[blindkid] SSDI/SSI, was Technology and Little Kid

Albert J Rizzi albert at myblindspot.org
Thu Feb 18 17:47:28 UTC 2010 

Do not get me wrong. I understand everything you said. Without shifting
social perspectives on our abilities no matter how hard we market ourselves,
or the levels of education we go after, we will, as a community, always be
relegated  to positions that do not use our skills and abilities in an
empowering and uplifting manner. Now I myself would be lost without the
comforts afforded by disability payments, but I will work doggedly to shift
that with every ounce of my being. It is my hope that you will be able to
actively garner employment based upon your abilities and expertise, rather
then being marginalized because of misperceptions about blindness. 

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."


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-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Heather
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 10:48 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] SSDI/SSI, was Technology and Little Kid

Here here.  One thing, and one thing only.  To the SSI and SSD.  My mother 
recieves SSD and I recieve a portion of that, and I am living off of that 
and FAFSA so that I can get an education, and if I fail despite my good 
education and best efforts to find a job that pays adequately I will, with 
no shame recieve SSDI to supplement what I earn.  My mother works her tail 
off, she has a masters degree in education with a concintration in computer 
sciences.  This town is dominated by the opressive pressence of ABVI, the 
Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and for a while, when I was

very small, the best job my educated, intelligent, resourceful mom could get

was packing sticky note pads in boxes or stripping film off of canisters at 
ABVI.  It is sick.  She has worked as a switchboard operater at a huge 
hotel, an independent living skills coordinator at the center for disability

rights, an indepentent skills educator and supervisor of peer advocates at 
the riegional center for independent living, and she is now working at a 
call center for Healthy New York.  I am a hard working, driven individual 
with some college and a regents deploma with advanced designation from high 
school and my jobs have included sewing pants in a *cringe* sheltered work 
shop, run by ABVI, working as a clerk in a goodwill store, run by ABVI and 
doing interrogations transcription for OMRDD, the office of mental 
retardation and developmental disabilities.  Those were all summer jobs 
while attending high school or college.  There are some individuals who 
totally mootch off of the system, settle for less, have no lives and little 
money and it is their own fault.  But there are many men and women doing 
their best who still do not get desent jobs.  I know that it is frustrating 
to see some blind people who sit at home all day and are content to do so, 
but just be sure to bare in mind people like my mother and I.  Those blind 
people who become lawyers and colege professors and so on are not the norm. 
They should be, and some day they will be, but it is just important to 
remember that many people who are unemployed or underemployed are no worse, 
no less motivated, no less intelligent than the blind lawyers and 
professors, they just happened to not be in the right places at the right 
times, to meet up with the right employers and open-minded people who gave 
those more successful people a chance.  I am raising my children to work 
like crazy, to get ahead, to make the best of their lives, to be successful,

but I am also raising them with the self knowledge and selfesteme so that, 
if they do not succeed as much as they deserve, because of the way society 
is, that they can find other things in their lives to be happy about, and so

that they will not beat themselves up for things beyond their control.  Have

no fear though, I am not raising them to blame others for their lack of 
effort.  If they fail because they did not try, I will not coddle them, but 
if something unfair and beyond their control keeps them down, they will also

be helped to cope with that and move beyond it to try again.  I know I am 
ranting, but I am sick of getting dirty looks and hearing snide comments 
when people find out that I am on SSD.  There is no shame in it, especially 
because SSD is based on your work record, your past effort.  SSI, is just a 
freeby, unless we are talking about blind college students, because they 
have not yet had a chanse to succeed or fail.  A forty year old man, who has

no spouse, no children, no life, no job, who never completed his education 
and is on SSI?  Yeah, loser, no doubt, but just be aware that SSDI does not 
equal lower effort or lower class in all cases.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid


>I was being diplomatic. But I am here as an educator to say that narrow
> minded and generationally corrupted thoughts like using only a slate and
> stylus are what is keeping our youth from realizing there fullest 
> potential
> and why we still as a community experience unemployment rates which remain
> unshifted for decades. Get the child a computer, kids nowadays are using
> computers almost out of the womb. Ok not out of the womb, but they are 
> using
> key boards and simulated toys which promote technology awareness and skill
> development as soon as they are able. Children of all abilities are like
> sponges, they soak up as much information during their  toddler and pre-k
> years which serves as a foundation for all their future learning
> opportunities. Set the bar high, give them more then you yourself think 
> they
> can handle and handle it they will. If we as parents and elders have 
> little
> or no sense of empowering possibilities for them, they will learn to be
> dependent on others and fall into this depressive cycle of SSI and SSDI
> dependency and disppair. Power up that computer and set the key board up
> with locator dots and let your child investigate the wonders of technology
> on their own. It will bode well for them when they actually need to 
> perfect
> knowledge and usability  of these key equalizers in their future 
> endeavors.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Heather
> Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:05 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>
> No disrespect, but you've got to be kidding me.  No blind people I know,
> children or adults, down right brilliant to mentally challenged, men or
> women use those anymore.  Many own them, and could use them in a pinch, 
> but
> honestly, no one uses them as a main means of writing or on a regular 
> basis.
>
> Some people in the fifty or older set still rely on them, because they 
> were
> not able to keep up with the changing technology, which I can understand 
> and
>
> sympathize with, but even my sixty year old blind mother laughed when I
> showed her this, or rather told her that this had come up on list.  For
> confidentiality reasons I never show any one who is not on the list, list
> emails, and never give names or any spacifics..  I could honestly say that

> I
>
> know over two hundred to three hundred blind people, and I asked on a list
> serve for guide dog users, one for blind parents and one for blind 
> students,
>
> and the uunanomous answer was "You've got to be kidding"  I think her four
> year old would best be served to learn how to use a cell phone or home 
> phone
>
> to call his mother and to dial 911.  I think he should be learning on a
> braille note, voice recorder or how to use a victor reader or ipod touch.
> Things like that, plus basic braille and print literacy.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>
>
>>A slate and stylus!
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>> To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:01 PM
>> Subject: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>>
>>
>>>I got asked a question, the other day, and since most of my experience is
>>>with blind adults -- I didn't know quite what to say.  A woman said she
>>>had a four year old totally blind daughter, and she wanted her to keep up
>>>with her peers in technology, so what assistive technology/technology is
>>>here  -- should she start using with her child?
>>>
>>> Dave
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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