A waiter at a restaurant this side once said the following to me after I
explained some simple things to him like pouring level indicators,
cellphones, our money measuring slide things, general living workarounds,
etc.:
you're not disabled - you're differently enabled
Stay well
Jacob Kruger
Blind Biker
Skype: BlindZA
'...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Ward" <[email protected]>
To: "Gamers Discussion list" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: [Audyssey] The importance of patronage
Hi Dark,
Well, I think there are always a few that do meet the stereotypical
view no matter where you go. I've met more than my share of the kind
that want everything done for them etc at summer camp, blind
conventions, etc but there are also plenty of people who don't meet
this stereotypical view as well. I think a lot of it is just how you,
as an individual are raised, and weather or not you were educated in a
public school or a specialized school etc.
I myself had had several years of useful vision so I was raised during
my formative years as a normal child. I would help my dad out working
on cars, computers, and other general electronics he would fix for
friends at work etc. When I lost my sight my dad didn't go, "I have a
blind son who is helpless." No, on the contrary he incurraged me to
continue helping him work on things in his work shop. Even if it was
something as simple as locating the right size socket, rench, or screw
driver, he wanted me to know and understand I was anything but
helpless. In fact, he put me to work changing transmissions etc at age
17 without any useful vision at all which goes to prove how I had that
little extra push some of the more institutionalized blind don't get I
think. If you aren't actively incurraged to overcome the blindness
thing you'll never quite get passed the "I'm helpless" mentality.
Cheers!
On 4/27/11, dark <[email protected]> wrote:
Well Tom, I'm not sure how it is in the states, but over here there is
one
group of young blind people who do! conform to stomething of a
sterriotype.
I've noticed that some blind people (especially those who went to
specialist
schools), are! pretty useless, expect everything to be done for them,
only
associate with other blind people etc.
That aside though I do know what you mean about organizations having
specific ideas of blind people.
For instance when I asked the rnib about using a chip and pin card, their
response was that I learn one cash machine near my home, but when i
pointed
out machines can come in different makes and models with different screen
prompts and such, they told me to "Get my carer to do it" ---- rather
hard,
sinse I live on my own and don't have one, ---- which surprised them ;D.
In the end I just fixed things myself by arranging with my bank to have a
signature card, so that machines will print out a receit for me to sign
when
I pay for stuff with it and I can just get actual cash at my local bank.
My point though, the rnib had no idea of a blind person living entirely
alone and not! having "a carer"
The problem is this atitude is contagious. When I was trying to activate
the
wireless network on my hub but couldn't due to not being able to read the
key on the side, when I phoned the company tech support they told me to
"get
someone to read it for me" and when I pointed out there wasn't they said
"that what other blind people do" and put the phone down on me.
Beware the grue!
Dark.
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