[nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover -blindcouple in OH

[Ray Foret Jr]

I wonder, can we stay away from personal attacks?  John attacked me, but, I shall not respond.  IF you read my messages, you will see exactly what I felt was wrong with the show.  I sent a detailed message last night.  check the list archives.


Sincerely, 
The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!

Now A Very Proud and very happy Mac user!!!

Skype Name:
barefootedray

On Dec 6, 2010, at 3:02 PM, Gloria Whipple wrote:

> What is your excuse Johnny? You do the same thing.
> 
> 
> Gloria Whipple
> Corresponding Secretary
> Inland Empire chapter
> nfb of WA
> 
> cell number: 509-475-4993
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of John Heim
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 12:41 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover
> -blindcouple in OH
> 
> Ray, you have a marked tendency to state an opinion, refuse to support that 
> opinion in any way, declare it to be the only valid opinion, and then insult
> 
> anyone who disagrees.
> 
> What specifically was wrong with the show? You sit there and say "we" should
> 
> do something about it, which I take it means, as usual, that  somebody else 
> should do something about it. But if you think people are going to bother 
> doing anything, you are going to have to do a much better job of explaining 
> your problem with the show than simply saying it was "bad".
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ray Foret Jr" <rforetjr at att.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 2:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home 
> Makeover -blindcouple in OH
> 
> 
>> The answer, John, is yes.  that's a substantive answer and I refuse to be 
>> drawn in to a useless argument with you or anybody else about whether or 
>> not a blind person can do this or that.  The plain fact of the matter is 
>> this.  That show was about as bad as it could be; and, to speak frankly, I
> 
>> wonder how it could be worse.
>> 
>> I sure don't see how myself.
>> 
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!
>> 
>> Now A Very Proud and very happy Mac user!!!
>> 
>> Skype Name:
>> barefootedray
>> 
>> On Dec 6, 2010, at 1:12 PM, John Heim wrote:
>> 
>>> One thing that really bothers me about the conversation on this list is 
>>> that people are complaining about ABC depicting this couple as helpless. 
>>> But can anyone on this list replace a toilet or a bathroom sink? I've 
>>> done things like replace garbage disposals, light fixtures, and 
>>> electrical outlets. But I don't think I'd try replacing a toilet. I might
> 
>>> replace a sink though. Assuming the standard hookups are already there, 
>>> you can do that.  But I'm not sure that even most sighted people would 
>>> try that either.
>>> 
>>> I guess the question is whether ABC's depiction of blind people was 
>>> inaccurate. Are these people more helpess than a typical blind couple?
>>> 
>>> The one thing that puzzled me was the problem the woman had with cans of 
>>> food. I don't know what's in our kitchen cupboard but that's because my 
>>> wife does the cooking and shopping. When I did my own cooking and 
>>> shopping, I put magnetic braille labels on the cans. But, I suppose, its 
>>> nicer to have the bar code scanner. The woman might have played up the 
>>> problem in order to make it look good. I mean, ABC isn't going to want to
> 
>>> show the woman dealing with her canned food with braille and then give 
>>> her a scanner anyway.
>>> 
>>> When you think about it, if you've got a TV show about giving people new 
>>> shirts, you have to make their old shirts look crummy. It would be lame 
>>> to give someone a new shirt if the person already has a closet full of 
>>> really nice shirts. In fact, aren't all gifts kind of an insult? Say you 
>>> buy somebody a shirt. Does that say their old shirts are crummy? Couldn't
> 
>>> you always say, "Well, if you didn't think I needed a new shirt, why did 
>>> you give me a new shirt? "
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cindy Handel" <cindy425 at verizon.net>
>>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 11:16 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover - 
>>> blindcouple in OH
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Oh My!  This is just terrible.  It's not the first one Extreme Home 
>>>> Makeover
>>>> has done about blind people.  I hope something can be done so it's the 
>>>> last.
>>>> It's so destructive.
>>>> 
>>>> Cindy
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rovig, Lorraine" <LRovig at nfb.org>
>>>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 12:01 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover -
>>>> blindcouple in OH
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Here We Go Again: Home Makeover Extreme Edition - blind couple in OH
>>>> 
>>>> Well, I watched it. It was pretty bad and it could have been worse. It
>>>> could have been a lot better too.
>>>> 
>>>> Their original bathroom -- a sink fell off the wall once when Jasmine
>>>> washed her hands so they had no bathroom sink; the old toilet would
>>>> swivel left and right about 20 degrees either way if your toe pushed it.
>>>> Other parts of the old home and front porch were dangerous.  The part of
>>>> the old house facing the street appeared to be two-rooms wide, small
>>>> rooms, and I do not remember if it was two-story.  They were given a
>>>> two-story, large, modern home with all new appliances in the kitchen,
>>>> laundry room, every other room, and etcetera.
>>>> 
>>>> This is an African-American family, the Andersons of Maple Heights, Ohio
>>>> (near Cleveland). I do not know if either one has a job; both appear to
>>>> be in their early 40s.  The mother, Jasmine, states she is visually
>>>> impaired. She uses a folding cane with a fat white tip that I think is a
>>>> marshmallow tip.  Husband, Andre, pronounced the French way, is totally
>>>> blind and uses a guide dog named Valentine. The show gave the dog a
>>>> heart-shaped bed.
>>>> 
>>>> Jasmine gave a tiny monologue stating she lost enough sight to be
>>>> visually impaired and was depressed for awhile but then she became
>>>> "courageous" like she is now. They never charge for their [untrained]
>>>> counseling and encouragement of other people with disabilities. They
>>>> give lots of speeches to educate the community how to make life easier
>>>> for blind people and people with other disabilities.
>>>> 
>>>> The couple told us they are in danger every time they cross a street and
>>>> the camera mike was held close to trucks and cars as vehicles zoomed by
>>>> on a city street. Jasmine said she was hit in the shoulder by a moving
>>>> car one time. Ty Pennington, the shows' big-hearted hero,
>>>> furniture-designer and designer of his own line of linens and other
>>>> goods for the home, excellent carpenter and TV show leader, went on
>>>> about how dangerous it is for blind people every day when they are
>>>> outside the home. He got installed for the Andersons a fancy talking
>>>> device at the single crossing nearest to their home at their bus stop.
>>>> Jasmine told us "we're not the only blind people living here, you know"
>>>> and, she said, this will help people with other disabilities that live
>>>> in their neighborhood too.
>>>> 
>>>> The show gave her a CCTV rigged to a lady's dressing table so she can
>>>> see to put on her make-up and not have to ask her son if she did it
>>>> okay. She got choked up that she can see her nails now and can paint
>>>> them as she could not see to do before, and for the first time she
>>>> exclaims, as we watch her look at it, she can see the beautiful ring her
>>>> husband gave her.
>>>> 
>>>> In the old house, Jasmine shoved up the sleeves on her dress to show Ty
>>>> and us the many burns on her arms that she got from using her
>>>> conventional electric 4-burner stove and oven.  The show gave her
>>>> "induction heating" which does not give out any heat except to a metal
>>>> pot placed on the burner, and she got a wall oven so her oven is at a
>>>> better height for her to use. The house got a talking temperature gauge.
>>>> On the plus side, so the two wouldn't get lost, nothing odd was built
>>>> into the kitchen or the walls and floors.  Also on the plus side, except
>>>> for the induction oven, normal if fancy Sears's appliances were placed
>>>> in the home for the kitchen and the baths.
>>>> 
>>>> Both Andre and Jasmine got computers that I think had JAWS installed on
>>>> them. They got a home theatre room with one "Sound Dome" over both their
>>>> heads that directs the sound directly only to them, and lets them hear
>>>> the SAP channel along with the show. They have two very helpful,
>>>> respectful sons (one may be age 12 and the other is a young teenager).
>>>> Ty stated the older son got a vacation from verbalizing what is on
>>>> screen plus he got the SAP thing with words running below the screen
>>>> when folks talked (which he needed but I missed the part that said why
>>>> he did). The younger son is sure he wants to grow up to be an eye doctor
>>>> so he can cure blindness, beginning with his mother's visual impairment.
>>>> 
>>>> Both Jasmine and Andre got brand new, fat-bodied, folding canes that
>>>> have built-in sensors to inform them of obstacles by their head and at
>>>> their feet, and, said Ty, "these aren't even on the market yet." Andre
>>>> expressed their gratitude.
>>>> 
>>>> They got a huge main room that runs from a living room grouping through
>>>> an empty space of floor to a dining room grouping to a kitchen with no
>>>> barriers or changes in floor, so they do not have to worry anymore about
>>>> running into posts or walls, as they did run into in their cramped
>>>> original home.  I noticed they are both bulky overweight people and the
>>>> original house doorways were older and appeared smallish, plus a post
>>>> was inconveniently placed, especially for any overweight people trying
>>>> to get past it to the bedrooms and bathroom.
>>>> 
>>>> The mortgage company paid off and tore up their mortgage; the local
>>>> branch of the state college gave them 2 college scholarships for the
>>>> boys; Sears gave the four of them enough clothes and shoes to fill some
>>>> of their new closets; the local basketball team called The Cavaliers,
>>>> gave the teen-aged son a closet-full of their clothes plus 3-shelves of
>>>> their basketballs with its metal rack. The building company gave them
>>>> $50,000 to a fund to handle their home maintenance.
>>>> 
>>>> Braille got a "shout out" as the modern lingo has it. Ty added palm-size
>>>> wooden "dots" to their bed's headboard to spell out in grade one, "Love
>>>> is Blind."  Large print got a "shout out" too, with their top bed quilt
>>>> decorated with "Love is Blind" sewn on as stuffed, raised-up
>>>> hand-writing.
>>>> 
>>>> (For me, I keep wondering how they and other Ty Pennington-show
>>>> homeowners can afford their new taxes on their giant gifts of money,
>>>> goods, and a huge new home.)
>>>> 
>>>> The Andersons were so very grateful for all they received from Ty and
>>>> Sears Company and ABC. Tears all around.
>>>> 
>>>> You can view the entire episode on the Anderson Family via computer,
>>>> here:
>>>> http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-home-edition
>>>> Anderson Family
>>>> | Full Episode
>>>> A visually impaired couple devoted to helping the community receives a
>>>> home makeover, complete with technologies that help people with
>>>> disabilities;
>>>> EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION - "Anderson Family" - Andre and Jasmine
>>>> Anderson have never allowed their visual impairment to slow them down,
>>>> but rather have faced it head on, and established the Disability
>>>> Awareness Center in Maple Heights, Ohio, to help others who are
>>>> struggling with sight loss. The couple and their sons learned they would
>>>> be recipients of a home makeover while aboard the public bus that they
>>>> ride every day. The "EM: HE" team surprised them on the bus and revealed
>>>> plans to give them a new "smart" home, equipped with technologies that
>>>> support people with disabilities. This episode of "Extreme Makeover:
>>>> Home Edition" airs SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC
>>>> Television Network. (ABC/MIKE CROUCH) ANDERSON FAMILY HOME - AFTER -
>>>> BEDROOM
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>>> 
>>>> 
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