[nfb-talk] [nabs-l] House Said to Remove Hall Clutter

[RyanO]

Joseph, your "superblink" comment bugs me a little. It connotes the idea 
that, if we get just a little too good at travel, social interaction, etc, 
therefore surpassing our blind peers, then we should somehow feel ashamed. 
The deeper meaning here is that mediocrity is the norm and should be good 
enough.

The term, "superblink," was probably coined by blind people who were pissed 
off that other blind people were trying to do it better than they were and 
succeeding. Or it may have been coined by sighted people who believed that 
blind people doing ordinary things was, "amazing." Either way you look at 
it, the larger goal of striving for the betterment of the blind seems to be 
lost in the term.

Moreover, while your point about taking people of varying skill levels to 
meet our representatives in D.C. is well-taken, we have to face the reality 
that some of those people will reinforce negative stereotypes. If you walk 
into a senator's office with a person who may publicly adjust their crotch, 
pick their nose, rock back and forth, refuse to soap their armpits in the 
shower or talk at inappropriate moments, are you going to be comfortable 
dialoguing with that senator about our issues of necessity? Do we really 
want to deal with that when pushing for important legislation that is 
beneficial to our lives? I don't have a clear-cut answer, but even though I 
may be accused of insensitivity or elitism, the question is still a valid 
one and is worth discussing.


RyanO