Hi Brenda. first you were getting duplicate messages most likely because
both of us answered each other on list.
What happens is a copy goes to list and a copy goes to the individual.
Maybe yours only came one time because you just sent to the list.
Your right about your revelation quotation hot or cold in that text is a
chosen action.
You didn't choose to have limited vision. It must be frustrating because
people who can see don't think you see enough so your seen as kind of
different and totals see you as seeing as it were to much so your still not
like them.
Statistics I've read, however indicate that most "blindness" isn't total so
most likely more people are in your situation then you realize.
It's not unusual for many partials to feel caught in the middle between
two worlds. My wife often feels that way and I know lots of others who do
as well.
Your camp stories are interesting and they sound like someone most likely a
total has taken his /her experiences and turned them upside down.
Maybe the camp you mention is with one of the blind centers.
Hopefully you found a camp where you didn't have to wear sleep shades but
than again if no one else could see I can see the argument how do you
prevent the sighted person or partially sighted person playing beep ball
from tagging out all the totals? I read in a book it wasn't written by a
blind person I suspect "in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king."
I don't agree with the quotation but wonder
How could that game be played so no one had the advantage due to no sight
orpartial sight? If you were playing goals ball I could maybe compensate
by hitting the ball harder but even than I could see a partial choosing
where the most timid players were and hitting the ball there.
Maybe some beep ball players have a good answer I don't I think I played
once or twice and I played baseball with regular kids a time or two.
I'm sure or all most sure they threw the ball in to the bat and refused to
tag me out.
But that was a church group we were all family and it was fun just being
aloud to be a part with everyone else.
I wish you lived in a larger community where you could have found a camp
more to your liking.
----- These things can and should be worked out I'm sure. I don't blame
your disgust or unhappiness.
But still whether partials got treated better when I was a child or totals
got treated better when you were a child we need to work together.
Sometimes we need to do what we can to improve magnification through
programs like zoom text. We need to as best we can meet the needs of those
with partial sight.
We also need to highlight braille literacy and needs of those who aren't in
the middle.
You might want to get involved with a center for the partially sighted if
there is one in your area.
Perhaps I can give you the contact information for the one in Santa Monica
and they can refer you to one or a similar agency you can work with better.
Feel free to write me off list.
I will respond in kind.
Mike
MFrom: "Brenda" <[email protected]>
To: "Michael Peterson" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 3:52 PM
Subject: Re: ot three requests
I think you sent this a second time. I did not read it as I read the first
one. If there were additions/changes, please let me know.
One little story as to why I get so ticked.....I went to a camp for the
blind for 2 years. We had road rallys with a local car club. Each camper
was put in a car and would read the directions of where to go
either in large print or braille. The second year, there were not enough
cars for all the campers so they put all the blind children in cars first.
As a partial, I was put in the back seat of a car to sit for 2 hours while
the child reading braille did all the navigation. Then later, the camp
director called all the totally sighted campers that came with blind
children to a special meeting. He asked them to pick up litter if they
saw it. We partials could have done that too. Then there's beep baseball
or golf where partials are required to where blindfolds forcing us to be
at a total disadvantage because we are not used to being without sight.
Needless to say, I did not go to that camp again but struggled in the
sighted world.
It just seems like partials just get left out because no one has time for
them. Even now, I have enough vision that people really don't get it and
I can't be who I am. I guess God had it right when he said either be hot
or cold (yes, I know that is out of context, but I always think of it in
my situation.)
Brenda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Peterson" <[email protected]>
To: "Brenda" <[email protected]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 5:12 PM
Subject: Re: ot three requests
Hi Brenda. My heart goes out to you. Sounds like some folks handled
your situation wrong.
But literacy for all isn't an issue generally speaking or at least
outside of the campaign offered by Barbara Bush I haven't seen anything
close to the type of campaign your suggesting. General literacy for all
isn't a bad idea though.
However this is not an either or proposition.
"sight savers" is what they called partials in Frances blend elementary
school for the blind where I attended, were always encouraged to read I
Suppose they still are.
My wife went to normal school and could see like you, but only out of
one eye. They told her she might acquire glaucoma. But she didn't have
it as a little girl. What worked best for her according to her school
administrators was reading large print and yes, she should have
definitely learned to use that medium but her teacher wanted to teach her
Braille The teacher wanted to offer her "informed choice."
..Denying her that means she wasn't allowed to seriously explore her
options. I think that would be like telling Her family she wasn't
allowed to be bilingual if she lived in a Spanish community or there was
a good probability she could be relocated to Mexico in a short time.
English is your only language.
It had to be a choice Braille or print. Society said well you can see so
it's print we made your choice for you. She didn't have enough
information to choose for herself.
Her family definitely didn't want to see her as a blind child and still
they don't like her using a white cane foldable or otherwise to get
around.To them she's not blind.Not even now, not even with progressive
glaucoma. They aren't bad people they are great folks to hang with in
fact very nice and helpful to me and to us as a couple.
She learned grade one through the teacher I mentioned but the school made
her stop.
She my wife, never really used that Braille but learned it that was
maybe 20-years ago. Her eye did get glaucoma now it's not speculation but
fact. She wishes they would have let her learn Braille and it wasn't
because of the NFB in fact until we met she wasn't involved with any
blind organizations except maybe some camps for the blind in PA that met
over the summer.
Terra can use zoom text as long as her eye functions and by the standard
you suggest she is "literate" but she says and I respect her opinion that
she needs to be "Braille literate."
If we stress "literacy for all"and make it either or discounting a
campaign to improve Braille literacy according to what I understand you
to say you are doing to her opinion what you state "NFB types" did to
yours.
And, your opinion has been the dominant opinion. IN fact some go as far
as to say "Literacy" just means one has access to the printed word so as
long as the technology talks everything is fine.
But if you seriously look at blind people who are working they need to
physically be able to read and write.
Sight savers for the most part can and I'm sure we have exceptions but
those who are loosing their sight or are "blind" totally" have a much
greater percentage of illiteracy.
People who can't read and write even if they acquire employment have a
much higher probability of being let go.
I guess they could listen and keyboard but reading of the printed word
independent of a computer enhances your marketability.
Let me illustrate my position another way I believe we should end all
disease.
But sometimes I do the "relay for life" that focuses on curing cancer
which is a specific not a general disease.
This month lots of folks are focusing on breast cancer. Now I do
campaign for cancer in general and I do favor abolition to all diseases
but this months focus is on breast cancer.
If you do a campaign to help "sight savers" become literate I will
sponsor you but it's Louis Braille's 200th birthday. Braille has opened
a door to the blind they have never been able to enjoy before now. It
equals the Gutenberg press for those in the sighted world.
It is only fitting we celebrate this man's tremendous accomplishments by
saluting and promoting Braille literacy.
There were other people even during his life who tried to promote other
systems and to destroy Braille as to slow and cumbersome. Fortunately 200
years later Braille literacy still thrives.
Not at all is this meant to put you down and seriously when you promote
literacy for all as a participant in an event let me know which agency I
should make out my check to.
I will sponsor you.
If you forget my email remind me at our personal website lifesrace.com
God Bless:
MikePeterson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brenda" <[email protected]>
To: "Michael Peterson" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: ot three requests
Hi Michael
I grew up a high partial and was sent to sight saving school up to grade
5 where I was given large print. I had excellent partial sight and
could even read regular print when they let me. When I finally stood up
and said no more large print, they sent me to regular schools. The
resource person for the kids left behind told them that I was a good
reader and that is why I was able to go to my local school.
When I started associating more with the blind, I was basically told by
NFB types that I was blind already or would "go dark" (as one cruel
person told me. Hence, now that I'm loosing a lot more of my vision, I
don't get the chance to morn. I never fit in in either blind or sighted
world. I did not read brail because it was not as efficient as print
for me.
I think braille literacy is good, but reading literacy would be better.
Everyone should read the way that works best for them. I had friends
with good partial sight who were not encouraged to read, yet there were
braille writing contests for braille users. The NFB (not sur, but I
would guess they are involved) doesn't want talking traffic signs, but
they want to have braille as the only reading method. LITERACY is what
should be stressed. EVERYONE should read be they fully sighted, partial
or blind. If I had learned braille as a child, I would have forgotten it
by now, but print made it possible for me to get through life. Had I
not felt abandoned and unaccepted by the blind, I might have benefited
from many adaptive strategies that would have really helped me.
LITERACY FOR EVERYONE ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS/ABILITIES!!!
BrendaOriginal
Message -----
From: "Michael Peterson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 5:58 AM
Subject: ot three requests
Many of you use and recognize the importance of Braille as does GW
Micro with the introduction of software accessible to Braille displays.
For this reason I make the following requests!
1. If you can joined me and several others as we walk for Braille
Literacy on October 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m on the golden Gate
bridge please be there.
We need as many blind people as possible to show visibly to the world
how very important Braille literacy is to us. If you know celebrities
dignitaries or other people of prominence who can help us spread this
message
please encourage
them to come along too!
If you can walk please go to http://www.nfbcal.org and fill out the
walker registration form. You can walk with us if you like and even
better yet, have friends and family sponsor you as you walk for Braille
Literacy across the golden Gate bridge.
Friends and family who are interested are also invited to join our
effort.
2. If you can't be there but are willing please sponsor me, Michael
Peterson, by selecting my name and filling out the sponsor a walker
form at
http://www.nfbcal.org
3. You may not have seen the Braille silver dollars minted in honor of
Louis Braille's 200 birthday. They really have Braille letters on them
and only 400,000 are in circulation so they will definitely be a
collectible.
Buy one if you can before the end of December because the money raised
will be used to increase Braille literacy.
Any left after December 31 will be melted down. The great news is more
than 200,000 Braille Silver dollars have been sold so far. They are a
fantastic Christmas or Hanukah gift for the person who has everything!
They are also very very cool a great conversation piece.
Something you can hand down as an heirloom from generation to
generation like a gold watch, something no one else will have.
Oh and by the way if you wish please feel free to pass this message to
anyone who might be interested. I and the blind children of tomorrow
thank you.
Thanks for reading!
God Bless:
Michael Peterson
sponsor link
http://www.nfbcal.org
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