[blindkid] to sign or not to sign

Arielle Silverman arielle71 at gmail.com
Sun Feb 24 22:19:32 UTC 2013


Right. So given this situation, perhaps everyone with a small child
who lives on a busy street, or on a street where folks like to gun
their cars, should post a sign saying they have a blind child, even if
they don't, because it might make drivers more careful.
Several folks now have admitted that *any* child is potentially at
risk from careless drivers. The question I keep coming back to is why
a blind child requires extra protections beyond those given to other
children, particularly protections that could also be stigmatizing. We
need to answer that question fully and honestly before we decide why a
sign would be desirable.
Arielle

On 2/24/13, Mary Strahan <phouka at kc.rr.com> wrote:
> I agree with Richard.  I've actually tried to get "Blind Child at Play"
> signs for our street with no luck--evidently City Hall likes to ignore me.
> My issue is this:  people tend to gun their cars down our street.
> Kids--whether they can see or not--aren't the most safety-conscious when
> they're playing.  Kids run out in the street after balls, or chase their
> friends, or dart out from between cars.  If I can get the signs on the
> street, that might be enough to give drivers pause when they're about to
> floor that gas pedal.
>
> My son's 4, and I've heard the same comments Richard has:  evidently, he
> doesn't "look blind," either.  People don't understand why he's using a
> cane, or why the cane's even there.  These are comments I get from cashiers
> when I'm checking out at the store or when we're wandering through the zoo;
> they're definitely low-speed encounters, like Richard describes.  At the
> high speed of cars gunning down the street?  Yikes.
>
> I think there's also a fair amount of ignorance over what a white cane is
> for.  I'd swear that we covered service animals and disabilities to some
> degree in school--I knew not to pet a working dog, for instance--but that
> doesn't seem to be the case everywhere.  I follow a woman on Twitter,
> Sharlyn Ayotte (@blindambition) who has had people ask why her dog is
> wearing a harness; it blew my mind that anyone wouldn't know what a guide
> dog was for. I've seen photos of cane users who live in larger cities
> posing
> with their broken canes (I wasn't able to find the photo, but Tommy Edison,
> the blind film critic, is one of them)--the canes are broken by people
> driving cars who turn in front of the cane user who's crossing the street.
> I'm guessing the driver is ignorant of what the cane is for, so doesn't
> realize the harm done by breaking the cane when the user's out and about
> (can you imagine?)  Given the amount of ignorance out there, I don't see
> harm in having signs.
>
> Also--there are "children at play" signs, too.  I think the "Deaf Child at
> Play" or "Blind Child at Play" signs just give a little extra warning for
> drivers when they're dealing with younger kids who need help to stay safe.
> (Note that I think all younger kids can use some help to stay safe--not
> just
> those with disabilities.)
>
> Just my 2 cents worth.  --Mary
>
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