[nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
Kaiti Shelton
crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com
Sat Mar 23 07:21:07 UTC 2013
Sophie,
I didn't say that we should restrict free speech; all that was meant
that there should be some consideration towards the people this
negative stuff is written about, (In this case blind people, although
I've seen some similar articles about people with other conditions now
that I've actually looked). Most sites have a policy which covers
nondescrimination or something, and I'd say some of this stuff is
definitely descriminatory in the sense that it paints the picture of a
blind person as someone who can't do anything for themselves, which we
all know is not the case. Someone else pointed out that E-How has a
policy regarding the submission of misinformation to their articles,
so if they do have this policy in place then they're obviously not
following their own guidelines. In short, people can write what they
want; but when it effects a large group of others in a negative way
then I think that is cause for concern.
It wasn't really Helen Keller's fault; she was blind and deaf and did
what she had to do. In terms of the spotlight she was also the
world's second deafblind person to learn to communicate, so naturally
people would find her inspirational or exceptional, many other terms.
I think the real issue stems from misinformation in articles such as
this. Obviously not all blind people are also deaf, and obviously
most blind people do not also require wheelchairs as airports seem to
commonly think. I don't necessarily see pointing this misinformation
out to E-How as a bad thing or something that would infringe on
people's first amendment right considering what was written.
On 3/23/13, Sophie Trist <sweetpeareader at gmail.com> wrote:
> Kaiti, if we restricted people from writing these articles, as
> stupid and bogus as they might be, we'd be violating the first
> amendment. Free speech can be a double-edged sword in cases like
> this. As for the teaching ASL to blind people, that's a common
> stereotype. This might sound mean, but I blame Helen Keller for
> that. Ever since her story went viral, blindness and deafness
> have been associated.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:53:58 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
> Hi all,
>
> Brandon's last post made my week! I don't think it is right for
> stuff
> like this to be available to give sighted people a false idea of
> what
> blind people are like, but I too have seen many other articles
> that
> don't make sense. (Have you seen the article about the
> importance of
> teaching ASL to blind people yet?) There are plenty of
> non-blindness
> related ones that are total trash to if you just look them up,
> and
> nothing from E-How should be taken seriously. That being said, I
> think I'm somewhere in between; I've recognized E-How for what it
> is
> as Brandon pointed out, but I think that there is a definite line
> between sensitivity and humor and in this case some of these
> articles
> do cross that line. I know I would probably give someone the
> whatfor
> if they tried to feed me or refused to give me a full glass of
> Coke
> because I'm blind, but it's just a matter of letting E-How know
> they
> should evaluate some of these grossly insensitive articles.
>
> Brandon: I know people from a music program I attend in the
> summers
> called Braille Beats who actually describe sighted people as
> "Light
> dependent." Your post reminded me of that and captured that idea
> perfectly.
>
> How to manage a day with a Light-ependent person.
>
> People who have the misfortune of being congenitally dependent
> upon
> light for survival need several accomodations including patience
> and
> understanding from those not afflicted by the condition. In this
> article I will present some everyday situations and ways you can
> help
> your light-dependent friend or family member get through the day.
>
> Driving in the car going somewhere: When the person complains
> about
> the bad driving of others, simply smile and distract him/her from
> the
> road rage. Find a topic of conversation which interests both of
> you,
> but still make sure they focus on their personal driving. Be
> patient
> with them, although nothing is really solved by getting mad at
> other
> drivers. They really can't help it sometimes.
> Reading their own writing: Another factor of frustration for
> light-dependent people is reading their own writing.
> Light-dependent
> people don't have the advantage of using a system so eligant as
> braille where letters are confused not too often, especially when
> contractions are used. Because their system is more cumbersome
> and
> they have the poor tendency to write sloppily when rushed they
> sometimes can't even read what they've written. They also don't
> have
> access to a refreshable display for their writing, so papers are
> frequently lost in the shuffle. This leads to frustration and
> other
> factors such as getting lost on the way to a destination or
> forgetting
> something they needed from the store. Try to be patient and help
> them
> remember what it is they wanted to buy, or perhaps that exit
> number
> they told you they'd need to take off the highway.
> In a college dorm at night: Sometimes your roommate may need to
> stay
> up later than you and in order to complete their work they may
> need a
> light. Again, be patient; if noise bothers you plug yourself
> into
> your IPod and try falling asleep to music. If the light is
> bothersome
> try to block it out; if you only have vision from one eye putting
> that
> side of your face into the pillow does the trick wonderfully. Do
> this, and be thankful that you don't necessarily need light to
> read a
> book or that you can turn off the screen on your laptop out of
> consideration for others.
>
> Okay, the last one was me grasping for straws, but you get the
> picture. I also didn't mean to talk down sighted people; just an
> attempt at humor.
>
> On 3/22/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm pretty sure this is a gag, most of their other articles seem
> pretty
> ridiculous as well. I may write an article on how to prep a room
> for a
> sighted person.
>
> Make sure lights are turned on and not facing toward the door.
> Sighted
> people don't like walking into dark rooms. They also don't like
> walking into
>
> bright lights, so one needs to find the perfect balance.
> Open the curtains if it is day time, even if it is really warm
> outside and
> the AC is on. Sighted people love to have the sun shining into
> their house
> even though it raises the electrical bill. Make sure print
> labels on food
> and appliances aren't covered by anything so the sighted person
> can feel
> comfortable reading the familiar labels. If there aren't already
> print
> labels on something, make sure they are printed in at least 12
> point font
> with black letters on a white background. Make sure your TV
> screen is on and
>
> make sure your computer screen shows what you are doing at all
> times. If you
>
> wish to be safe, slow down your screen reader so the sighted
> person won't
> feel left out of what you are doing.
> If you plan on cooking with the sighted person in the house,
> make sure to
> wear big gloves, because it raises the anxiety level of the
> sighted person
> seeing someone cutting and using hot items without protection.
> If you follow all these instructions, you will be able to
> interact with a
> sighted person comfortably in your house.
> Thanks,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Josh Gregory
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 12:58 PM
> To: Misty Dawn Bradley ; National Association of Blind Students
> mailing
> list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
> It's all good, we all make mistakes sometimes, :-)
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 22, 2013, at 3:35 PM, Misty Dawn Bradley
> <mistydbradley at gmail.com
> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I am sorry, but I meant to say EHow rather than EZine Articles
> in my
> earlier post.
> Misty
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "justin williams"
> <justin.williams2 at gmail.com
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 3:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
>
> It is important to read their trash. Remember, other people
> are, and to
> their mind, they no things about you. You can more easily
> refute them
> if
> you have some idea on what people are saying. You can't
> advocate
> without
> proper information.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Josh
> Gregory
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 3:18 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
> Hi Joshua, you don't want to read their trash, so you say, but
> you say
> that
> it is important to educate them. I get that, but if you read it,
> you can
> assist in educating them. Doing nothing is not a good idea here,
> and when
>
> I
> get a chance in a bit, I'm going to find these articles and see
> what
> they're
> like.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 22, 2013, at 3:11 PM, Joshua Lester
> <JLester8462 at pccua.edu
> wrote:
>
> I don't want to read their trash.
> If they have something negative to say, I'd usually E-Mail them
> and
> give
> them my take on the matter, and teach them some old school NFB
> philosophy!
> Does EHow have a captcha on their contact form?
> BTW, the ideas come from the ignorant people that don't know
> anything,
> and
> have never seen a blind person do anything independently!
> We need to do something, and I posted a suggestion on another
> thread
> that
> I just started.
> Thanks, Joshua
> ________________________________________
> From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Carrie
> Gilmer
> [carrie.gilmer at gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 1:56 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
> They are no gag. They are on a well viewed and well shared site.
> You
> think
> we all are not tired? Saying nothing does nothing but allows
> them to go
> on,
> unimpeded. There was just an article about the real and large
> problem of
> employment discrimination for blind people. Where do the ideas
> come
> from?
> how do they go on and on and on? Doing nothing does nothing to
> correct
> or
> stop. It makes me terribly sad and dismayed to hear "they are
> not worth
> my
> time". Is correcting even one mind which may affect a blind
> person's
> employment or education worth your time? what if that blind
> person is
> you?
> Carrie
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 22, 2013, at 1:41 PM, Joshua Lester
> <JLester8462 at pccua.edu
> wrote:
>
> Those articles aren't worth my time, if they're going to paint a
> terrible
> picture of blindness!
> I'm tired of these negative ideas that come from the 16th
> century and
> before!
> Blessings, Joshua
> ________________________________________
> From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Carrie
> Gilmer
> [carrie.gilmer at gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 1:31 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
> http://www.ehow.com/how_2040980_care-blind-person.html
>
> There are links on the pages of articles to a good dozen
> more...one is
> also titled "how to feed a blind person"
>
> What kind of blind person can they possibly be depicting? There
> is no
> distinguishing between a newly blinded person from a major auto
> accident
> practically in a coma or a child with multiple disabilities, or
> a 90
> year
> old in feeble health or visually impaired teenager in good
> health or a
> normal person born blind.
> The aura of tragedy and burden and superhuman challenge abounds.
> Carrie
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 21, 2013, at 1:00 PM, "justin williams"
> <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Where are the articles?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Carrie
> Gilmer
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 9:49 AM
> To: Blind Kid Mailing List; National Association of Blind
> Students
> mailing
> list
> Subject: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>
> Hello all~
> I discovered last night a series of articles written and posted
> on
> eHow
> concerning blindness. they are misleading at best, horrifically
> bad
> perpetuated falsehoods at worst. I had only viewed four of them
> last
> night
> and had to stop, I was so upset. This morning a friend pointed
> out
> that
> I
> was mentioned and partially quoted in another one! I was
> completely
> unaware,
> and found upon reading it, it is in the midst of misleading and
> mixed
> messages and not an accurate portrayal from the article or from
> our
> life!,
> I believe it was pulled from. The same is true for a friend of
> mine
> also
> "quoted" in the same article! one of the articles is titled "How
> to
> set
> the
> table for a blind person", yes, seriously. "How to care for a
> blind
> person"...They are Just dripping with condescending dramatic
> language
> and
> ideas! They appear to name the NFB (named National Federation
> FOR the
> Blind)
> as a reference!!!!!!!!
>
> I strongly encourage you to read the articles in the series and
> write
> complaints both individually and as groups, with reasoned
> argument
> specific
> to false points. There are multiple authors, so letters naming
> problems
> with
> each article are needed.
>
> We must get these off the internet.
>
> Contact for complaint for eHow:
>
> I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO HAS COMPLAINT OR KNOWS ANYTHING
> ACCURATE
> ABOUT
> BLINDNESS TO WRITE A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO EHOW!!!! I will be
> doing it
> one
> for
> each ridiculous article!! i believe if they get enough coherent
> and
> reasonable complaints they will take these down permanently...as
> per
> their
> policy on misinformation!:
>
> Further Information If you have a complaint, you may contact us
> at
> eHow,
> Inc. Legal Department, 5808 Lake Washington Blvd. Ste. 300,
> Kirkland,
>
> WA
> 98033, U.S.A. If you are a California resident, the Complaint
> Assistance
> Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the Dept. of
> Consumer
> Affairs
> may be contacted at 400 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 or (800)
> 952-5210
>
> Best,
>
> Carrie
>
> Sent from my iPad
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> --
> Kaiti
>
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--
Kaiti
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