[Travelandtourism] Response to the Blindness Research question posted by David Andrews

Sun Feb 3 23:14:53 UTC 2013

But I did, I read what you wrote. You talk about your business and blindness
being a mere nuisance.  Also, it's apparent from what you said about your
husband staying home you often work and travel alone. That's all well and
good. I just thought some of it might have been slightly off-putting.
Also--and please don't take this too hard as I make many mistakes
myself--let us try to be careful with our grammar, spacing and such.
Yours,
Trevor 

-----Original Message-----
From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of cheryl echevarria
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 2:39 PM
To: NFB Travel and Tourism Division List
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Response to the Blindness Research question
posted by David Andrews

FYI I see you didn't read the whole conversation trevor that is why I posted
it all and am educating her as well

Trevor Attenberg <tattenberg at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Cheryl et al.
I too wrote to Dusty recently, offering her my participation. I feel that
you and David may have been a bit presumptuous of her reckoning. But
regardless of that, we are here to educate, and I don't see why we should
feel it necessary to turn down her request out of speculation that she has
misguided perceptions about blindness. Her request seemed pretty
intelligent. Obviously she wants to expand her knowledge about how blind
folks travel beyond what she's observed with her mother in law.
You certainly made it sound scary by telling her that David forwarded her
message to the whole Federation--I don't think he did this. The only people
he forwarded the message to (as far as I'm aware) is our Travel and Tourism
list serve--far short of 50 thousand people as yet. Also, the School for the
Blind you speak of must be the Louisiana Center for the Blind. This is not
the only training center sponsored by the NFB, nor is it the only training
facility for the blind in Louisiana.
I don't mean to be disrespectful of your capacity in your many endeavors and
abilities, but let us all be courteous and exemplary representatives of the
Federation.
     Best to you,
Trevor A

-----Original Message-----
From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of cheryl echevarria
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 11:26 AM
To: travelandtourism; David R. Stayer; info at peachtreetravel.net;
apt at carrtronics.com; derek2872 at yahoo.com; alabarre at labarretravel.com;
margo.downey at verizon.net; reservations at peachtreetravel.net;
aebaron at comcast.net; milt2533 at gmail.com
Subject: [Travelandtourism] Response to the Blindness Research question
posted by David Andrews

I have contacted the person that sent the e-mail to David Andrews Dusty
Waltner on this, and told her that I was willing to talk with her.
See the full lenth of our e-mail conversation below.
Cheryl EchevarriaPresidentNFB Travel and Tourism Division

From: dwaltn1 at tigers.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: President of the National Federation of the Blind Travel &
Tourism Division wants to ask you some questions as well
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2013 10:37:59 -0600
To: cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com

Hi Cheryl,
Thank you for your response, I guess I should have clarified in my message
about my mother-in-law. I didn't mean it to sound like I was ignorant, as I
am doing doctoral research. I have been researching blindness for many
years. I am very aware that the blind are extremely independent just as
anyone else is. I don't think there are any limits to what anyone can do, I
only meant that I have experience with blindness and the social constructs
of how others perceive blindness because I have traveled quite a bit with my
mother-in-law. I married my husband over 15 years ago and have been on many
holidays in which others think that she has a whole host of disabilities,
like speaking to me rather than to her, or think she cannot do something
because someone thinks her physical body is impaired, when she is only
blind. She has no impairments whatsoever and is totally capable of traveling
alone, but enjoys traveling with company. I regret that everyone jumped at
the assumption that I am ignorant on the matter (I don't know if it was from
my statement about being a companion which is true or from David's comment
which was unfair) but it is unfortunate because as you said that went out to
over 50,000 members and this is my entire dissertation research. Maybe I am
wrong in this (I do appreciate him sending the message out) but I don't
think it was all that necessary to state "I hope he doesn't think that the
only way blind persons travel is with a sighted companion"  because that
immediate stuck in everyone's mind and many would not have read my message
that way if that had not been stated.
So no, I am fully aware that many blind travel alone, I just want to clarify
that.

But, just as everyone assumed that I thought the blind people only use
companions, David automatically assumed by my name that I was a male, and I
am all female here. Email is a hard thing to decipher.
Unfortunately I cannot undue anything, my research may be dead before it
start and I may have picking a new topic now that everyone in the blind
community thinks I am unaware of how blind people travel. Thank you for your
insight however.
Cheers,Dusty

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have
strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the
teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." - Walt Disney

Dusty Leigh Waltner
Louisiana States University
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Geography and Anthropology
227 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803

On Feb 2, 2013, at 3:52 AM, cheryl echevarria <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
wrote:

Dusty Leigh Waltner
dwaltn1 at tigers.lsu.edu
Louisiana State University
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Geography and Anthropology
227 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Dear Dusty:My name is Cheryl Echevarria, and I am the President of the
National Federation of the Blind's Travel & Tourism Division.I am writing
because you had written to someone from the NFB and it was posted to all of
our members over 50,000 of us.  I do not know how long your mother has been
blind or if you know anything else about the blind, but you do know that the
NFB has the school for the blind in Louisiana and we are the oldest and
largest non-profit organization run by the blind for the blind.Myself I have
been blind since the age of 35 from complication from diabetes and kidney
failute, being over 8 year post kidney transplant and owner of my own travel
agency, I have taken lemons and turned it into lemonade, and now the
Disabiled Entrepreneur of the Year for NY State.Curious to your conversation
in the e-mail, it seems to me, and no rudeness intended here, that they only
way that a blind person can get around is with a sighted guide and by voice
command.  I do hope your mother can get around by herself, unless she is 80
years old and has other disabilities which would make it hard for her to
travel independently.I would be interested in your contacting me sometime
after February 7th, since I will be traveling by myself, hubby has to stay
to work, to Washington, D.C.  Every year the NFB has there annual Washington
Seminar with the Congress and the Senate.Many issues on the table every
year.I welcome you to go to my website www.echevarriatravel.com and read all
about me and what I do for the blind in the ways of advocacy and also
talking people that we are independent even though we cannot see, and that
blindness is more of a nuisance/Sincerely, Cheryl Echevarria,Disabled
Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY State Leading the Way in Independent
Travel!SNG Certified - Accessible Travel Advocate!Cheryl Echevarria,
Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatrave
l.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com2012 Norwegian Cruise Line
University Advisory Board Member.
Affiliated as an independent contractor with Montrose TravelCST -
#1018299-10Echevarria Travel and proud member of the National Federation of
the Blind will be holding a year round fundraiser for the
http://www.NFBNY.org after Hurricane Sandy and other resources. Any vacation
package booked between November 6 2012-November 6, 2013 and vacation must be
traveled no later than 12/30/2014 a percentage of my earnings will go to the
affiliate.  Also is you book a Sandals for couples or Beaches for families
and friends resorts vacation, $100.00 per booking will go to the affiliate
as well.  You do not need to be a member of the NFB.org, just book through
us.

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