I still feel obligated to educate people about blindness. I guess I would like
the next blind person whom they meet to be treated with more knowledge and more
respect than they've treated me. And I don't want people to generalize about
all blind people from what their experience with me has been. So, for example,
the other day when Debbie said something like, "You're very good on the
computer", I told her that in fact, there were large numbers of blind people
who know a whole lot more than I do and who do much more on the computer and
are more skilled. My experience is that sighted people think that it's amazing
that a blind person can do anything independently. I understand that. If they
suddenly lost their sight, they'd be helpless. The fact that for many blind
people, especially those who are congenitally blind, functioning independently
is automatic, is unfathomable.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey
(Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 3:46 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: another memory regarding the language police
I can't say that I was ever happy about becoming blind, but once I did I never
had a problem with being called blind. It never occurred to me to be offended
by that word. As for white canes, I have noticed that most people don't know
what to call it. It doesn't seem to be a matter of struggling to find a
nonoffensive word. It seems to be just plain ignorance. The most common thing
they call it is a blind stick. I tell them that it is called a white cane
sometimes. I used to do so every time. But it got to be a bit tiresome after a
while and oftentimes anymore I just let it go and let them call it whatever
they want.
___
Emmett F. Fields “ Atheism is more than just the knowledge that gods do not
exist, and that religion is either a mistake or a fraud. Atheism is an
attitude, a frame of mind that looks at the world objectively, fearlessly,
always trying to understand all things as a part of nature.
” ― Emmett F. Fields
On 2/9/2021 11:00 AM, Carl Jarvis wrote:
Back in the 60's and 70's many of the agencies serving the blind
worried that the use of the word Blind turned potential clients off.
In Seattle, Community Services for the Blind, a private agency,
changed their name as often as they changed their underware. They
tried several handles over the years. Vision Services, and Sight
Connection were popular.
Once, during a national conference, a Worker for the Blind explained
that he side stepped the "offensive word, Blind" by referring to
"Sightless Citizens". I spoke from the floor, saying, "I am a blind
man, and I am offended that you, a professional in the field of work
with the Blind, cannot bring yourself to call us what we are". But
seriously, for many years, Blind was a very hard word for me to apply
to myself. I noticed that other blind people also struggled with the
label. "Blindies" and "Blinks" were often used by blind people, when
talking about themselves. Anything to avoid having to use the B word.
That professional worker believed by not using the word Blind, he was
showing his sensitivity. but what he was doing was reinforcing the
negative feelings about the word.
And that white travel cane, that symbol of blindness, a tool that I
began life as a blind man, hating with a passion. That white travel
cane that is always with me these days, along with a white support
cane, that cane made it possible for me to travel independently across
most of our United States, Canada, and Mexico. When sighted people
say, "You got your stick?" I tell them, "It's my white travel cane.
It's taken me from coast to coast. Please show it a little respect."
I can only speak for myself, but that transition from sighted to blind
was a very difficult one for me. Without ever being aware of it, I
had developed a negative attitude about blindness. And that smug
professional worker had no idea how much a part of the negative
attitude he was by calling Blind by other names.
Carl Jarvis
2/8/21, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
For a brief period of time, there was a term that sighted people were
using to avoid using the word, "blind". I don't remember the precise
phrase, but I do remember this weird incident. I was attending a
platform address at the Long Island Ethical Humanist Society. I don't
remember anything about the talk that was given, but I do remember
that the guest speaker used that blindness avoidance term during his
talk. So at the end of his talk when we all had a chance to speak
with him individually, I told him that as a blind person, I wanted
him to know that I, and the many blind people whom I knew, did not
resent the use of the word, "blind", that is an honest,
straightforward description of our disability, and we are not ashamed
of it.
I wanted to reassure him that it is perfectly OK to use the word, "blind".
Amazingly, he did not accept what I said, but instead, he gave me
some rationale for refusing to use the word. I was furious. Here was
a person saying that he didn't wish to disrespect a group of people
and he then disrespects a member of that group by refusing to receive
feedback on his decision.
Miriam