[Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, July 2016
Brian Buhrow
buhrow at lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Tue Jul 12 23:36:05 PDT 2016
BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 59, No. 7 July 2016
Gary Wunder, Editor
Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive, by
the
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
Mark Riccobono, President
telephone: (410) 659-9314
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Vol. 59, No. 7 July
2016
Contents
Illustration: National Federation of the Blind Honors Award Winners with
New Exhibit in the Jacobus tenBroek Library
New Ideas and Technology Make Transportation More Accessible
by Gary Wunder
A Matter of Attitude
by Glenn Moore
Under New Legislation, Proof of Child-Care Abilities Shifts for Blind
Parents
by Leo Traub
TIME to Act on Real Employment for People with Disabilities
by Tom Ridge
Just Saying No to Reading Braille
by Sheri Wells Jensen
When New Laws Change Old Rights: What is Being Lost in All the Media Hype?
by Brian Buhrow
Running Out the Clock on Regulations Release
by Parnell Diggs
Throwing Away the Road Map
by Sheila Koenig
Ask Miss Whozit
Recipes
Monitor Miniatures
© 2016 by the National Federation of the Blind
[PHOTO CAPTION: Ellen Ringlein stands next to the new exhibit in the
Jacobus tenBroek Library]
National Federation of the Blind Honors Award Winners with New Exhibit in
the Jacobus tenBroek Library
The Jacobus tenBroek Library is pleased to announce the unveiling of
our newest exhibit, which honors the Federationists and outside partners
who have received the NFB's highest awards since 1955. This exhibit not
only celebrates the important work of those who have received these awards-
a notable list of politicians, philanthropists, teachers, inventors, and
Federation leaders-it pays tribute to the respected pioneers they are named
after.
. The Newel Perry Award: Established in 1955, this award is named for
the trail-blazing activist, mathematician, and mentor of Jacobus
tenBroek. It is awarded to leaders in the blindness field, blind or
sighted, who have worked as dedicated partners with the NFB.
. The Jacobus tenBroek Award: First awarded in 1976, this award is named
for the esteemed founder of the NFB and honors those Federationists
who have made an outstanding contribution toward independence for the
blind.
. The Kenneth Jernigan Award: Inaugurated in 2011 and named for the
beloved teacher, civil rights advocate, and past president of the NFB,
this award may be given to anyone who has made a significant
contribution to the blindness community either through their
participation in or partnership with the Federation.
Each award display consists of one description plaque which features
an engraving of the NFB's current logo and explains the qualifications for
receiving the award, who it was named after, and when it was established.
The description plaque is then followed by a series of larger plaques
containing the recipients' names and the years that they received the
award. All text is produced in both print and UEB Braille on handsome brass
plaques mounted on dark brown wood. These plaques will be updated as new
awards are granted to worthy winners. The tenBroek Library would like to
thank the team at the National Braille Press for their fine work on the
production of these beautiful awards.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Wunder]
New Ideas and Technology Make Transportation More Accessible
by Gary Wunder
Technology and new business ventures are always bringing new words
into our language, and one that has emerged in the last few years is Uber.
It is most easily thought of as an alternative to taxicabs, but at a deeper
level it is a transportation service, and this entails a somewhat different
relationship between drivers, passengers, and the company.
Traditional taxi services purchase vehicles and hire drivers to work
specified shifts. Usually the company is required to have insurance, and
there is little question that how a taxi driver behaves and what he says
reflects on the company that employs him and that he is subject to that
company's policies. In turn that company is responsible for enforcing those
policies and for following any regulations that pertain to its business.
By any measure running a taxi business is difficult. If a business
employs too few people, passengers do not like the wait. If a business
employs too many people, the drivers make less than they need, turnover is
high, and the result is still a poor experience for many riders. Getting
the balance right takes skill, experience, and good luck, and there is no
question that this new paradigm and the use of technology makes the task of
managing supply and demand much easier for Uber than for most traditional
taxi services.
Uber owns no cars and does not hire its drivers as employees.
Instead, a man or woman with a vehicle, a smart phone, and the Uber app
signs up to be a driver. These drivers are considered independent
contractors by Uber. They do not have shifts or a certain number of hours
they are expected to work. Rather, Uber offers drivers increasing financial
incentives based on the amount of work they complete. If they want to work
fulltime hours in a busy location, they can earn more than many entry-level
wage positions. If they simply want to supplement their income, they can
turn on the app and accept ride requests while they are out running errands
or have free time and then turn it off again when they wish to stop
working. Drivers encompass a wide range of individuals: everyone from
grandmothers driving while waiting to pick up a grandchild from school to
former fulltime taxi drivers working well over forty hours per week.
Unlike summoning a taxi cab, one does not call a dispatcher or worry
about having enough cash to make a trip. Before using the service one must
download the Uber app, install it on the smart phone, and then register
with Uber by setting up an account and providing a valid credit or debit
card which the company will use in billing for each ride. For simplicity in
describing the process for summoning a ride, I will use the word "display"
to describe what appears on the screen of one's smart phone. What is spoken
will depend on what the screen reader is focused on, and some of the
information the blind user will need must be accessed by swiping through
the available information on the screen.
When a ride is wanted, the Uber app is activated and uses GPS to
determine what is assumed to be the pickup location. If the phone displays
the desired pickup address, the next step is to enter the destination
address. This can be done either by typing or dictating an address or by
entering a business name. A list of choices is displayed, and the user
selects the preferred location.
Once the pickup and destination have been entered, a fare estimate
consisting of lowest and highest fare is displayed. From this screen one
can either request the ride or cancel the request. When demand is high, the
Uber system will include a multiplier with each fare. This is done to
provide incentives for more drivers to make themselves available; they will
earn higher commissions in exchange for meeting the local increased demand.
In order to get a vehicle during these peak times (which Uber refers to as
Surge), one must agree that his or her fare will be increased by 1.5, 2, or
some other multiple of the base fare. The system is actively responsive to
major shifts in supply and demand and can account for the fact that some
passengers will pay more for the instant convenience while others will wait
for the price to normalize. The rules for the fare calculation do not
change once the request has been made and accepted, so there is no fear
that a multiplier will be added if the service gets busier while one is
waiting for the requested ride or is in transit.
Once a request is made, there is a slight delay while the system
offers the ride request to Uber's drivers. When accepted, the name of the
driver, the make and model of his or her car, the number on the license
plate, and the expected arrival time (ETA) are displayed. This screen also
presents a button labeled "trip options" and if pressed can be used to call
or text the driver to help in making contact. Unlike a traditional taxi, in
which the dispatcher can give one only an approximate ETA for his or her
cab and the rider has to remain vigilant to know when the cab arrives, with
the Uber app the ETA is displayed on the screen, and if focus is set on
this control, it is spoken. Whether the ETA is actively tracked or not,
when the driver is about a minute away, an alert is sounded, and a message
indicates that the car is about to arrive.
Once in the car, the driver will usually confirm that the destination
previously entered is the one desired. If it is, the driver will be guided
using the GPS which is a part of the app. If the passenger believes he or
she has a better route, either because of distance or traffic, he or she is
free to direct the driver.
At the end of the trip the app presents the rider with the fare and
asks the rider to rate the service received on a scale from one to five.
The rating can also be accompanied by comments to describe one's
experience: "The driver was great, but the car smelled of smoke." "The
driver was friendly, and I really liked his music."
The rider is then sent an email receipt of the transaction. Riders
can reply to this email to request corrections to a trip charge, and Uber
customer service staff can retroactively recalculate the amount charged or
resolve other customer service concerns.
So beyond explaining this flexible and efficient transportation
service, why is the Braille Monitor running this article? The problem that
blind people are having is that Uber drivers are sometimes passing them by
when they realize that their customer is accompanied by a guide dog.
Currently drivers who do not wish to transport a service animal have felt
free to decline on the grounds that they own the vehicle they are using and
are free to choose based on whim, allergies, or religious preference whom
and what they will transport without any consequences from Uber. Although
failing to serve people who are accompanied by guide dogs and other service
animals is a clear violation of the law, Uber has previously claimed it is
not bound by state and federal laws on the theory that it does not provide
the service; it merely makes available the technology for drivers to
provide service. Its argument is based on the fact that it owns no vehicles
and hires no drivers. It has argued that it is only the mechanism through
which drivers and passengers are connected. A similar argument was made by
Napster, the music service that helped millions of users get songs they did
not buy. Napster claimed that it had no music and that it was merely a
connecting point where people who wanted music could meet people who had
it. The argument was challenged and soundly defeated, and Uber, perhaps
because of this case law or perhaps wanting more favorable press and better
community relations, has begun to alter its position.
In a proposed settlement now under consideration by the court, Uber
has agreed that it will obey state and federal civil rights laws regarding
the transportation of people with disabilities and their service animals.
The proposed settlement will require that drivers sign a statement agreeing
to comply with these laws, and they are warned in this document that
failure to transport a human-dog team will result in termination of the
driver's contract with Uber. Drivers may still demand that the service
animal they transport be kept under control, and they are free to charge a
passenger for any damage done to their vehicle beyond that which would be
expected through normal wear and tear.
So why wouldn't Uber drivers want to carry passengers who have
service animals? Some say they fear dogs; some say they are allergic; but
overwhelmingly the opposition that seems to come from the small number of
Uber drivers who object to a service animal in their car springs from the
desire not to dirty their new vehicle. Uber encourages its drivers to have
newer cars with clean interior, and the desire to protect that car, to keep
it looking new, and to treat it as a valuable and significant asset seems
to be the biggest objection Uber has found from its drivers. None of these
concerns, however, relieve the driver of carrying out his duty to transport
people with service dogs, and the failure to do so will result in
termination.
Those wishing to learn more specifics about the proposed settlement
and read the legal documents should go to <http://www.trelegal.com/blog/>.
It is hard to know how long the rates of this new company will remain
substantially below those of competitors who drive taxicabs. Uber is
currently subsidizing some of its transportation in getting its business
recognized and used. Many of us have observed this technique when it comes
to air travel; a new airline comes to town with prices that the old one
cannot match, and when the competition is gone, rates begin to return to
where they were before the upstart business came on the scene. In fairness
we should note that airlines already serving an area may cut their rates,
and, because they have established more capital, will sometimes drive the
new providers out of business.
In an effort to be innovative and to keep prices down, Uber is
actively looking at expanding into other areas of service. Can it be used
to supplement or replace paratransit systems around the country? Will users
be interested enough in saving money that they will carpool with strangers
traveling in the same direction? The proposed settlement addresses the
issues around driver preference and remains flexible so that the lawyers
for the class can negotiate additional fixes as new problems arise from
Uber's rapidly evolving business model. This flexibility will ensure that
the solution to currently unknown problems can be resolved even where the
normal legal system of litigation cannot keep pace with Uber's further
innovations.
Like other companies that use advanced technology, Uber sometimes
does not put accessibility front and center in its concerns about serving
passengers. More than once it has deployed a new version of its app which
is less accessible than the previous one. Sometimes the accessibility only
poses an inconvenience, and at other times the changes are so significant
that users of the service are urged not to update. As we continue to work
with Uber, we believe that accessibility will become a more integral part
of their process just as meeting the special needs of blind passengers is
now very much on their radar.
The National Federation of the Blind has been a strong advocate in
this case, and we have been ably represented by Tim Elder of the TRE Legal
Practice, Michael Nunez and Michael Bien of the Rosen Bien Galvan &
Grunfeld firm, and Larry Paradis and Julia Marks of the Disability Rights
Advocates firm. Uber is a transportation service with tremendous potential,
and the National Federation of the Blind is committed to seeing that it is
one we can use easily and efficiently.
Because the matter is a proposed nationwide class action, it must be
approved by the court. The parties have requested that the court approve
the settlement within the next six months. The settlement terms will not go
into effect until the agreement is finally approved. Keep following these
pages for further news on the progress in seeing this settlement through to
policy.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Glenn Moore]
A Matter of Attitude
by Glenn Moore
From the Editor: This article is gratefully reprinted from the
Illinois Independent, the newsletter of the National Federation of the
Blind of Illinois. How appropriate is the title of this newsletter given
the subject Glenn Moore addresses: what does it mean to be independent? How
should we react when others question our independence and think we are
going too far in trying to demonstrate it? How do we turn our
understandable frustration and irritation into meaningful public education?
Here is what Glenn has to say:
It started last February, when a Federationist posed a simple
question on the IL-Talk listserv. "How do you react when someone says that
you spend a lot of time proving you can do things in spite of your
blindness?" The question sparked a lively discussion. I suppose any answer
to this question depends on what the comment meant in the first place. It
also depends upon one's own disposition, attitude, and philosophy about
blindness and living.
What Does the Comment Mean?
I think one first wonders, "What was meant by that type of comment?"
I find that usually people accuse me of trying to prove myself when I
insist on doing something that makes them uncomfortable. I think this is
often the case when people call attention to a blind person who is doing
day-to-day things. Sometimes the person making the comment seems to think
the blind person needs help but, out of stubbornness or an unwillingness to
face his or her need, won't acknowledge it. I wonder if this belief comes
from a subjective tendency to focus on the familiar.
At an NFBI convention a couple of years ago, Parnell Diggs related an
encounter with a law professor. The professor told him he had no trouble
imagining what it is like to be blind; he simply closed his eyes. Why do
many blind people find such a remark to be offensive? The professor defined
the experience of blindness literally, based strictly upon his own
experience of vision. He understood blindness in negative terms as merely
the absence of sight, and he reduced the blind person's life, ambitions,
and capabilities by neatly fitting him into the category of a person
lacking sight.
I think a lot of sighted bias against blindness is based upon the
idea that blindness is an absence of sighted experience. People who think
this way focus on the fact that blind people do not gain experience through
vision, the sense most sighted people rely on and assume is needed to gain
knowledge of the world. The truth is that, while sighted people have plenty
of experience with being sighted, blindness is not an absence of experience
and knowledge. It's a parallel experience of its own.
If I speak French in a country of English speakers, at times I'll
miss something and will want to have it explained to me. However, it would
feel insulting to be treated as though I have no language of my own, let
alone the ability to comprehend the concepts that can be explained in
either language. Blindness has a life and functionality just as sight does.
For example, Braille is not an absence of writing; it's a writing system
that is not visual.
A common reply to the query about proving oneself was that sighted
people sometimes imply, or flatly accuse, a blind person of having an
attitude. Some members of the sighted public certainly have attitudes, so
why wouldn't some of the blind public have attitudes, too? However, what
sighted people tend to perceive as an attitude in the blind may simply be
the refusal to fall into expected roles. One lister commented, "There's a
basic expectation that we should be grateful for any and all assistance and
that we should not be assertive." Another lister noted, "Some of us seem to
be more passive than is needed."
Though a comment from the public may actually be on target, it also
reflects something about the speaker, who may react for lack of knowledge
about blindness. "We blind often expect the sighted to somehow intuitively
know what help or non-help to provide," one lister wrote. "We get upset
when we feel aggrieved by the ignorant sighted. In the absence of actual
knowledge, people invent knowledge in its place."
Another commented, "They see a blind person, and somehow the idea
that the situation calls for new rules and exceptional behaviors kicks in."
These comments make me consider that it's important to engage people with
things they don't understand. If the unique and uncommon become rare and
mystical, the word "attitude" may mysteriously appear.
The speaker who claims you're busy proving something may have yet
another meaning, and it's not a very flattering one to himself or herself.
Suppose the blind person is doing something appropriate, and the sighted
person offers intervention that clearly is not helpful, wanted, or needed.
The reason the sighted person finds fault may, in fact, have to do with his
or her own convenience or agenda. Recently a friend of mine was waiting to
board a bus with her guide dog. A woman next to her complimented the dog
and asked the dog if she could pet it. My friend politely refused, saying
that the dog was working. "Well," the woman replied, "I'm gonna pet you
anyway," and so she did.
By addressing the dog while ignoring the owner and dismissing the
dog's purpose for being there, I believe the woman expressed her contempt
for what she saw as my friend's unacceptable privilege to have a dog in a
public place. Her interference with the dog's work was a way to defeat that
privilege and passive-aggressively claim her own privilege instead. Though
this behavior was not an offer of help, it is not unlike accusing a blind
person of copping an attitude for not accepting help that is "for your own
good."
Sometimes a person who says you spend (or waste) time proving
yourself because of blindness really expects to be inconvenienced if you
are left on your own. The person offers help for his or her own convenience
and then claims you have an attitude for refusing.
What Does Proving Blindness Mean?
Besides exploring what may lay behind certain comments made to blind
people, I also want to consider what it means to prove oneself as a blind
person. Some of our listserv members expressed that they were not trying to
prove anything or gain attention, but they felt that they were always being
observed. One post reads, "Whatever we do in our lives, we are proving
ourselves ... as blind people. That's just life."
Another list member wrote, "I feel I'm proving that I can do things
all the time ... Maybe I have an attitude. I think it's a healthy attitude
for a blind person." Others agreed. "It is a positive attitude that I have.
And it is an attitude that keeps me going on a daily basis," said one.
Another commented, "It's that attitude that has got me where I am
today." These quotes tell me that proving oneself as a blind person is not
an attempt to affect others negatively, but rather a lifelong determination
to be unaffected by obstacles.
Most of the varied listserv responses fit under the umbrella of the
philosophy belonging to the organized blind movement. Most posts
acknowledged that there are times during interactions when blind and
sighted people, all of us with our own shortcomings, just don't get it
right. "One should endeavor to never lose one's temper," one lister wrote,
"but I also think we have to forgive ourselves if we are imperfect."
This comment fits well with another lister's observation that "if we
spend time worrying about others' perception of us and try to please others
... we would never be able to live the lives we want. Life is too short."
One safe and winning bet that helps hedge uncertain situations is
respect. A sighted person, or anyone offering advice or help, should be
honest about why she or he is reaching out. Certain behaviors, such as
putting hands on someone, are never appropriate unless it's necessary to
protect a person from real danger.
There is more to know about blindness than what law professors
imagine when they close their eyes. Many sighted people may feel frustrated
or unsure about what is best to say or do when a situation seems not to be
going as it should. As blind people we can teach them, as long as they're
respectful. At the same time, they may know things about a given situation
that will be useful to us. It's worth being open-minded without needing to
give up being strong-minded.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Melissa Riccobono attaches bells to her daughter's shoe]
Under New Legislation, Proof of Child-Care Abilities Shifts
for Blind Parents
by Leo Traub
From the Editor: This article originally appeared in the Capital News
Service, operated by University of Maryland journalism students.
At just past 11 AM on a Thursday, Melissa Riccobono sits at her
computer while her three-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, plays on the floor
next to her with a pillow and some toys.
Using a Focus 14 Blue keyboard with Braille display and text-to-speech
readout, Riccobono scrolls through her contacts, searching for a friend's
email address. Suddenly, seemingly unprompted, she turns to her daughter
and says, "Elizabeth, I think your bus is here."
Sure enough, idling in the street outside their Baltimore home is a
big yellow bus, waiting to take Elizabeth to a city nursery school
for blind children. Reluctantly, Elizabeth finishes her game and stands up.
Riccobono helps her daughter into her coat and school backpack, and the
pair move to the front door, collecting their long white canes from the
umbrella stand in the corner.
The rumbling sound of the bus was subtle, nearly imperceptible. Did
Riccobono, a woman blind since birth, use some sort of superhero-like
heightened sense to hear it pull up outside? Sensitive though Riccobono's
hearing might be, she is a parent, and at just past 11 AM on Thursdays, she
knows to expect her daughter's school bus.
These sorts of assumptions about blindness are common, said Sharon
Maneki, president of the Maryland chapter of advocacy and support
organization, the National Federation of the Blind.
Sighted people, even courtroom judges, often resort to "what ifs" in
evaluating blind people's parenting abilities, she said.
Under a bill passed by the Maryland legislature on the last day of
session, in cases assessing parents' ability to care for their children,
judges and claimants will need to follow new procedures before introducing
a person's disability in court. Originally written for blindness, the bill
was later amended to include all disabilities, physical or mental, and
covers only private cases that don't involve public agencies, such as
custody or visitation, as well as adoption or guardianship cases.
"The bill provides a lot more protections for disabled parents that
we've never had before," said Riccobono.
Riccobono and her husband, Mark, president of the National Federation
of the Blind, as well as Maneki and other advocates, have spent years
working to create legal parity for blind people. This legislation is an
important step in protecting the blind from being pre-judged for their
disability, she said.
"As a blind person, you're always thinking, what if this (situation)
is blamed on my blindness?" said Chris Danielsen, director of public
relations for the National Federation of the Blind.
A Change in the Burden of Proof
One of the bill's key provisions is placing the burden of proof on
the person making a legal claim against a disabled parent, Maneki said. In
past cases, blind people were required to prove that they were capable of
caring for a child, she said. "This has been a long-standing problem that
we've had," Maneki said.
In 2007, Michael Bullis was sorting through a difficult divorce and
custody proceeding over his then-five-year-old daughter, Julianna. A
Baltimore County court had ruled Bullis, a blind man, was not fit to be
left with Julianna without supervision. So for almost two years, Bullis
said, he only saw his daughter in public places with either his ex-wife or
one of her parents there.
"Needless to say, it was pretty humiliating," he said.
What bothered him the most, Bullis said, was that the court had
determined his visitation rights based on a prejudiced assumption: that he
was not a capable parent because he was blind.
"They say things such as, 'The blind person can't do anything, and
they've never been able to do it,' even though they've been doing it for
years," Maneki said.
He fought the decision in court, and the judge called for social
services to conduct a home study to determine whether Bullis could provide
appropriate care for his daughter.
After performing the study, the social services caseworker said he would
have approved the home for a sighted parent, Bullis said, but he was
hesitant to clear it for a blind person. So Bullis spent the next hour
addressing all of the caseworker's concerns and questions, demonstrating
everyday tasks around his own house.
With Bullis' explanation, the caseworker filed a positive report that
did not express any concerns about disability, and in 2008, the judge
granted Bullis unsupervised visitation rights of his daughter.
"I wasn't going to let him go until he heard everything I had to
say," Bullis said. "His report could have killed me."
The caseworker submitted the proper report, Bullis said, because the
judge's letter only asked social services to evaluate his abilities, not
his blindness.
"For some reason, with disability, you could bring up imaginary
subjects and the court listened to it."
Fighting for Legal Parity
While his own case was ongoing, Bullis joined the National Federation
of the Blind in pursuing state legislation to ensure other blind parents
would not have to face the same uphill legal battle he faced, he said.
In 2009, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill limiting the way
courts consider a parent's disability in custody, visitation, and Child in
Need of Assistance cases. Under the law, disability is only relevant if a
court finds it affects the parent's ability to care for a child.
Sighted people sometimes forget how much experience the blind have
with their disability, Riccobono said, and that they are not newly blind
before becoming parents.
"Not every blind parent is perfect because not every parent is
perfect," Riccobono said. "I always say, blind people don't keep emergency
rooms open all by ourselves. There are plenty of sighted parents who have
accidents, and that's why they're called accidents."
This year's original bill also set new rules for social services'
treatment of disabled parents in Child in Need of Assistance cases. These
are brought when the agency tries to prove that a person is not fit to be a
parent, whether because of abuse or neglect or simply because they aren't
capable of caring for a child. But after pushback from the Maryland
Department of Human Resources, the social services cases were excluded to
ensure a bill was passed this session, Maneki said.
The Maryland Department of Human Resources, which oversees social
services in the state, felt that the new rules would place an extra step in
removing children from situations of neglect and abuse, Maneki said.
Supportive Parenting Services
If a court finds a parent's disability does affect the best interest
of the child, the bill also introduces supportive parenting services as an
alternative to limiting custody or visitation rights. A person will have
the opportunity to show that with these services, their disability would
not impede their parenting abilities. Supportive services could include
parenting classes, skill-building, and connecting with other people who
have the same disability, Riccobono said.
"Why reinvent the wheel if there are other parents out there who are
doing it, and doing it well?" Riccobono said.
As president of support organization,
Maryland Parents of Blind Children, Riccobono is accustomed to educating
others about blindness and parenting. Two of her three children are
legally blind, and she has used some of these parenting techniques with her
own family. Some blind parents use noise-making tricks as ways to keep
track of their children in busy areas. When Riccobono takes her young
children to the playground or the mall, she sometimes attaches bells on zip
ties to their shoes so she can follow the ringing sound. Other parents have
their children carry Tic Tacs in their pockets or wear shoes specially
designed to squeak, she said.
The National Federation of the Blind may also be able to provide
support, Danielsen said. Products like the KNFB Reader, an app that
converts printed text to audio, and services like the NFB-Newsline, a free
phone line that reads newspaper articles to subscribers, are available
through the Federation's website. And if the National Federation of
the Blind cannot provide the support, they can help others find the
services they need, Danielsen said. In some cases, the organization has
taken on legal representation of blind people, he said.
However, supportive services do not have to be limited to resources
provided specifically for people with disabilities, Riccobono said. Any
skill-building class that helps a blind person could potentially work in
court, she said.
"Not all issues have to do with blindness," Danielsen said. "But
where blindness has to do with it, the National Federation of the Blind can
help."
----------
Leave a Legacy
For more than seventy-five years the National Federation of the Blind
has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of blind people
into reality, and with your support we will continue to do so for decades
to come. We sincerely hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring
movement by adding the National Federation of the Blind as a partial
beneficiary in your will. A gift to the National Federation of the Blind in
your will is more than just a charitable, tax-deductible donation. It is a
way to join in the work to help blind people live the lives they want that
leaves a lasting imprint on the lives of thousands of blind children and
adults.
With your help, the NFB will continue to:
. Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille;
. Promote the independent travel of the blind by providing free, long
white canes to blind people in need;
. Develop dynamic educational projects and programs that show blind
youth that science and math are within their reach;
. Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide
blind people the essential information necessary to be actively
involved in their communities;
. Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain
their independence; and
. Fund scholarship programs so that blind students can achieve their
dreams.
Plan to Leave a Legacy
Creating a will gives you the final say in what happens to your
possessions and is the only way to be sure that your remaining assets are
distributed according to your passions and beliefs. Many people fear
creating a will or believe it's not necessary until they are much older.
Others think that it's expensive and confusing. However, it is one of the
most important things you will do, and with new online legal programs it is
easier and cheaper than ever before. If you do decide to create or revise
your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial
beneficiary. Visit <www.nfb.org/planned-giving> or call (410) 659-9314,
extension 2371, for more information. Together with love, hope,
determination, and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into
reality.
----------
TIME to Act on Real Employment for People with Disabilities
by Tom Ridge
From the Editor: This op-ed is reprinted with the permission of The
Hill. It appeared on May 19, 2016, and it makes a strong case for the
payment of at least the minimum wage to people with disabilities.
Tom Ridge is a former member of Congress and a former governor of
Pennsylvania, who served as the first director of the Office of Homeland
Security under President George W. Bush. Here is what he has to say:
In 1990, Congress passed and President George H. W. Bush signed into
law the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I have always
supported the ADA and other laws designed to increase the participation of
Americans with disabilities in our society because I believe that these
Americans, like all other Americans, should have the opportunity to pursue
the American dream. The ADA sought to achieve this goal by bringing
Americans with disabilities out of the shadows and allowing them to
compete, on a level playing field, with their non-disabled peers. The law
was also intended to combat the discrimination born of misconceptions,
stereotypes, and paternalism that Americans with disabilities face every
day.
More than twenty-five years after its passage, the ADA has at last
begun to accomplish many of its goals. But policies remain that undermine
the vision of fairness and equal opportunity enshrined in this landmark
law.
One of those policies is buried in the Fair Labor Standards Act,
passed in 1938. While that law created better wages and working conditions
for most Americans, it contained a provision that excluded people with
disabilities from its protections, especially the minimum wage. Nearly
eighty years later, the law still contains that provision, known as Section
14(c).
The provision allows employers who hold special wage certificates
issued by the Department of Labor to pay workers with disabilities a
"commensurate wage" that, generally, is less than the federal or state
minimum wage. Some people working under special wage certificates earn mere
pennies per hour.
Back in 1938, everyone assumed that a worker with a disability was
less productive than a "normal" or "able-bodied" worker. Today, we know
that workers with disabilities, given equal opportunity and appropriate
tools or technologies, can perform as well as their non-disabled
counterparts. Just ask employers like Lowe's or Starbucks, outstanding
companies that have partnered with the National Organization on Disability
to find job opportunities for talented men and women with disabilities, and
they'll confirm this to be true. But despite that knowledge, Section 14(c)
remains in force.
Some argue that the "commensurate" or subminimum wage is necessary to
provide employment for some people with severe disabilities, and that
merely giving these individuals something to do each day provides them with
dignity and pride. This argument does not make sense to me. Americans with
disabilities want the things that all other Americans want: homes,
families, and the freedom to do with their lives as they wish. They cannot
have any of those things on pennies per hour. If an American with a
disability can't even buy a meal with his or her paycheck, he or she is
likely to feel demeaned and insulted rather than dignified and proud.
This system sends the message to Americans with disabilities that
they are not worth the same as other Americans, that society values them
less. It traps them in tedious jobs with no prospect of advancement.
Finally, it leaves them in poverty, dependent for survival on overburdened
federal benefit programs like Social Security Disability Insurance. Some of
these Americans remain in the care of family members, but what happens when
those family members are gone? Other safety net programs must then fill the
gap.
The subject of the minimum wage is a hotly debated matter. Much has
been said about whether it should be raised, and to what level. But that
question has no bearing on the plight of workers with disabilities who are
currently not receiving it. Receiving the minimum wage, at whatever level
it is set, is a matter of basic fairness. In 2016, there is no excuse for
treating an entire class of workers differently from others based solely on
the characteristic of disability. Such treatment is discriminatory, just as
it would be if applied to individuals of a specific race, gender, or
religious affiliation.
I support legislation filed in the House of Representatives by Rep.
Gregg Harper (R-MS) and in the Senate by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) that
would phase out the Section 14(c) program. This legislation, the
Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act, would
rightly refocus efforts to employ Americans with disabilities on helping
them train for and find jobs in the mainstream economy. This is not an
impossible goal; Ayotte's home state of New Hampshire has already
eliminated subminimum wages without adverse consequences for workers with
disabilities, as has the state of Vermont.
Much work needs to be done to give all Americans, including those who
have disabilities, a chance to have the financial freedom and security we
all desire. Repealing Section 14(c) is an easy step that we can take right
now to move closer to that goal. I urge the House and Senate to pass the
TIME Act with all deliberate speed. It is long past time to take this fair,
commonsense step in the march to freedom for Americans with disabilities.
----------
Just Saying No to Reading Braille
by Sheri Wells Jensen
From the Editor: Last month we ran an article discussing how absurd
it would sound if all the arguments used against teaching and learning
Braille were made against print. The article made good points, pointed up
some ironies, and pretty much confirmed for most of us who read Braille
that it is a skill we could not conceive of being without.
What the article did not answer was the question of why some people
don't choose to learn a reading and writing system that is so effective
and, for many of us, so essential. In looking back over past issues of the
Braille Monitor, we came across an article written by Sheri Wells Jensen
which appeared in two segments during 2002 and 2003. We thought it worthy
of reprinting, because it presents us with arguments we don't normally
consider, gives voice to people we don't generally listen to, and helps us
find a path to better persuade those who might benefit from what we so
enjoy when words appear under our fingertips. What Sheri said more than a
decade ago has as much relevance today as it did when she wrote it. The
introduction to her article was written by Barbara Pierce, and here is what
she said:
Dr. Sheri Wells Jensen teaches in the English as a Second Language
Department at Bowling Green University in Ohio. She is interested in
psycholinguistics and language preservation. As a Braille user herself she
thought that Braille Monitor readers would be interested in her
observations and reflections on Braille literacy from a somewhat unusual
perspective. This is what she says:
Growing up in the Midwest in a middle-class home, I took reading for
granted. Everyone around me read. My girlfriends read love stories; my
brothers read dopey boys' stuff like motorcycle and car magazines; my
father read the newspaper; my mother read everything (lots of it out loud
to me); and I read all the science fiction I could get my fingers on. The
fact that my books were larger than theirs simply meant I had more trouble
climbing the maple tree in our front yard while carrying one of mine.
Learning to read was neither optional nor especially interesting. It
was just a thing you did as part of the natural order, like learning to
ride a bike or to cross the street. It was so woven into the fabric of my
culture that as a youngster I never imagined there were people in the world
who could not read at all. When I did find that out (probably sometime in
late elementary school) I had trouble imagining how exactly you could
manage a happy, efficient life without writing things down and reading
things other people had written for you. I could never have imagined
deliberately choosing illiteracy, but this is exactly what I found more
than once after graduating from college. It was a shock that took me awhile
to get over.
Undergraduate diploma in hand, I went off to join the Peace Corps.
After the initial three months of training, I was thrilled to find myself
in a tropical coastal city (a twenty-five-minute, hair-raising bus ride
from the best beaches you could ever imagine), working at a small girls'
high school. Since many of these young women were the first in their
families to get a high school education, they were eager students. They
were being trained to take their places in the emerging Ecuadorian middle
class and would probably get jobs as secretaries or clerical workers of
some sort in small businesses. They'd make enough money to live comfortably
in the city. One or two of them might even go on to college. For many of
their families it was like a dream coming slowly true around them.
My job was to teach them enough English to answer a telephone, take
simple messages, make an appointment, or at least apologize nicely for not
being able to do these things and then pass the call along to someone who
could. It was good work but not wildly exciting. So I was delighted a few
months later to find that we would be putting English lessons on hold for a
while in order to participate in a national literacy campaign.
The implementation of the campaign struck me as tremendously clever.
It took advantage of the enthusiasm and energy of students like my girls,
children of the relatively wealthy. Although poor by US standards, the
young women at my school had enormous advantages by local standards. After
all, they were well fed and secure and were going to graduate from high
school in a country where many country people (campesinos) never made it
past grade school.
All high school students in the country were placed in pairs. The
government plan specified that each pair be matched with a campesino who
could not read. In order to earn that prized high school diploma, they
would teach this person to read and write, sharing their knowledge, passing
on the gift of literacy.
The high school students were trained in the basics of reading
instruction and sent on their way. My girls joined the campaign with a
particular mission. I had taught them the basics of Braille and techniques
for getting started, and they were matched with blind campesinos. Except
for the fact that they were teaching Braille, our girls received the same
training as the other high school students.
It was person-to-person, Ecuadorian-to-Ecuadorian, making connections
across class and lifestyle. I thought the plan was brilliant, and I sent my
girls out with high hopes.
Then I heard a disturbing story. It seems that a pair of high schoolers
(mercifully not mine), armed with their picture books and alphabet cards,
went out into the countryside to meet their assigned campesino. Most likely
they'd had to travel for an hour or more on a jouncing, jolting, open bus,
hanging on for their lives as the driver gamboled his way along the hills
on the less-than-adequate roads. They probably arrived hot, dusty, and
tired. Then they were introduced to their campesino as planned. They were
told that the farmer would be happy to learn to read. He was ready to start
right away. He was eager. He'd be delighted, in fact, assuming the kids
would pay him. He was willing to accept payment in cash or in chickens, but
he did expect to be fairly reimbursed for his time.
Yes, you read that right. The illiterate campesino was charging for
his services as student. You might think of it as sort of a reverse
tuition. If the privileged city kids wanted to graduate from high school,
he figured they'd fork over the money straight away.
As you might imagine, I was appalled. I started making a list of
names I would like to call the campesino if we ever met: crass . . . ill-
mannered.... mercenary . . . I stopped making the list when I got to the
word "ungrateful." I'd certainly heard that one before. It forced me to
consider the situation with more care. What was up with this guy?
Campesinos are smart. They may not have formal education, but they
know the land in all its phases and seasons. They have a savvy survivor's
grasp of economics too. They know what to plant and how to sell it and how
much they need to produce to feed their families. And they work hard. Their
land is relatively poor and their equipment meager. They make up for this
with sheer investment of sweat. They are rightfully proud too. At the end
of each day they see what they have accomplished and know their children
will eat. Still, why would such a person be indifferent to the gifts of
literacy?
There are several reasons. First, his realistic grasp on reality
tells him that he has no immediate use for such things. He has no letters
to write, no books to keep, and no street signs to read. He gets the news
he needs from passersby or from the radio. There is no public library from
which he can check out books. If he had money for books, he has nowhere to
buy them in his little village. He doesn't need to keep a calendar; his
schedule is not that tight, and he can keep track of the birthdays or
religious festivals important to him. In a small village everyone knows
everyone else's business; if he forgets something, his uncle or sister or
neighbor will remind him. He doesn't have to read recipes; he knows how to
cook the simple food his family eats. There is no need for academic work or
note-taking. If he wants to write a poem or a story, he simply makes it up
and tells it to someone. If he or his audience remembers it, it was a good
story, and it will be told and retold.
Second, he has a real appreciation of his free time. After a hard day
of work, he wants a cool drink and a hammock to stretch out in. He wants to
spend time joking with family and neighbors, catching up on the day's
events, playing with his children, enjoying the sunset, or staring out
across the ocean or up into the mountains. Why would he want to use this
precious time learning to read when he feels no need for it? His life is
complete and satisfying.
Finally, in his village there is no social expectation that he learn to
read-no stigma for illiteracy. He is not ashamed of not reading. It would
be like you feeling ashamed that you cannot ride a unicycle. You might
grant that unicycle riding would be interesting, but you probably don't
feel bad that you can't do it: nobody else does, after all. I could point
out to you that there are hundreds of jobs in circuses for good unicycle
riders and that you could entertain yourself and your family, but you're
still not going to dash out and sign up for lessons even if they're free.
On the other hand, if I (for my own twisted reasons) want to pay you to be
my unicycle student, why not? You probably aren't vehemently opposed to the
idea, just indifferent.
As an educated middle-class American, it took me awhile to get used
to this idea. But, when I finally began to be truly comfortable with the
fact that not everybody wants what we think they should want, many things
about living in Ecuador began to make more sense to me.
A few years after I returned from Ecuador, I was reminded of this
experience by a conversation with a friend. I was talking to him about why
as a blind person he should learn to read Braille. Like the farmer he
simply did not feel any lack. His affairs were in order and his life full
and productive. From my perspective I could clearly see how his
circumstances would be improved by learning to read, but he did not and
does not live in my world.
I began to think about Braille literacy campaigns in a new way after
that. I wanted to find out how a person lives so that Braille is not missed
and what perceptions, assumptions, and coping techniques make it seem
reasonable to go without reading. I thought, and think still, that
understanding these things would make it easier for us to promote Braille
to nonreaders.
In an attempt to find these things out, I spent a few months of spare time
talking with readers and nonreaders alike. I learned some very interesting
things.
To be honest, it took me a good while to get over my shock at how
Braille (and reading in general) were perceived in Ecuador. I'd always gone
with the mainstream flow: it's clear and obvious that reading is good and
therefore not reading is bad. I was slow to learn what the Peace Corps
teaches: other people in other contexts lead perfectly reasonable lives. We
have to work our way past pre-set, culturally imposed ideas about what
"reasonable" means so that we can meet as human beings without prejudice.
What may at first appear strange or even outrageous becomes sensible when
we begin by assuming the people in question are intelligent, sensitive
human beings making rational choices.
So I decided that I'd be wise not to decide anything about the
attitudes and motivations of non-Braille-reading Americans. I still
believed (and continue to believe) that knowing how to do something
(reading, knitting, carving a duck out of a hunk of wood) is better than
not knowing. But it became clear to me that this very conviction could get
in my way, preventing me from understanding what I wanted to understand.
Once I work my way past my own idea that not reading Braille is an
inherently bad choice, I could begin to listen more openly with an attitude
of respect and appreciation rather than judging nonreaders out of hand. I
vowed that I would try to begin with humility and curiosity and see what
others could teach me.
The usual approach would be to ask a series of questions, each one
designed to elicit part of the data. But inevitably each question I create
is tinged with my own perspective. We give ourselves away at every turn,
revealing what we think good or right answers might be. Asking questions
almost always sets up the kinds of answers we will get; that's why
prosecutors, looking for a fatal flaw in a story, guide witnesses carefully
through a series of interrogatives rather than saying, "So, Mr. Jackson,
tell us all about it, Dude!" We set up our questions so that one answer is
easier to give than another. We can even make it almost impossible for a
person to answer genuinely.
I wanted to create a context in which a person could talk to me about
Braille, a topic which might be sensitive, without feeling judged by me. I
also didn't want to guide my interviewees too much, perhaps missing
something important by not asking the right questions. There might well be
reasons for not being a Braille reader that I haven't imagined yet so
wouldn't ask about. Better to let people express themselves with as little
guidance as possible, building up their own picture of reading and literacy
and the interconnections between those things and identity.
Borrowing from the methods used by linguists and anthropologists to
get at internal attitudes toward different languages, I decided simply to
provide a topic, start a tape recorder, and let people talk.
I recorded conversations with four blind Braille readers and three
blind people who didn't read Braille. Partly just for kicks and partly to
make sure I wasn't missing anything, I then interviewed three sighted
people both about print literacy and about Braille. All of these speakers
were college-educated, some pursuing advanced degrees. Everybody had a lot
to say once they got started. I began the conversation with a very general
prompt such as, "Tell me all about Braille." Then I just let them carry on.
After my first couple of interviews, I had some idea of what kinds of
things surfaced in these monologues, so I began to use those ideas as
springboards for later subjects. When, for example, a Braille reader said
that Braille equated in her mind with freedom, I might mention to the next
interviewee that the word "freedom" had been used by a previous subject
(without saying whether it had been a reader or nonreader) and ask him or
her to respond to that idea.
After the interviews I listened repeatedly to the tapes, checking for
common themes and beginning to make myself a list. Here are some of the
things readers and nonreaders had to say about Braille literacy, along with
some of the more interesting quotes. Much of what they have to say will
seem controversial: there is no doubt something in these quotations to
offend everybody; so brace yourselves! I take this as a sign that people
were genuinely speaking their minds without worrying about being judged and
that they take the topic quite personally.
To protect the anonymity of my interviewees, I've numbered the quotes
rather than using initials. Quotes from nonreaders are labeled with an "A"
and those from Braille readers with a "B." I've also made no real attempt
to balance the number of reader and nonreader quotes used here in response
to each topic. I've simply included the best quotes wherever they seem
appropriate. Each one, though, represents a theme found in the data.
Reading speed and difficulty with the system itself: Although these
are almost always the first issues mentioned by experts as contributing to
low Braille literacy rates, neither readers nor nonreaders had much to say
about reading speed or the complexity of the Braille system. Braille
readers, both fast and slow, prefer Braille. Nobody mentioned how hard it
might be to learn to perceive dots with the fingers or complained about
contracted Braille (what we all used to call grade II Braille) being just
too hard to learn. The conclusion here seemed to be that, if you wanted to
learn Braille in the first place or had learned it as a child, these
problems were no big deal. If you did not perceive a need to learn Braille
in the first place, you didn't have to think about its being either slow or
difficult to acquire. Such issues were irrelevant. This, by the way, was
the only way in which both groups of blind people differed significantly
from my sighted interviewees, most of whom were quite unsure whether they
would be able to learn Braille at all, based on its perceived difficulty
and strangeness. Reading speed and difficulty were among the first things
mentioned by sighted folk when talking about Braille.
Independence and Privacy: Braille readers volunteered that they felt
access to Braille was key to independence. Nonreaders also valued
independence; they simply did not equate learning Braille with substantial
increases in independence. They possessed the means to accomplish the same
goals as sighted and Braille-reading peers, so their overall sense of
mastery remained intact. One nonreader in particular expressed a sense of
community and interdependence as opposed to what he sees as
counterproductive rugged individualism of both his sighted and Braille-
reading colleagues. Note, however, that he by no means lacked a strong
sense of self-determination as evidenced by his vehement reaction to a
local rehabilitation agency that he viewed as overly paternalistic.
B1: "It's that independence that it [Braille] gives you to do your
job as well as a sighted person."
B2: "I put labels on papers and stuff. I don't want to depend on
people or wait and wait. I hate having other people read my mail, having
someone I don't know know my damned business. I like to depend on people as
little as possible. It's less frustrating."
A1: "I maximize the amount of control I can have . . . There's a lot
of people who treasure what they think is their independence. What I think
they're missing is they don't see how dependent they are all along. Do they
grow their own food? Kill their own prey? There's a whole network of
thousands of people."
A2 (referring to a local rehabilitation agency): "They like totally
revamp you, and it's kind of despicable. They don't have any provision for
somebody working [blindness] into their life plan. They want to totally
remold you. It's infantilization. [They] think of you as a child who has to
be retrained like potty training, how to cook and take care of your
clothing. It's so patronizing in its fundamental attitude."
Negative Stereotype of Blindness: Readers of Braille feel that the
ability to read Braille works to counteract negative stereotypes of
blindness. Some expressed this as being more like sighted people and some
as being efficient and graceful. Nonreaders on the other hand feel that
Braille increases the gap between them and the sighted world, evoking
(rather than counteracting) unflattering stereotypes of blindness, which
they too reject. Both groups were quick to judge the other. Based on their
own inexperience with the other's method, they were willing to draw quite
dramatic conclusions and call names. These were the most difficult passages
to work through since I kept stopping to wonder if this is a division
within our community that we can afford.
B3: "I suppose Braille does make me feel more like a sighted person
in a sighted culture. This is in part, I think, because reading is reading,
whether it be Braille or print. I view feeling like a sighted person in a
sighted culture positively, though I know some would disagree. This is not
because I want to deny my blindness but because I don't feel a need for my
blindness to be a primary identifier. If I'm not wasting time wading
through a bunch of cross-cultural dynamics pertaining to being blind, I can
spend more time dealing with professional concerns, making friends, just
going about the business of life. I guess I think that I want to minimize
the time that I and others have to spend paying attention to blindness as
difference. Also there are times when it's important to pay attention to
the ways in which blindness makes us different, so it's kinda nice, I
suppose, that reading doesn't have to be one of them."
B4: "If I had to do it from memory or from a tape prompt . . . I just
think that'd be kind of klutzy. That's what concerns me a lot. They'll
[nonreaders] be with an earphone or headphones and the tape might have
their outline on it, and they'll be speaking, but you could tell. It's very
obvious. There's a break in the flow. Some of those things are kind of
obvious in some people."
B5: "Before my life here I was in law school. I took a course called
Trial Technique, where our final exam was we had to try a case in front of
a group of jurors, and I had my Braille notes there, and I was giving my
opening, and it was smooth because I had read it over. I had rehearsed it
in my mind. I had practiced it before. And I think, if I had to rely on a
tape recorder, there would've been a lot of stops and starts. It would have
been jerky, and I would have lost the jury's attention."
B6: "And also to a sighted audience, I think that would be a
distraction if they see somebody fiddling with a tape machine or listening
or knowing that they have an earphone in. I mean, to me that would be
obvious. If you're reading from a card, that would look a little bit more
natural, even though you've got one hand on the card."
A3: "It is true that I have an image of Braille as making me more
like a blind person: ugly associations that are standard. From when I was
sighted and younger and saw how some blind people acted. It seemed kind of
pathetic, some of it. Barely progressing along, tapping clumsily, and . . .
unclean and . . . who knew what, and I think I associate Braille with some
of those negative images."
A4: "It's true that I tend to think of thick, funny-looking books as
part of a negative gestalt image of blindness. Braille is a musty old-world
image about blind people stuck away, and that sort of thing . . . [Tape]
seems more sleek and high-tech.
"Braille equals adjusted to blindness? In general, many readers
believe that a blind person's failure to learn Braille reflects an
underlying lack of adjustment to the loss of sight. Nonreaders,
understandably, object to this interpretation, seeing the issue of reading
media as a choice between valid alternatives. Braille is simply one method
of accessing the printed word-not necessarily the best one-and it has
nothing to do with lurking, unconscious maladjustment."
B7: [in response to the question of why a particular person didn't
learn to read Braille] "Maybe that person wasn't comfortable with their
vision loss."
A5: [in response to the statement above] "Sounds like someone's got
some kind of schoolmarmish . . . . It reeks to me of some kind of
Protestant, ethicky, prejudiced way of thinking . . . . It's a normative
way of thinking. They like their blind people to be a certain way . . . .
They like their blind people to be nice, disabled persons."
Definition of Literacy and Need for Reading: Again, understandably,
the groups differ dramatically in their functional definition of literacy.
Readers often take the hard line, equating literacy with unmediated visual
or tactile reading. Some characterize voice synthesizers and tape recorders
as props: only finger-reading is reading. Only finger-reading is
sophisticated enough to give you flexible access to literature. Nonreaders
take a more complex, cognitive/social stance. They tend to define literacy
in terms of the ability to manipulate text or to freely use the register of
written English. They emphasize intellectual ability to do the job over
direct perception of written characters as a defining feature of literacy.
B8: "If you don't have vision and don't read Braille, you're
illiterate."
B9: "Not only is speech slower when you want it to go faster, but you
have less flexibility in varying the speed with which you read a given bit
of text, and to control the speed, you can't simply let your hands or eyes
stop or slow down, but you have to begin pushing buttons and changing
knobs. When a word is spoken, it evaporates into the air and is forever
gone. One can linger over a written word, savoring it, pondering it,
fitting it into context, and so on. While one can go back and replay a
tape, this involves added activity and repetition rather than contemplative
pausing.
"Perhaps this is a literary thing, but often when reading a text, I
will be struck by the author's choice of a given word, and sort of hang
there for a moment, thinking about why she or he might have chosen that
particular word or phrase."
A6: "I come on the scene at a time when I can leapfrog past Braille."
A7: "I don't need it to take notes with because I've got that covered
with my little tape recorder. I don't need it to read because now I have a
scanner and one of those Kurzweil things . . . and tapes and talking
computers. I just don't need it. I sort of need it for labeling things. I
wish some technology could leapfrog on that, too . . . ."
A8: "Do I feel illiterate? It's an interesting, funny question. Hmm.
I don't feel illiterate because I . . . can manipulate text. I guess the
feeling is that there's such an easy connection between manipulation of
keystroke on computer and doing things with words and letters. Of course
I'm not illiterate; I type."
A9: "How does that apply to reading? I'm so skilled at manipulating
the reading aloud of the words: I can go one word at a time and have it
spelled. The connections between doing that and the visual process of
reading are so strong that it feels like literacy."
A10: "I manipulate tapes so easily. I can pause over the word that
way. I've been known to replay a phrase five times if I want to get exact
words. I can slow down. Some people are natural musicians. They just meld
or merge with their instruments. They don't experience the barrier that
they're working with bulky, mechanical objects. Their own energy flows and
continues on over the instrument . . . and I feel relatively like that with
cassette recorders."
Interpretation of and Distance from Texts: In addition to objecting
to the barrier of the tape recorder, Braille readers express the idea that
silent reading puts them in a more intimate relationship with the text and
its author. Nonreaders either welcome the narrator's interpretation or
ignore it without noticing.
B10: "To me there is greater distance between text and reader; there
is a go-between, the person reading, or the speech output software. Some of
those readers are dreadful . . . . I guess that's part of it too; speaking
implies at least some level of interpretation. I have refused to read
[i.e., listen to recordings of] certain books just because I didn't like
the tone of a reader's voice or the way she or he dealt with questions of
phrasing. But when I'm reading, I'm the one in charge of interpreting, and
the only voice I have to deal with is the one inside my own imagination."
A11: "I find it enriching. There's enough room in my mind to
accommodate both the author and reader as people I'm visiting. Whatever the
reader is doing doesn't affect my interpretation of what the author is
saying. It adds a dimension. I can extrapolate from the reader what the
author is saying, including punctuating it differently. I'm doing an extra
thing in my mind. Sometimes I get the same book read by the Library of
Congress and by RFB or-you know the way RFB books are typically read by a
string of readers. It's fun to have them switch."
Readers and nonreaders have more in common than we might have
thought. Both groups have thought through their choices with some care.
Both presented themselves as confident, adjusted, articulate adults who
value independence and self-determination. Both were ambitious, organized,
strong-willed, and hardworking.
Upon honest reflection, none of the non-Braille readers felt that
they were missing anything. Nor did they seem especially defensive or shy
(an attitude frequently evidenced by sighted people who are unable to read
print.) They weren't especially hostile toward Braille; it just wasn't in
their game plan. When I asked if they would be willing to find out more
about Braille or take a preliminary lesson just for fun, nobody reacted
with hostility or resentment. Their responses reminded me a lot of my own
usual reaction when a salesperson tries to interest me in the latest, hot
new mobility gismo: say a curb and flagpole detecting gadget. I think,
sure, I could have a look, but lacking any evidence at all that I need it,
the idea slowly slips lower and lower on my list of priorities until it
quietly disappears off the bottom. I never quite get around to it. The
salesperson stops calling eventually, probably with a sigh, thinking how
much better off I'd be if only I weren't so closed-minded. By that time
I've completely forgotten about it, feeling not one bit worse off.
So where does this leave me as an advocate for Braille literacy? It
leaves me squarely where I started in Ecuador years ago, but now a bit
wiser for having made the journey. No marketing approach or set of pointed
questions or line of persuasive rhetoric can lead a person who is
comfortable with his or her lifestyle to change approach radically. Why
change when everything is already fine? That doesn't mean that I give up. I
acknowledge that the charge-straight-in approach is not the best way. There
is a way to affect even long-standing habits, but it's subtle and requires
both more work and more self-examination and discipline than most public
relations campaigns.
The only way I can see to effect what amounts to a cultural shift for
nonreaders is to live a viable, better alternative. I didn't say present,
demand, or preach; I said live. I can change my community only through
gentle, joyful action, becoming the change I wish to see. Advocating that
other people learn Braille is a less effective way of spreading Braille
literacy than allowing everyone, blind and sighted, to see through our
daily actions just how damned terrific, beautiful, and useful Braille is in
its own right. It's not a second-class substitute for print that I can take
or leave; it's our community treasure. Our collective understanding of
these facts will shape the way we live, play, and work, and eventually it
will shape the way Braille is perceived.
After all, the evidence that I need to go out and buy that curb and
flagpole detector comes not in the form of the brochure from the
salesperson but rather in the form of blind people I respect who quietly
use their own as a matter of course and clearly benefit from it. Only then
can I see that I may need one too. It doesn't do the salesperson any good
to keep calling, and if I'm constantly harangued by users of the device
saying that I must have one or I'm some kind of pathetic, dependent loser,
my desire to go out and buy one evaporates completely.
So at its heart this isn't about what nonreaders think or about what
readers say. It's about what readers do and about the way we treat one
another. We can't coerce or convince nonreaders to take up Braille or force
newly blinded folk to learn it, but we can, through our own consistent
joyful use of Braille, make it practically irresistible.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Brian Buhrow]
When New Laws Change Old Rights: What Is Being Lost in All the Media Hype?
by Brian Buhrow
From the Editor: Sometimes one wonders whether what we hear and see
in the news is a genuine attempt to cover the things that shape and mold
our country or whether some of it is an attempt to dodge broader and more
important issues. No matter how you come down on the issue, every
legislative body should ensure that the bills it passes contain provisions
directly related to the topic it is meant to address. If the bill is
addressing the safe operation of motor vehicles, it should not be used to
institute a new leash law or implement a food safety regulation.
Brian Buhrow is best known for his work as an engineer involved in
the field of communications, but he was also an English literature major,
and when we need someone to combine issues of the heart and issues of the
head, it is hard to find anyone better. Here is what Brian has to say:
With all the noise recently in the news about the trans-gender issue
and making sure they have equal and unimpeded access to restrooms and
changing areas, there's been some discussion of North Carolina's new H-2
law which says that state entities don't have to provide access to general
restrooms for trans-gender folks. However, were you also aware that this
same law repeals the right of individuals who may be terminated from their
jobs or denied access to state services because of their race, sexual
orientation, or disability to seek redress in the state courts for the
discrimination practiced against them? When the governor was asked about
this, his response was that, because he didn't have line-item veto and
because he had to pass the H-2 law, he felt it was an acceptable tradeoff
to sacrifice fifty years of civil rights gains for entire classes of people
in order to address this hot button issue. He vowed to correct the
injustice but was unapologetic about his action.
I am reminded of the Social Security laws of this country and the
linkage that was lost between the blind and seniors when the earnings
limits were raised for seniors but not for the blind. This happened about
twenty years ago. When we went to Congress, we were assured this was a mere
oversight and that it would be easy to fix with the next round of Social
Security legislation that would come before Congress. Today, twenty years
later, the issue is still unfixed, and every year we go to Congress and ask
for this injustice to be corrected. By now, the earnings limits for seniors
have been raised so high above those of the blind that Congress is telling
us it would be too expensive to make the change now.
How ephemeral our rights really are when they can be wiped out with
the stroke of a pen for a law that ostensibly doesn't have anything to do
with us. We're a small minority in comparison with other minorities in
North Carolina, but if other states draw up laws similar to North
Carolina's and use their language, we'll find ourselves back in 1960 before
we know it.
I think we are well-served by letting our membership know about the
insidious side effects of these laws so that they can contact their state
legislators and make it clear that we're not in favor of any law that
abrogates our rights as blind people, whether or not it is an intentional
effect of the law or not. For my part, I think this change in North
Carolina is entirely intentional, and legislators were hoping to slip this
nuclear option under the radar of their citizenry. How shameful!
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Parnell Diggs]
Running Out the Clock on Regulations Release
by Parnell Diggs
From the Editor: Parnell Diggs is the director of government affairs
for the National Federation of the Blind. Before taking his position in
2015, Parnell was a member of the national board of directors. He also
served for more than fifteen years as the president of the National
Federation of the Blind of South Carolina. Here is what he has to say about
the interminable delay in issuing regulations that are so important to
blind people wishing to participate fully in the commerce of our nation:
I was a huge basketball fan growing up. Born in Charlotte, North
Carolina (and raised by parents who had lived in North Carolina all of
their lives), I was imminently familiar with four universities in the state
which made up half of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which at that
time was comprised of eight schools. I was always partial to the North
Carolina teams.
One of my fondest basketball memories is of watching an ACC
tournament game with my dad on a weekend afternoon as the North Carolina
Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers were involved in a game which had
national implications because both teams were ranked high in the polls. I
have not investigated the accuracy of my memories of the game (which are
now approaching thirty-five years on), but here is the gist.
The Tar Heels had the ball and a one-point lead with thirteen minutes
remaining-an eternity in college basketball, especially in a game that
close. Tar Heel coach Dean Smith instructed his team to run the "Four
Corners" offense, which arguably was actually no offense at all. The
players spread out (using all four corners of the court) and passed the
ball to each other without taking a shot until the end of the game.
It was only a few years later when men's college basketball rules
were amended to implement a shot clock. There was already a shot clock in
the women's game. I had forgotten about the old "Four Corners" offense
until recently, when I read the Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (SANPRM) on web accessibility, which is a right already
protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In July of 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an Advanced
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) leading us to believe that much-
needed guidance for state and local governments and places of public
accommodation on how to insure that their websites were accessible to blind
consumers, as required under Titles II and III of the ADA, was forthcoming.
For six years we waited with great anticipation.
At the time President Obama called the forthcoming regulations, "the
most important updates to the ADA since its original enactment." The ANPRM
was published on July 26, 2010, the twentieth anniversary of the ADA. On
July 20, 2015, President Riccobono invited me to be part of a delegation to
the White House to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ADA.
Nearly five years after the ANPRM, we were hopeful that an announcement
would be made regarding the web accessibility regulations. We were
disappointed.
No such announcement was made at the White House ceremony
commemorating the ADA despite the President's earlier observation of the
monumental importance of the web accessibility regulations. As 2015 drew to
a close, we were again disappointed when DOJ announced that, in fact, the
regulations regarding websites of public accommodations would not be
released until 2018 at the earliest.
Then, as if that wasn't disappointing enough, on April 29, 2016, we
were advised that DOJ would be issuing the above mentioned SANPRM, further
delaying the release of the Title II regulations as well, which are
applicable to state and local government websites.
In a press release issued at the time, Mark A. Riccobono, President
of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "This deplorable
announcement by the Department of Justice is another example of inexcusable
foot-dragging on the issue of web accessibility, which is critical to the
education, employment, and daily life of blind Americans. Delaying the
equal access of the blind to American society by failing to provide clarity
in technology accessibility is inconsistent with the administration's goal
of full participation by people with disabilities. This failure also puts
public entities seeking clear guidance on how to meet their obligations to
consumers and constituents with disabilities at a severe disadvantage, with
no direction on how to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act in
the provision of information and services over the internet. The questions
that DOJ raises in the Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
did not newly arise in the six years since the original Advanced Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, nor is the continuing evolution of technology an
excuse for revisiting them. The National Federation of the Blind
unequivocally condemns today's action and urges the administration to issue
proposed rules with regard to equal access under Titles II and III of the
Americans with Disabilities Act without further delay. We further urge all
political and civic leaders to join with us in calling on this
administration to fulfill the promise made and bring clarity to the
accessibility of public information, commerce, and education in the twenty-
first century. Let's #UploadTheRegs."
The current status of the web accessibility issue is best summed up
in our June 2016 edition of Imagineering Our Future, which reads as
follows: "The need for access to public websites continues to be an area of
critical importance to the NFB. Though the courts have increasingly
identified that websites fall within the intent and scope of the Americans
with Disabilities Act and cannot be vehicles of discrimination and
exclusion against blind citizens, the federal government has yet to confirm
regulations that would require websites to be accessible to individuals
with disabilities. The NFB's advocacy for such regulations cannot stop
until websites are accessible."
In May the US Department of Justice published its Supplemental
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled Nondiscrimination on the Basis
of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and
Local Government Entities in the Federal Register. In response to the new
SANPRM, the NFB is gathering comments and stories from members to highlight
the importance of access to state and local government websites. We need
your stories, both positive and negative, regarding the importance of
accessible state and local government websites-websites for voter
registration, applying for a state or local government job, appealing a
property tax assessment, renewing a library book, requesting food stamps,
registering for a class at your local state or community college, or any
other state or local government service. Visit <www.nfb.org/TitleIISANPRM>
for steps on how you can help the NFB advocate for accessible websites,
and/or contact Kyle Walls at (410) 659-9314, extension 2223, or
<kwalls at nfb.org>. We will be gathering member stories through July 15.
Those who are reading this article later in July should know that, while we
would like your input by July 15, the DOJ deadline is August 8, 2016.
Please get in touch with Kyle Walls if you would like to help, and he will
tell you how to do that.
I know that President Obama is a big basketball fan. He would no
doubt be familiar with the expression "running out the clock," as his time
in office draws to a close over the next six months. Clearly, the most
important updates to the ADA since their enactment will have to wait until
a new administration is in place. The danger is that we do not know how
important web accessibility will be to the next president.
While talking about the desire to provide guidance, it seems that the
current administration is engaging in the old "Four Corners" offense when
it comes to the release of the web accessibility regulations. I wonder if
we need a shot clock.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Sheila Koenig]
Throwing Away the Road Map
by Sheila Koenig
From the Editor: Sheila Koenig is a blind teacher of sighted middle-
school students in Minneapolis. She is lively and energetic and has many
interests. One of them is testing the boundaries that are often assumed to
come with being blind-traveling known routes, being accompanied by someone
with sight when venturing to new places, and doing extensive planning
before taking a trip. Here is Sheila's story about going beyond these
boundaries in her quest for choice and spontaneity:
It began as a seed planted in my writing and Zen class. In talking
about being attached to plans, Ted (the instructor) mused that, whenever we
have road maps, we ought to throw them away. Thus began the thread of
thoughts: I like getting lost. I like the adventure. I like the stories. I
like bonding with my companion in our shared lostness. But, I wondered,
what if I was alone? Would I still enjoy getting lost? Would I embrace
adventure and novelty, or would I confine myself to my own comfort zone? I
decided there was one way to find out.
Without a road map and by myself I ventured to Red Wing, Minnesota.
Red Wing is a community of about 16,000 people located in the southeastern
part of Minnesota along the Mississippi River. I chose it because I wanted
to go to a small town, a community where I could hear stories and meet
people. I simply wanted to follow where the moments led.
A few days before my trip, I discovered a new journaling app called
Zentries. Each time the app is opened, a new quote appears. When I opened
the app to journal the night before my trip, the quote read, "The lesson is
letting go. The lesson is always letting go. Have you ever noticed how much
of our agony is all tied up with craving and loss?" by Susan Gordon Lydon.
We live in a society that clings to security and certainty. Though taking
various forms, consciously or unconsciously, we grasp for things to steady
us, for permanence. For me this quote was emblematic of my trip. I was
letting go of expectations, letting go of plans, and letting go of the
known.
The avenues of the trip were fascinating. In my first conversation
with Lauren, the concierge at the St. James Hotel, I learned about a new
bookstore. "I don't know why," he said. "But you look like someone who
loves books." Amusedly I told him that I teach English. And I set out to
find the bookstore. I learned about a sailing group in the Twin Cities, met
a man considering a career change to education, met a kayak guide with a
connection to the meditation center I attend, and learned about a
science/art charter school in Napa, California. From my kayak guide I
learned about a local bakery, and at the bakery I learned they made the
crust for the pizza at the local brewery. The crust is outstanding!
My blindness mattered very little on this trip. I hired a driver to
take me from Minneapolis to Red Wing. I knew that most of Red Wing could be
accessed by foot, and I felt that part of embracing this journey was
letting go of having all of the answers. Sometimes I think anticipating
potential roadblocks can keep us from fully experiencing life. I could not
have planned, for example, that Broken Paddle Guiding Company would offer
to pick me up from my hotel because we were near the launch site of my
kayak tour. I had kayaked only once before, on a small lake at a relative's
cabin, but I was determined to feed my sense of adventure without worrying
about the details. As it turned out, I was the only tourist signed up for
the tour. After a quick lesson on land of basic paddling strokes, I set out
in my own kayak. My tour guide accompanied me in his. We paddled the
backwaters of the Mississippi and navigated the flooded forest
successfully. I did get tangled in some branches, but his directions guided
me out of the tangle. We talked about turtles, education, and meditation.
My blindness was never an issue for me or for those I encountered.
Looking back on this trip nearly half a year later, I marvel at the
joys I found. I had no expectations or preconceptions. In throwing away the
road map, I was able to be present with the moments that evolved along the
way.
----------
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A formal place setting, complete with place card
bearing the Whozit logo and the words, "Miss Whozit"]
Ask Miss Whozit
It is always a pleasure to hear from people who read the Braille
Monitor, and the occasional thank you can often make my day. Even the
questions and criticisms are often blessings in disguise, because they
cause me to look outside what I have traditionally thought of as suitable
material for this publication.
One of the more persistent questions I have received in the last year
or so is why I have decided to discontinue the Miss Whozit column. The
simple answer is that I have not. The idea of the piece, which started in
1989, was to answer questions that came from readers with the hope that we
would both encourage questions some might feel embarrassed to ask of
friends and family and that we might, through pooling the expertise of our
membership, come up with good answers that would serve well if only they
were shared widely.
Three of the questions that have appeared in the Miss Whozit column
have come from me. When I asked them of those I loved and trusted, I felt
they were ducked. Either I was told that they were not important, that they
did not happen in my life, or that there was nothing I could do about them.
I thought that the Braille Monitor might give me a better answer. It did.
With the knowledge that it can and the hope that it will, we are reprinting
some examples from the column. Enjoy.
Dear Miss Whozit,
I did not have enough proper blindness training when I was young, so
I'm never sure when it is appropriate for me to touch food when I'm eating
food on my own plate or serving myself from a buffet. Can you help?
Apprehensive
Dear Apprehensive,
You have asked a good question. Miss Whozit believes that two basic
considerations determine appropriate handling of food: sanitation and the
rules of etiquette. Some foods are appropriate for touching: fried chicken
on the bone, French fries, breads, and most relishes (celery, radishes,
olives, carrot sticks, etc.), as well as cookies, candy, and small tarts
and quiches.
However, it is Miss Whozit's firmly held opinion that most other
foods should not be touched but maneuvered with knife, fork, or spoon. You
should never touch food being passed until you have served yourself. If
you're unsure what is on the platter or in the bowl being passed, quietly
ask the person who passed it to you.
Miss Whozit is painfully aware that some blind people have not
learned to serve themselves. She suggests that, if you can't do so
confidently, you should ask a person near you to place a serving on your
plate rather than skipping the item altogether.
You can eat the food on your own plate quite easily without
inordinate touching by using a dinner roll or biscuit to stabilize what you
want to slide on to the fork. The same thing can be accomplished using the
European method of using the knife in the non-dominant hand to cut and
stabilize food while wielding the fork in the other hand in the usual way.
Miss Whozit insists that everyone-and she does mean everyone-needs
practice in handling table etiquette gracefully and competently. It is a
necessary art if one is to be accepted socially, and like all others the
skills must be mastered.
Miss Whozit has heard the rumor that the NFB argues that blindness
can be reduced to the level of a nuisance, and she believes that it is a
nuisance-nothing more-for a blind person to go through a buffet line.
Because it is never acceptable to put your fingers in someone else's food,
the blind person must accept the nuisance and learn how to cope with it.
Miss Whozit finds two ways acceptable: If an attendant is staffing
the table, ask that person to assist you by telling you what is in each
bowl and on each platter so that you can find the serving piece and serve
yourself. Or, alternatively, simply have someone serve your plate for you.
When all is said and done, Miss Whozit dreams of a world in which all
blind people are properly trained and graciously accepted by others.
Dear Miss Whozit:
Over the years, even at NFB conventions, I have observed people,
particularly those born blind or without families who taught them how to
handle themselves in public. I have just enough vision to notice
inappropriate behavior and sometimes correct myself when I observe the way
sighted people behave. I can then ask for advice about how things should be
done. It is often embarrassing but also rewarding.
One thing that should be addressed when people are ready for
employment after going through our training centers is habitual rocking or
other repetitive motions. Several sighted friends who have worked in the
corporate world have asked me about this behavior, and frankly I cannot
think of an adequate answer.
Why do people who are blind, particularly those who have been in
residential schools, rock? I was helping in a booth in the exhibit hall one
year, and my partner was sitting Indian fashion on a folding chair, rocking
back and forth, swinging a keychain from side to side in front of his face
and shaking his head. I do not know how he kept from falling out of the
chair. In the course of conversation I discovered this man had been to
college and had several degrees but had been unsuccessful for years in
finding a job. I asked him if he had figured out why, and he said that he
did not know. He said he wore clean jeans and t-shirts to the interviews
and made sure he had showered that morning. I asked if he had ever taken a
job-readiness class in college, and he said that he didn't need one. All he
had to do was present his résumé and recommendation letters. Setting aside
the question of inappropriate dress for an interview, he is not the only
person I have seen rocking or exhibiting unusual behavior.
Should I have tried to say something direct enough to make him
recognize his unacceptable behavior without making him angry or
embarrassing him? Whether we want to admit it or not, the majority of
people in human resources are sighted and extremely dependent on first
impressions. I worked in an office for almost thirteen years and had to
maintain a certain level of decorum. Aren't these subjects addressed at our
training centers? What about the importance of good posture and appropriate
body language?
Sincerely,
Decent Impression
Dear Decent Impression:
You have raised a very important yet sensitive issue that often falls
into the category of the elephant in the living room that everyone
studiously avoids mentioning. It falls into the broad category of behavior
often called "blindisms"-idly or vigorously rocking front to back or side
to side, twisting the head from side to side, rubbing the eyes, fluttering
fingers in front of the eyes to make sure they still work, twisting hair,
and other equally odd mannerisms. The second part of the equation is the
reaction of sighted people to any unusual, different, or even unacceptable
human behavior.
Miss Whozit wishes to begin by pointing out a truth which should be
self-evident but nevertheless needs occasional repeating: sighted people
can see! Strange as it may seem, some blind people apparently forget this
reality from time to time and engage in activities in public which are
disgusting or embarrassing to those watching. Any human being, blind or
sighted, may well engage in activities in private which are simply
unacceptable when the behavior is or may be observed by others. Dr. Kenneth
Jernigan wrote extensively on this topic in his article "The Barrier of the
Visible Difference" in the Kernel Book Gray Pancakes and Gold Horses.
Blindisms have been discussed and written about widely. Miss Whozit is sad
to report that some people propound deep psychological and philosophical
foundations to explain this phenomenon, and perhaps they are right.
Unfortunately such explanations do not provide an excuse that lets the
blind person off the social hook. Miss Whozit is convinced that the reasons
for such behavior are simple. All small children engage in a variety of
behaviors that are universally unacceptable. If little Suzie is sighted,
her parents and other relatives will say, "Stop picking your nose [or
whatever]! You may not do that. That is a nasty habit." Moreover, the
concerned adults will keep at it until the habit is broken.
If little Suzie is blind, however, many parents and other adults seem
to be reluctant or even afraid to hold the blind child to the sighted
standard. When the parents listen to the faux experts in the field rather
than the authentic experts (the organized blind), the expectation for
normal and appropriate behavior becomes obscured. When this happens, what
begins as a petty little habit eventually becomes a hard-wired
characteristic which is nearly impossible to reverse.
These unacceptable mannerisms then run headlong into the social
expectations of sighted society and reinforce the minority-group status of
the blind. If a sighted person engages in some activity which is not the
norm (some do), those around him or her dismiss the undesirable habit as
the actions of a weirdo. Other sighted people are not tarred by the
weirdness brush and are certainly not placed in that category just because
of the odd behavior of one weirdo. When, however, a blind person exhibits
such behavior, many in society judge all blind people by the unacceptable
or bizarre behavior of the one. Like it or not, we blind people are already
thought of as different and are scrutinized more closely. Adding the
unacceptable behavior compounds the novelty of blindness and the attention
it draws.
In his book Freedom for the Blind, Jim Omvig devotes an entire
chapter to the topic of blending in and endeavoring to behave in such a way
that one is acceptable to others. Miss Whozit pleads with parents of blind
children to read this chapter and also to be relentless in their effort to
stamp out overtly bizarre behavior or even silly little habits. What can
and should adults do to combat such behavior in themselves or those they
care about? If one recognizes personal blindisms, he or she should ask
friends and family members to offer quiet, private reminders when the old
habits surface. If friends or family members care about a person who is not
aware of blindisms, they should go quietly to that person and ask if they
can help. In either case a private plan should be devised to give a signal
to the blind person as a reminder that he or she is engaging in the
activity and should stop.
The sad truth is that until and unless the blind adult with such
habits recognizes them and wishes to be rid of them, no one else can help
very much. What we can do is to make clear to these friends just how much
of a problem the behavior is and at what a disadvantage it will put the
person socially and professionally. We do nothing but harm our children or
friends by pretending that everyone else will understand or that the
peculiar behavior will not be as much of a roadblock to social acceptance
as poor grooming or disgusting table manners.
Dear Miss Whozit,
Lately it seems that all of my girlfriends are dieting or at the
least hyper-conscious about their carb count. For this reason we constantly
seem to have lunch at salad bars. Another frequent occurrence is my
family's visits to all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants. Both of these
restaurant choices make for uncomfortable dining experiences for me. "Why?"
you may ask. "Don't you enjoy salads? Or is it that you simply don't have
enough room in your stomach for all that's available to eat?"
The answer is neither. Rather, when I go out to eat, I am unsure
about how to identify salad dressings and the like at the salad bar. And I
consider buffets simply nightmares waiting to happen. How do I handle these
social situations? Eager for your response,
Buffet Baffled ??
Dear Baffled,
Learning to maneuver through a buffet line with grace and ease can
feel overwhelming, but, once armed with accurate information and good
skills, you too will be able to take advantage of the convenience and
selection provided by this vast array of dietary indulgences. Remember that
anticipatory anxiety of the unknown is often more unpleasant than the
actual event.
We live in an interdependent society. Sometimes asking for assistance
is necessary or prudent. As Federationists we have learned the truth of Dr.
Jernigan's speech, "The Nature of Independence," in which he defines
independence as doing what we want to do when we want to do it without
inconveniencing ourselves or others. In that speech he also spoke about the
importance of accomplishing tasks efficiently rather than always insisting
on doing them alone. Going through a buffet line is one instance in which
these two concepts merge.
Once you have made the decision to navigate a buffet line, it is
essential to request assistance from someone. If others in your party are
going through the buffet line, you can ask one of them to provide the
visual information and any necessary assistance, or you can ask your server
if an employee is available to assist you. Which decision you make depends
on the circumstances. If you are the only one in your party going through
the buffet line, solicit the assistance of someone on the restaurant staff.
If you feel at ease asking a member of your party for assistance, it is
quick and easy to adopt that solution.
Once you are ready to make your selections at the buffet, instruct
the person providing assistance about your preference of the best way to
move through the line. If you know ahead of time that you are looking
specifically for salad items, provide this information. If you decide that
life is really too short and you want to eat dessert first, say so. Let the
person providing assistance know how you would like the items identified.
If you plan to plate your own food, ask that the items be identified
in a column format going from back to front so you know where each item is
located when you serve yourself. Be sure when serving your own food to keep
extra napkins handy to wipe your fingers if you accidentally come into
contact with stray food items or sauces. It is important to maintain good
hygiene when handling serving utensils in a public place.
Miss Whozit wants to emphasize at this point that you are responsible
for carrying your own plates, glasses, or bowls. You have requested
assistance learning what items are on the line and perhaps placing the food
on your plate, not providing service as a personal butler, carrying your
selections from the line to the table.
One gentle reminder, if you are dining during peak customer hours and
you realize that a line is forming behind you, make your selections as
quickly as possible and keep moving. The beauty of a buffet is that you are
often allowed to return for seconds. So be sure to ask your server ahead of
time whether you are dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Miss Whozit recommends that for your first attempt at negotiating a
buffet line you go at a time when you will feel at ease so that you will
begin to gain confidence in the techniques you devise. If you have a blind
friend who is comfortable handling buffets, you might invite him or her to
go with you so that you can ask for advice along the way. Remember when
embarking on any new challenge, the most important thing is to believe that
it is possible and gather as much information ahead of time as you can.
Then just do it. As J. Laing Burns says, "You've got to believe if you want
to succeed."
----------
Recipes
This month's recipes come from the National Federation of the Blind
of Arkansas.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Terry Sheeler]
Tortellini Soup
by Terry Sheeler
Terry Sheeler is the state president for the National Federation of
the Blind of Arkansas. Tony and Terry and their girls are all proud members
of the NFB of NWA chapter. Terry has made these recipes for Tony and the
girls for many years and now that the girls are grown and starting their
own lives, it is fun to reflect back and see the girls making these family
recipes that they have enjoyed for many years.
Ingredients:
8 ounce container of chive and onion cream cheese
2 bags of frozen tortellini
2 pounds of hamburger meat
4 green onions, chopped
2 family-size cans of tomato soup
2 cans of beef broth
2 cans diced tomatoes with oregano/basil/garlic
Garlic to taste
Onion powder to taste
Salt to taste
Cumin to taste
Pepper to taste
Splash red wine vinegar
Method: Cook beef and season with garlic, onion powder, a small
amount of cumin, salt, pepper and a small splash of red wine vinegar and
set aside. In large pot combine tomato soup, beef broth, diced tomatoes
with oregano/basil/garlic and chopped green onions. Stir constantly until
it comes to a boil, add the chive and onion cream cheese, stir well so that
it melts into the soup base.
You can either cook the tortellini separately and drain/add
separately when cooked or add the tortellini to the soup base and let it
cook in the soup base until done. Once tortellini and soup base are done,
add the beef mixture.
Added suggestion: add real shredded parmesan cheese to the top of
soup when ready to serve. This recipe makes a large pot and is great for
families and group gatherings. If you don't need a large amount, you cut
the recipe in half.
----------
Yeller Chili
by Donna Walker
Dick and Donna Walker live in Malvern, Arkansas, about forty-five
miles south of Little Rock. Donna is the first vice president of the
National Federation of the Blind of Arkansas, secretary of the state's
chapter at-large and secretary for the board of the Friends of the Arkansas
Information Reading Service for the Blind Network.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
4 15-ounce cans pinto beans with jalapeño peppers
4 15-ounce cans chili hot beans
1 or 2 10-ounce cans original diced Ro*Tel tomatoes
1 pound Velveeta cheese
1 to 2 cups heavy cream
Method: In a skillet brown ground chuck and onion. Season with salt
and pepper to taste and drain off excess grease. In a six- or eight-quart
crock pot (or eight-quart stockpot) combine beans (do not drain), Ro*Tel
tomatoes, and browned meat. Cover and cook together until simmering,
stirring occasionally. Use high heat in slow cooker or on very low heat if
you use stock pot on top of the range. Add cheese and cook until nearly
ready to serve. Stir in cream to get desired thickness.
Serve over mini Tostitos, Fritos, or Nacho Cheese Doritos crunched in
bottom of bowl. We like the Nacho Cheese Doritos best.
----------
Jalapeño Corn Bread
by Donna Walker
Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising corn meal (I prefer yellow but white will work as well)
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 15-ounce can creamed corn
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cups grated cheese
12 to 15 jalapeño slices, chopped
Method: Grease ten-inch iron skillet with shortening or cooking oil.
Combine corn meal, eggs, milk, cooking oil and creamed corn in a medium
mixing bowl. Stir in onions, peppers, and grated cheese. Transfer to
skillet and bake at 350 degrees for forty-five to fifty-five minutes.
Outside edge and top should be slightly crispy. Loosen outside edge with
butter knife and cool a few minutes before serving.
----------
Country Cold Slaw
by Nella Foster
Nella Foster lives in Northwest Arkansas. She is involved with the
state affiliate and the at-large chapter. She owns and manages a small goat
dairy, but still has time for hobbies like gardening, crafts, and baking.
Ingredients:
4 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
Pinch of dried mustard
Pinch of black pepper
Method: Mix together carrots, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, mustard,
salt, and pepper. Pour over cabbage and mix well. I think this tastes
better if it chills in the refrigerator for several hours or even
overnight. You can garnish with a ring of green pepper if you wish. This
makes six servings.
----------
Best-Ever Peanut Butter Cookies
by Donna Walker
Donna says, "A lady I worked with for years used to make these-they
are wonderful. I got her to give me the recipe when I retired because my
husband loves peanut butter cookies. Her aunt got it off of the commodity
peanut butter can back in the 1960s."
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or shortening
2 eggs, beaten
Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, salt, and baking
soda; set aside. Mix together peanut butter, eggs, and fat. Add both white
and brown sugar and blend with electric mixer. Add in dry ingredients. It
makes a stiff dough. Drop by teaspoonful, or roll into that size balls, and
flatten on cookie sheet. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes or until slightly
browned on edges. Makes four to five dozen cookies, depending on size of
cookies.
----------
Almond Short Bread
by Nella Foster
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond slivers
1 teaspoon almond extract
Method: Melt butter and blend with sugar, add egg and beat well. Sift
dry ingredients together and then add to butter mixture. Stir until blended
and then add almonds and almond extract. Mix thoroughly and spread into a
greased eight-by-eight-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for thirty minutes. Cut
the shortbread into squares while it is still warm. It should make sixteen
to twenty squares. If you toast the almonds first they will have more
flavor.
----------
Punch Bowl Cake
by Terry Sheeler
While there is cake involved, this isn't the kind of cake you bake.
Instead this treat is created by layering the ingredients into a fresh and
cool dessert, perfect for summer.
Ingredients:
2 angel food cakes
1 large box of vanilla instant pudding
6 large bananas
2 pounds fresh or frozen strawberries
2 16-ounce containers of Cool Whip, thawed
One large clear punch bowl
Method: In separate bowls break angel food cake into bite-size pieces
or a little larger. Follow directions for vanilla pudding; pudding will be
soft-set. Slice bananas. Quarter the fresh strawberries or thaw frozen
strawberries and drain.
In the large clear punch bowl, layer the following: angel food cake,
vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, and Cool Whip. Repeat
all the layers until your punch bowl is filled and you have ended with your
fifth layer of Cool Whip. Top with fresh strawberries if desired. Keep cake
chilled until ready to serve and, when ready to serve, dip with a large
spoon.
----------
Monitor Miniatures
Monitor Mart
The notice in this section has been edited for clarity, but we can
pass along only the information we were given. We are not responsible for
the accuracy of the statements made or the quality of the product for sale.
For Sale:
I have an Index Basic V4 Braille printer, with Duxbury Program. This
two-year-old Braille printer is in excellent condition and has never been
used. This is a small compact Braille printer that fits nicely on a
desktop; menus are navigated by speech output so it is easily used by both
sighted and blind individuals. All the original cables are included as well
as the Duxbury Program which is needed to translate the information into
Braille. I also have a case of Braille paper for the printer. I'm asking
$2,900, but I'm willing to work with you on a price that is fair to the
both of us. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions by email
at <Kaylarichardson0590 at gmail.com>.
----------
NFB Pledge
I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National
Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for
the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to
abide by its constitution.
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