Miriam,
I would submit that it was not your blindness that worked as a
roadblock, it was opportunity. Had you lived in Washington State
during the 70's, I and others would have done all we could to obtain
your support on behalf of blind people. That one struggle to
establish a Commission for the Blind, lasting 7 years, thrust several
blind people into successful careers. We saw blind people take
positions on the state Human Rights Commission, several went on to
successful careers in Law, several went on to open and successfully
operate private businesses. And even I managed to secure employment,
later advancing to direct the Adult Orientation and Training Center at
Services for the blind, and as assistant director of field services.
In a sense, blindness was the launching pad. One of my reasons for
supporting collectivism, many hands make light the work.
It's tough when you stand up and look around and discover that you're
the only one standing.
One thing for sure, Miriam, after reading your posts and personal
thoughts for several years, We really could have gained from your
participation during those years in the 70's and 80's as we struggled
from our roles as Patients, to becoming Clients, and on to being
Participants who must be totally involved in the rehabilitation
process. We're a long way from standing on the level playing field,
but we are no longer "the invisible blind".
And all the efforts caused ripples to circle out. Today we have a
blind Lieutenant Governor who rose up on his own merits, but did so
because of activities that went on long before he was born.
In fact it was blindness that enabled me to return to college and put
behind me the work in the drapery factory. College and raising a
daughter placed more of a strain on our family budget than we could
handle. But on SSDI and free college? A piece of cake...with whipped
cream.
Of course I never wanted to become totally blind, but I always took
the position that we played with the cards we were dealt.
Yup, I sure missed you back in the 70's and 80's.
Carl Jarvis, who never wants to look around and find myself alone.
On 8/18/20, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Miriam, I think you may be writing to the wrong people. OO tunes
provides the radio stations you get on your Stream. The podcasts are
provided by something else, I think maybe the Apple podcast store.
___
Carl Sagan
“Every aspect of Nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of
wonder and awe. Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who
pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human
beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather
than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and
structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes
and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
On 8/18/2020 9:47 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
Problem is, given the joys of using modern technology, it's difficult to
know whether what is happening is a result of a technical issue or
whether
stuff is being censored. So I do find it rather suspicious that the Mary
Trump and John Bolton books were quickly removed from BARD shortly after
they were put up and the reason given was, well I don't know what because
I'm one of the people who never saw the removal notification that
supposedly
everyone saw and had to click OK on. But it was something to do with
missing
text. But now there are two podcasts which are suddenly hard to get. Loud
and Clear disappeared for a week. There are supposed to be 5 daily
programs.
It airs on the Sputnik network in DC. Then last week, 3 episodes appeared
on
one day. Not good because it's a discussion of daily news. The episodes
for
yesterday and today never appeared. Well, everyone in DC thinks that the
Russian government is trying to cause conflict and discontent in our
harmonious peaceful nation. So now, Flashpoints, which is aired on KPFA
didn't appear last night or this morning and tonight's episode is not
downloading now. Neither is today's Loud and Clear. I've sent an email to
OO
Tunes asking why, but I'm not holding my breath until I receive an
answer.
Now, if I were like Evan Reese, (who's tried to kill me on the two lists
of
which we are both members, and I were comfortable accepting the political
center and the mainstream media consensus on all issues and I worshipped
artificial intelligence, I could happily snuggle in the warm, comfortable
nest that the ruling class has provided for the consumers of mainstream
thought. I was reminded, the other day, that a book by Neil Postman, was
written back in the sixties about the effects of television on the
population called, Entertaining Ourselves To Death.
One big disadvantage to me of being blind is that had I not had a
disability, I would have been free to find, and to be accepted by, people
who think as I do and I could have been more active in working toward the
kind of world in which I believe.
Miriam