[Nfbkabs] FW: [nabs-l] Trapped in the Middle

[Mike Freeman]

(1) How can a person be so sure he/she will never lose his/her vision? I 
can remember when it was thought that those of us in the first RLF/ROP; 
wave would eventually have stable vision. Wrong-o! Almost every RLF/ROP 
person I know has had vision deteriorate or has had eye diseases 
(glaucoma, cataracts, etc.) that necessiated removal of eyes.

(2) Even if one is legally blind, that's only ten percent of normal 
vision. So while one may be able to use a computer without assistance, 
can he/she do it eight hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred 
sixty-five days a year? Also, in my experience, those with some vision 
think they travel a whole hell of a lot better than they actually do.

(3) In the final analysis, however, isn't this all beside the point? WE 
learn the alternative techniques of blindness because they are or may 
well someday b more efficient than using techniques involving sight -- 
sight we no longer (or never did) have. So what does it hurt to learn 
the alternative techniques? If we neeed them, we can use them; if we 
don't need them, we needn't use them. But we should examine carefully 
why we are resisting using those techniques. Might it not just be 
possible we are reluctant to use them because we don't want to fess up 
to our blindness -- even (or, perhaps, most especially) to ourselves?

Mike Freeman

On Tue, 15 Aug 2006, Melanie Peskoe wrote:

> I saw this email on the NABS list this morning and I wanted to see if you
> all might have any thoughts around this topic?  Have you ever felt trapped
> in the middle, not really sighted yet not quite blind?  For those who
> consider themselves visually impaired, do you feel that you fit in either
> category and why?  Can we reconcile identifying as a Federationist with not
> identifying as being "blind"?  What do you all think? I don't want to
> suggest that any opinion is right or wrong, but I'd like to see if we can
> bring out any interesting discussion on this topic.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Joe Orozco
> Sent: Monday, August 14, 2006 9:58 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Trapped in the Middle
>
> Dear list:
>
>    How do you explain our philosophy to someone who feels they will never
> lose their vision?  I've tried several approaches but none seem successful,
> and the truth is that I sometimes find myself agreeing with their points of
> argument.  Why use a cane if you can see perfectly fine to get around.  Why
> learn Braille if the availability of Braille only fades the farther out you
> get from high school.  I speak of JAWS, and the idea seems irrelevant when a
>
> few clicks of the mouse can help enlarge the text across the screen.
>
>    These are some of the examples I seem to encounter while recruiting
> certain peers with a great deal of remaining vision.  I pitch a half-hearted
>
> battle, but frankly, I'm not so sure I would think differently if I were in
> their shoes.  Maybe this makes me a weaker Federationist, but regardless of
> my own position, the fact still stands that there are blind people out there
>
> who are lost in the fray simply because they do not find anyone who can
> relate to their situation: To see enough to get along but not enough to
> drive, if you will.
>
>    Anyway, I ask because a friend and I got in to it for the umpteenth time
>
> over why they needed to come to terms with their blindness.  I am partially
> convinced of their reasoning for why they do not need to learn alternative
> techniques, and if I argue with this person at all, it is because they do
> not seem to have a problem identifying themselves as blind when it comes to
> the check the first of every month.  The former I can deal with, the latter
> not so much, but they would largely benefit from our services if brought
> around to see our point of view.
>
>    That's where you come in.  Any suggestions?
>
>          Joe Orozco
>
> "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like
> you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not
> forget you."--William Arthur Ward
>
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