[nfbwatlk] READ AND WEEP!

Mon Aug 20 22:26:24 CDT 2007

AMEN  alittle bit of common sence goes a long ways, and these people are 
susposed to be paid to think and teach.Talk about educated ideots.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <hlstansberry at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>; "NFB of 
Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "KAYE KIPP" <kkipp123 at msn.com>
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.
>> >
>> > ©2007 Columbian.com. All Rights Reserved - Use of this site
>> > constitutes
>> > acceptance of our
>> > User Agreement.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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