[Blindtlk] Question

[Judy Jones]

Hi, Lindsay,


The other thing is, how you see yourself and your blindness will set the 
tone for others and their reactions.  For the most part, people are going to 
like you for who you are.  Most kids, anyway, are so busy worrying about 
their own self-image, they're not going to be too concerned about yours, and 
as long as you're friendly, and others see you accepting and using your cane 
as part of a normal busy lifestyle, they will come to feel the same way, 
accepting you as a person.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Question


> Lindsay:
>
 First, thank you for being so open about your feelings toward your cane and
> being able to admit that it's not the kids and teachers treating you
> differently from others that hangs you up; it's your own feelings and
> thinking on the subject. Plenty of people aren't honest enough with
> themselves or others to admit this; by doing so, you're well on your way 
> to
> an answer for your plea of help.
>
> Second, you say you know your school well and therefore can travel around 
> it
> easily. You also say that you see a bit more than light but not enough to
> read print; many things look like blobs to you. You may well be right; you
> can probably travel around your school without difficulty -- as long as
> everything stays the same. But the world (including your school) isn't 
> like
> that; people put stuff in hallways; people move furniture; people leave
> doors open when they're usually closed or vice versa; administrative 
> yahoos
> insist upon embarking upon construction projects when you know perfectly
> well that the school building is just fine as it is and doesn't need to be
> changed for the next millennium; people making posters insist upon 
> spreading
> them out completely on a hallway floor when common sense should tell them
> that hallways are for walking - they're not drafting tables! Using your
> cane, you will get advance warning of most, if not all, of these 
> situations;
> without it, you're likely to blunder into these situations and hurt 
> yourself
> or others or make someone mighty irritated at you (people don't like 
> having
> their posters stepped upon). I suspect that you don't see well enough to
> avoid these situations without using your cane. Which is worse -- making
> others mad at you or hurting them or yourself or using your cane and 
> easily
> avoiding these situations which are, if nothing else, acutely 
> embarrassing?
>
> Third, you say that the cane makes you look different and this bugs you.
> Have you ever considered that you're different anyway and that the cane
> neither adds nor detracts from this difference? One of the illusions most 
> of
> us have had to banish from our thinking as we grew older is that we can 
> hide
> our visual impairments. You may not get stared at as much if you don't use
> your cane. But when you encounter an awkward situation as described above,
> people are going to wonder why you are such a klutz. Isn't it better to 
> use
> a cane and not be a klutz or, if the inevitable happens and you do 
> something
> awkward because you don't see well, people will *know* the score?
>
> Finally, now that we've established that you're different whether you like
> it or not, what's so bad about blindness being the difference? Yes,
> blindness can be a darned nuisance at times; yes, some things are more
> easily done with sight. And yes, there are a ton of sighted folks -- and
> then there's you, the "blind one". But there isn't much you can do about 
> it;
> we all play the hand in life we're dealt. You're blind and whether you
> realize it now or not, refusing to carry a cane won't hide this fact from
> people very long. So if you're different -- if you're blind -- you might 
> as
> well do things that make things a bit easier and safer. Using a cane is 
> one
> of them. There's no shame in blindness - or any other difference, for that
> matter. It's the way things are. It's respectable to be blind.
>
> So carry that cane proudly and march through life competently, safely,
> proudly and independently. Think of your cane as a badge of independence.
> And when you use it to travel safely, you'll be showing the world that 
> their
> notions of the blind as bumbling travelers who can't find their way out of
> paper bags and who need constant help is dead wrong!
>
> If you need encouragement in this endeavor, all of us on this list are 
> here
> to help. And we can find an NFB chapter near you which helps immensely 
> with
> moral support.
>
> Now go raise some cane! (grin)
>
> Mike Freeman, President
> National Federation of the Blind of Washington
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "lindsay" <lindsay777 at charter.net>
> To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 4:26 PM
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Question
>
>
>>I had a question about the cane.  I'm fine with using the cane at
>> school, but sometimes I don't need it.  I feel like I know the
>> school practically as well as my house.  I can see somewhat.
>> Light, darkness, shagows, colors, and things like that.
>> Everything kind of looks like a big blob.  I can only tell
>> sometimes what things are.  I'm right in the middle, I can see
>> more than light, but not enough to read large print.  It's kind
>> of frustrating because I go to a public school.  I'm the only one
>> who uses a cane.  But if I didn't go to a public school, I would
>> probably never see my family.  I don't mind reading Braille.
>> Although it WOULD be more convenient if I could read print.  It's
>> just my cane!  It makes me stick out.  I don't want to always be
>> dependent on my parents, but I don't like everyone knowing I
>> can't see very well.  Sure, it has its advantages, but for the
>> most part it can be very frustrating.  Please help me to know
>> what to think about my cane.  Teachers and kids treat me the same
>> for the most part, I just really hate my cane.
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk
>>
>
>
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