[NFB-Talk] braille award?

Tue Nov 26 14:16:30 UTC 2019

I cried when my disability services office transcribed my graduation
program and diploma text into Braille when I graduated with my
master's degree 4 years ago.  No one had ever bothered to do this for
me, and I was truly touched by this gesture on their part.

All that to say that I agree with your points.  Like many of you, I
got used to receiving awards I couldn't read myself.  And I'm 29 years
old and grew up in a school district that did well at granting me
access to materials.

I think it's worth having a conversation with the student.  He needs
to know that he won't always receive things in Braille.  But good for
the parent for advocating for equal access.  The truth is that the
parents wouldn't be asking for anything the other students didn't
receive.

Sometimes blind people like to throw around the word entitlement.
What does it mean to be entitled or to have an entitlement attitude?
Well, it means that we believe we have the right to something.  Do we
have the right to access to printed materials?  Yes.  Do we have the
right to ask for access, particularly when it can be granted to us
with little fuss or struggle?  I certainly hope so.

Our understanding of the lack of materials in Braille and other
accessible formats comes from the series of struggles we've
experienced asking for access to those materials.  We've spent so long
weighing the costs of asking, of striking compromises, of settling for
what we can get that sometimes we fail to remember that the sighted
world doesn't operate this way.  We settle for second best and
encourage others to do so because the struggle has made us tired.  The
reality of how life is for us heavily influences our advice to those
who seek equal access to printed materials, and we often forget to
support students and adults who do have the ideal access we've given
up on so long ago.

I hope that makes a little sense.  TLDR: if the student can get access
to the award text in Braille, why not grant it to him?  He will
eventually learn that not everything will come to him in a format he
can read, and maybe, just maybe, he will be a better advocate for
accessible materials because he knows he has gotten them in the past
and that they can be made pretty easily.

Julie

On 11/25/19, Mark Tardif via nFB-Talk <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> And yes, I think you are certainly correct about that.  Sometimes you have
> to decide what's more important, and what's less important.  That's
> certainly true.
>
>
>
> Mark Tardif
> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judy Jones via nFB-Talk
> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 9:53 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Cc: Judy Jones
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Talk] braille award?
>
> Yes, I agree with you, and I think it's a question of balance and picking
> your battles, too.
>
> Judy
>
> "Embrace each day with His mercies and blessings."
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nFB-Talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mark
> Tardif
> via nFB-Talk
> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 6:37 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Cc: Mark Tardif
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Talk] braille award?
>
> Judy, I hear you.  But part of educating the sighted public does involve
> advocating and letting them know what our needs are.  Sometimes that can
> make us more independent.  For example, if we didn't want employers to
> provide more accessibility to their software, I suspect that would make it
> less likely that blind people would be employed.  Simply because something
> sounds like blind people are demanding entitlements doesn't necessarily
> make
>
> that a bad thing.
>
>
>
> Mark Tardif
> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judy Jones via nFB-Talk
> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 9:10 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Cc: Judy Jones
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Talk] braille award?
>
> I'm sorry, but I feel the same way you do, too.  There are people who come
> from an entitlement perspective, and if they aren't careful, they're going
> to teach their kids that the world owes them this and that.
>
> Again, the parents could be coming from the perspective, quote, my kid
> should have access to any print he can, especially if its an award he got.
> I can see that too.
>
> But, instead of making a big deal out of it, solve the issue as simply as
> possible.
>
> We blind people, as like anyone else, need to find our own solutions, with
> the help of the sighted public when we need it.  It is not the
> responsibility of the sighted society to cater to us.  Yes, I am a firm
> believer in equal access, but there are so many ways to accomplish that
> without teaching your child he is entitled to everything.  We need to be
> problem solvers ourselves and train our children to be as well.  We need to
> pick our battles, some we may lose, as long as we end up winning the war,
> so
> to speak.
>
> Judy
>
> "Embrace each day with His mercies and blessings."
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nFB-Talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris
> Westbrook via nFB-Talk
> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2019 5:52 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Cc: Chris Westbrook
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Talk] braille award?
>
> I suggested that if he wanted it in Braille that she read it to him and he
> could braille it himself. That didn't go over well lol but I just don't
> think EVERYTHING should be provided in Braille all the time, it's not real
> life. Should I be upset the church doesn't buy a Braille embosser and
> braille the bulletins? Or all the hymn lyrics? Where does it stop? Oh well
> I'm from a different generation I guess. I'm not THAT old though, I'm only
> 35. Haha.
>
> On Mon, Nov 25, 2019 at 8:28 PM d m gina via nFB-Talk <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Yes I agree with you.
>> Now if she wishes it in Braille, get it done and let him have both.
>>
>> Original message:
>> > An issue came up on our parents group on facebook, and I thought I
>> > would
>> > pose it hear to see if I'm totally off base. I like to participate in
> our
>> > NOPBC facebook group not because I'm a parent but because I'm a blind
>> adult
>> > and hope to be a role model, etc. Anyway, a parent posted that her son,
> I
>> > believe middle school age although it doesn't matter, had made the
>> > honor
>> > role. Awesome. But she was upset that the award certificate that he got
>> was
>> > not in Braille and she was going to contact the school. I told her not
> to
>> > bother calling the school, that not everything would be made in Braille
>> > when he got older etc. I understand that academic material should be
>> > provided in Braille, but felt that this should be let go. Wow. No one
>> > agreed with me, and one parent wrote this response to my message
>> > listing
>> > all the 25 million reasons why I was wrong. I can take it, I have thick
>> > skin, but I'm just wondering am I out of touch? I know Braille is
>> > important, and I know it  would not have taken long to do this, I just
>> > think this type of thing isn't a big deal. I'm sure I got many awards
>> > in
>> > school and I don't remember a single one of them being Brailled. I
>> > think
>> > sometimes we go too far. Just wondering what you all think.
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> --
>> --Dar
>> skype: dmgina23
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>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>> every saint has a past
>> every sinner has a future
>>
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-- 
Julie A. McGinnity
MM Vocal Performance, 2015; President, National Federation of the
Blind Performing Arts Division