[nabs-l] Need more help...Navigating The Football Game Saturday

[H. Field]

Hi Kerri,
As you will be in public the whole time, and as you will be using your 
cane which will tellyou where the steps are, there's no reason why you 
should be frightened. As you will be surrounded by people the whole 
time, if you get into a fix, you can easily ask for help if you need 
it. Have you thought about asking the person who takes the ticket to 
meet you outside the parking lot and, if you're worried about 
negotiating it, tell them you'll give them the ticket when you get 
inside the stadium. You can ask if they mind you walking with them and 
you'll be inside in no time. I don't see why you should be afraid of 
steps. after all, the steps stay still and you have a cane, you find 
them and walk down them.

I know I'm just one voice giving advice but, I've always found that I 
make friends when I step out and just go for it in life. So, my vote 
is you tell the person they have the ticket and ask them to meet you 
at your gate of choice. Keep the ticket until you're inside and go 
from there. I've been to countless rock and country music festivals 
and concerts in my life. Most of them in Australia where drinking is 
much more part of the culture and where the beer is twice as strong as 
American beer. I've never had any trouble with drunks. They usually 
offer to help and I say they can help by letting me do things myself 
and I thank them for being so helpful when they don't do anything. So, 
on the basis of my experience, and the tremendous boost that only 
independent travel can give you, I vote you go it alone and enjoy 
yourself.

Best,

Heather

Regards,

Heather
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerri Kosten" <kerrik2006 at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>; "k-r" <k-r at atlanticbb.net>; "Darren Burton" 
<dburton at afb.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 4:24 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] Need more help...Navigating The Football Game 
Saturday


Hey All:

Sorry to post another message about this but I figured I'd change the
subject line a little.

As most of you know, yesterday I decided to do the basketball game
independently and just find a friend for the football game Saturday to
be on the safe side with such a massive stadium, parking lot area,
tons of steps everywhere, and all the drunks.

Well, to make a long story short, I can't find anyone to go with.

I honestly don't have very many friends around here. The reasons for
this are debatable but I think it comes down to the fact that the
sighted people feel sorry for me, and see me as a child and don't want
to be "responsible" for me. I don't have that forward-thinking sighted
person to go to or that cool friend and there aren't any other blind
people around here.

I called one of the friends I have Loray...but she is working 
Saturday.

I posted on Facebook yesterday that I have an extra ticket to go to
the game on the 50 yard line but noone responded. I posted another
status update earlier today and someone responded asking if I was
selling the ticket and how much and they may be interested...I
explained the situation, that the ticket wasn't for sale but I was
looking for someone to go with because as a female it probably
wouldn't be the best idea to go alone with all the drunks. The person
agreed, and asked how I was but did not say anything about going to
the game with me.

My aunt may be going but heres the thing...I want to be careful with
who I ask and select to go with. I don't want to just go with someone
as a tag-along or invite myself into a group or worst of all have
someone feel sorry for the poor blind girl and take her to the game
because she doesn't have anyone to go with...and if she doesn't go
with me how will she go to the game? Poor thing...then the whole time
ask me about where my mother is, and how my mother should be taking
me, and so on.

It's my birthday...I want to do this and have fun and I want to go
with a person who wants to go with me because of me not because they
feel sorry for the poor blind girl or the poor blind girl doesn't have
anyone else to go with, or the poor blind girl's mother is too busy
for her. I try to point out that 'm 23 years old and don't need my
mother and they say "I know," but it infuriates me.

So, what should I do if I don't end up finding someone to go with?

This not getting to do things because of not having people to do
things has gone on long enough. As of a couple of months ago I decided
enough was enough, and to stop feeling sorry for myself, and that from
now on I would do what I wanted when I wanted whether I had people to
go with or not.

So far, until this football game I've been doing pretty well.

I have already missed out on several festivals here and a concert that
was held here featuring Maroon 5, Ludacris, and Kris Allen (Maroon 5
is one of my favorite artists and I love Ludacris) because of not
having people to go with and being afraid to go because of being a
female with all the rowdy drunks.

I want to show these feel sorry people that I don't need them, and
that I do what I want when I want whether they want to take me or not,
and that my mother doesn't need to be around...I don't want my
birthday to be ruined too and not get to go to something I want
because of stupid people!

I don't need these people...I'm determined to show them and overcome
this...but I want to be safe too and keep what Kimberly said in her
message yesterday in mind.

If I don't end up finding anybody and have to do it alone would it be
best  to do the call ahead, have someone from security help me to my
seat then help me out of the stadium afterwords? Would that be safe
enough?

I love the idea of gong to the stadium to check things out on a day
when the fans are not there...but this is the last of two home games
so this will most likely be the only football game I go to.

I have to pick up my ticket for the basketball game so I definitely
will check out that areena but I don't know if I'll get to check out
the football stadium before Saturday.

What to do?

Thanks so much,

Kerri

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