[nfbwatlk] FW: [CFB List] Vision Mates

Mike Freeman k7uij at panix.com
Sun Feb 24 15:48:41 UTC 2013


Read and weep! Or, perhaps, gape in astonishment.

 

From: list-bounces at cfb.ca [mailto:list-bounces at cfb.ca] On Behalf Of Mary
Ellen Gabias
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2013 7:40 PM
Subject: [List] Vision Mates

 

 

Have any of you heard the latest commercial from CNIB in which they seek
volunteers to spend two hours a week reading to blind people or helping with
shopping?  It's hard to believe that I heard it correctly, because the
commercial invites volunteers to become "Vision Mates!"  The implications
are odd, to say the least.

 

This continues the unfortunate trend of that organization to name everything
"vision Something."  

 

Maybe an organization whose mission statement involves service to aboriginal
persons will come up with a volunteer program and call those volunteers
"White Knights."  If so, I would guess there would be a justifiable outcry
against language so demeaning to the recipients of volunteer service.  Alas,
I doubt 

that anyone outside of the blind community will even wonder about "Vision
Mates."  Even more sadly, far to many blind and vision impaired people won't
be bothered by the implications, either.

 

Mary Ellen

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