind Students

 The Heart of Applebutter Hill book cover shows cave scene: stalactites
reflected in an underground lake, while a hand holds the Heartstone of
Arden-Goth, a blue, heart-shaped sapphire
<http://dewhill421.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/theheartofapplebutterhill-web
-small.jpg?w=560> 

Print

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1483948226
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/4000964

E-book Versions

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CNG6DDM
Nook Book URL:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-heart-of-applebutter-hill-donna-w-hill/1
115426305?ean=2940016415000
<http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-heart-of-applebutter-hill-donna-w-hill/
1115426305?ean=2940016415000&itm=1&usri=2940016415000>
&itm=1&usri=2940016415000
Apple iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-heart-of-applebutter-hill/id651693834?m
t=11
Smashwords (7e-book versions including .pdf, .mobi (Kindle) & .epub (Nook,
Apple, Sony, Blio, Kobo, etc.):
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/313071?ref=DonnaWHill

Outside the US

Amazon Canada (print & Kindle):
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Heart-Applebutter-Hill-ebook/dp/B00CNG6DDM
Amazon UK (print& Kindle)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Heart-Applebutter-Hill-Donna-ebook/dp/B00CNG6DDM
/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

Accessible versions for readers with print disabilities

Bookshare: http://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/639304

A Request from Donna

After you've read The Heart of Applebutter Hill, please rate it and leave a
review on the site where you purchased the book. Thank you for your interest
and support.

Donna  <http://donnawhill.com/author/dewhill421/> W. Hill | March 9, 2015 at
9:00 am | Tags: accessibility <http://donnawhill.com/?tag=accessibility> ,
ADA <http://donnawhill.com/?tag=ada> , advocacy
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=advocacy> , author
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=author> , blindness
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=blindness> , equal
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=equal-rights> rights, equality
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=equality> , Guide
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=guide-dogs> dogs, justice
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=justice> , Longreads
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=longreads> , Scribd
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=scribd> , Smashwords
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=smashwords> , The
<http://donnawhill.com/?tag=the-heart-of-applebutter-hill> Heart of
Applebutter Hill | Categories: Accessibility
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=3471> , authors <http://donnawhill.com/?cat=726>
, Blindness <http://donnawhill.com/?cat=36181899> , Disability
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=40576> , Guide
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=401993> dogs, novel
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<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=344284> Dogs, Smashwords
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=13175400> , Uncategorized
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=1> , Visually
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=35555345> Impaired, young
<http://donnawhill.com/?cat=32985> adult | URL: http://wp.me/p11nbI-xwp 

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