[nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!

Kaye Kipp kkipp123 at msn.com
Wed Aug 1 23:29:30 CDT 2007


Well it surprised me just a wee tad.

Kaye
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Sellers" <robertsellers500 at comcast.net>
To: <amcanfield at comcast.net>; "'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'" 
<nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!


>
> Is anyone else surprised, but me,  that WSSB would have an activity   like
> that to have a sighted person experience blindness????
>
> Bob
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Alco Canfield
> Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 1:50 AM
> To: 'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!
>
> Well, obviously, the five-day experience taught them nothing at all.
> Wrapping noodles around a fork with fingers, indeed!  I never was good at
> using a spoon to do that, but I have a very big mouth as you all know and 
> I
> just open wide.  I feel sorry for the blind children who are unfortunate
> enough to receive "instruction" from these bimbos.
>
> Alco
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Mike Freeman
> Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 7:08 PM
> To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!
>
> With all due respect to educators, there are some of us who figure that
> juxtaposition of the word "educator" with the phrase "common sense"
> constitutes an oxymoron! <g>
>
> Mike
>
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: hlstansberry at comcast.net
>  To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List ; NFB of Washington Talk
> Mailing List
>  Cc: KAYE KIPP
>  Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 5:26 PM
>  Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!
>
>
>  Please do so.  This is very insulting to blind individuals and what
> makes it worse, is that these are educators that will impact and
> influence the thoughts of others.
>  Evidently these educators lacked the "brains" to imagine how to use a
> eating utensil in the dark.
>  Common sense would have aided them.
>
>  Lili
>
>  -------------- Original message -------------- 
>  From: "KAYE KIPP" <kkipp123 at msn.com>
>
>  > Absolutely.
>  > ----- Original Message ----- 
>  > From: "Mike Freeman"
>  > To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List"
>  > Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 3:42 PM
>  > Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!
>  >
>  >
>  > >I plan to write a rather strong letter (to say the least) on behalf
> of
>  > > the NFB of Washington protesting the eating experience below and
>  > > demanding that we (NFBW) be given a venue or method through which
> we can
>  > > contact the vision teachers who took part to correct the
> misconceptions
>  > > about blindness that have been reinforced by their experience. I
> might
>  > > even mention that WSSB will need budgetary support during the
> coming
>  > > legislative session!
>  > >
>  > > Mike Freeman, President
>  > > NFB of Washington
>  > >
>  > > ----- Original Message ----- 
>  > > From: Mike Freeman
>  > > To: NFB of Washington Talk
>  > > Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 4:36 PM
>  > > Subject: [nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > A Feast Not for the Eyes
>  > > Turns out it's not so easy eating blind. From left, educators
> Heidi
>  > > Stump, Diana Graham and Cheryl Edmonds eat their entrees
> blindfolded
>  > > as
>  > > part of a five-day
>  > > intensive workshop through the Washington State School for the
> Blind.
>  > > (ISOLDE RAFTERY/The Columbian)
>  > > Sunday, July 29, 2007
>  > > BY ISOLDE RAFTERY, Columbian staff writer
>  > >
>  > > Cheryl Edmonds is not, at first glance, the sort of person who
> would
>  > > plunge her hands into her salad bowl. But Wednesday evening, at
> the
>  > > Olive Garden in
>  > > Vancouver, Edmonds was blindfolded and desperate to connect with
> her
>  > > entree.
>  > >
>  > > Edmonds, of Vancouver, was among 37 people, most of them
> educators,
>  > > who
>  > > agreed to a blind dinner. The exercise is part of a five-day
> intensive
>  > > workshop
>  > > on blindness.
>  > >
>  > > By the end of the meal, Edmonds, who was seated with two other
>  > > blindfolded women, had ditched etiquette.
>  > >
>  > > "I'd like to touch it all," she said, fingering a leaf. "I don't
> even
>  > > know how much I ate. Oh! There's a lot left."
>  > >
>  > > Sitting next to her, Diana Graham, a kindergarten teacher from the
>  > > North
>  > > Mason School District, north of Olympia, used her fingers to wrap
>  > > fettuccine noodles
>  > > around her fork.
>  > >
>  > > And Heidi Stump, a paraeducator seated at their table, was taking
> sips
>  > > from various glasses of soda.
>  > >
>  > > The three women, poised and socially aware without their
> blindfolds,
>  > > behaved like giddy children learning table manners.
>  > >
>  > > The idea behind the blind dinner was to provide a blind
> experience,
>  > > and
>  > > also to help explain how specific directions ("Your iced tea is 5
>  > > inches
>  > > in front
>  > > of you with the straw bobbing out") are key to working with blind
>  > > students. Educating the teachers
>  > >
>  > > Dee Amundsen, director of outreach at the School for the Blind,
> said
>  > > the
>  > > five days are a time for teachers who work with blind students to
>  > > learn
>  > > about blindness.
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > In Washington, there are 80 teachers for 1,300 visually impaired
>  > > students, Amundsen said.
>  > >
>  > > "Finding teachers for the visually impaired is like finding a
> needle
>  > > in
>  > > a haystack," she said. "A lot of kids don't get services. All
> these
>  > > people who are
>  > > teaching visually impaired kids don't know anything about
> blindness."
>  > >
>  > > At the restaurant, the educators learned they can't just "say
> when" to
>  > > a
>  > > waiter grinding pepper over their entrees. Someone must read the
> menu
>  > > to
>  > > them.
>  > > And then there's going to the restroom - an awkward dance that
>  > > involves
>  > > dodging patrons, slinking into a stall and finding the toilet
> seat.
>  > >
>  > > For Graham, the veteran kindergarten teacher from North Mason
> School
>  > > District, the five-day stint is worth it. She will have a blind
>  > > student
>  > > in her class
>  > > come fall.
>  > >
>  > > "I want to figure out how best to teach a child," Graham said. "I
> want
>  > > to get her reading for Braille. I want to get some academics into
>  > > her."
>  > >
>  > > Then she paused.
>  > >
>  > > "Are you still there?" she asked, also attempting to land a small
> pile
>  > > of fettuccine into her mouth.
>  > >
>  > > Yes, everyone was still there.
>  > >
>  > > "I feel stupid," Graham said. "I don't normally miss my face when
> I
>  > > eat."
>  > >
>  > > Cheryl Edmonds, a consultant, agreed.
>  > >
>  > > "I get a sense for the independence thing," she said. "If the
> lights
>  > > went out tomorrow, I don't know what that would mean for me."
>  > >
>  > > Did you know?
>  > >
>  > > There are 1,300 visually impaired or blind students in Washington.
>  > >
>  > > Eighty teachers are trained to teach blind students in the state.
>  > >
>  > > About 70 students attend Washington State School for the Blind in
>  > > Vancouver. The school serves about 600 students per month
> statewide.
>  > >
>  > > Isolde Raftery writes about education. She can be reached at
>  > > 360-759-8047 or isolde.raftery at columbian.com.
>  > >
>  > > C2007 Columbian.com. All Rights Reserved - Use of this site
>  > > constitutes
>  > > acceptance of our
>  > > User Agreement.
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  >
> >
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