I think a few of the reasons blind people are not taught as we once were is:
Those who teach us are less likely to be blind themselves. Being sighted,
they are negatively effected by their own biases. It is perhaps taken for
granted by them that blind people just aren't suppose to know how to do
things. Or learning them is impractical. Ironing clothing is an example.
With all these permanent press garments around these days. Because of the
microwaves, more emphasis is placed on learning to cook using them. Because
it makes it easier for the teacher to instruct the student. Less time is
allocated to teaching us to do things than was done in the past. So the
more quickly we might learn a skill, the better it is for those who teach us
also. As technology has made it possible to accomplish the same things in
different ways, the easiest and the fastest way is chosen by the instructor.
That he might more speedily make his way to the next student. I say, even
if the student might never iron, teaching him to do so builds his confidence
around hot objects, and illustrates skills previously believed to be
impossible to learn by a blind person can be accomplished. The blind
person, then understands he can trust himself to learn more things. He may
have falsely understood were impossibilities. Also, most newly blinded
people are older people. Being a senior citizen, myself, I am faced with
all sorts of, what I assume to be myths, and negative self fulfilling
prophecies concerning what is expected of the aged in our society. Combined
with age, the newly blinded person is also effected by these negative
assumptions. Along with those he carried with him from the days when he was
sighted.
If one is to "personally bust" the myths surrounding the aged and we blind
people, we must ask ourselves who benefits most from fostering , and
believing them. It is those who feel most superior to both populations.
Even the "positive" stereotypes such as the one which maintains our hearing
becomes super hearing benefits the sighted person who believes it. What it
is truly saying is that it is "blindness" alone which causes us to have such
acute hearing. Blindness is such a horrible tragedy. Justice would not be
served. If we didn't have something to compensate us for that loss. Fear
is the basis for all myths. Whether they concern aging or those facing
various challenges. They, being sighted, could never be so good at hearing
as we who are blind. Then, should a person believing such actually lose
their sight, and he realizes he can not hear as well as he believed he
would. Then he must not be able to accomplish anything as well as he might
have believed he might. So, you see, how even those stereotypes about us as
blind people can prove to show the sighted, our "inferiority". Which is not
the case at all. But, the ways in which we might be their superiors are not
properly understood, and thus are less likely to be copied by the newly
blinded person. Unless he has one of us accomplished blind people, such as
are found on this list to teach him.----- Original Message -----
From: "James English" <james13english@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2016 3:56 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: I apologize whole heartedly:
That is an extremely interesting take on things, and one I do not
necisarily disagree with. Though I take a view that technology has
improved our lives to a great extent, I wholeheartedly agree with you
that learned helplessness is a massive issue amongst the blind
community right now, and it is helped along by the patronising
attitude that the residential schools are now taking. It is hard to
understand why this is the case: as society's attitudes towards people
with disabilities have generally improved, the actions of sighted
people towards teaching blind people to do some farely basic and
important things has changed for the worst. I was only taught to iron
at Worcester college at the age of 16, and my teacher was amazed that
I was happy around flame and hot objects. however, I still am unable
to light a cigarette without assistance (if you can give me a way of
doing that, I'd be very happy indeed.)
On 11/8/16, Angel238 <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thank you so much for the encouraging post. I feel sad, with all these** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
smart devices around, people in future, will be lost without them. There
was a crash last week concerning our various shopping sites. Because some
hacker got all these smart devices to contact them. Causing them to crash.
For those who truly wanted to use them for legitimate purposes. You can see
the effects of modern technology reflected in the training of newly blinded
people. When I was a girl, smoking was prevalent among all populations,
sighted and blind. Blind people who smoked when they were sighted, and
blind people who were born blind and who smoked, weren't afraid to light
their tobacco products. Blind people were not afraid to perform tasks, such
as ironing, and having their fingers around ringer washers, and what would
be considered now days to be dangerous machines. Now, newly blinded people
are actively encouraged not to use flame. Many aren't taught to sew, to use
power tools, and iron clothing. Because sighted people feel such things
might be a danger to them. It isn't any wonder, on ACB radio, there use be
a show called "The Blind Handyman." Hosted by two older gentlemen. Who
were blind from birth, and were trained in residential schools for the
blind. Where, at one time, our abilities were recognized, and instructors
and teachers were not afraid to teach us the things sighted people took for
granted. The show died with the hosts who hosted it, and no younger men
took their place. Learned helplessness isn't exclusive to blind people.
Sighted people also can be afflicted by this. As technology progresses.
The more we give over functions we use to perform with our minds, the less
well we will be able to perform as we age, and more age related memory
diseases will exist. With tweets, and texts, allowing only a minimal number
of characters to be written, will cause attention spans to lessen, and
writing skill to suffer among both sighted and blind. Though sighted people
will suffer more, in the short run than will we. Because we haven't sight.
To look at pictures and graphics. The problem, I think, is: As technology
progresses, and as we accustomed ourselves to its conveniences, we loose
sight of its original purpose. Which is not to replace already learned
skills, but to make it easier to use the skills we already have. An example
of this is: Prior to computers and scanners, we blind people couldn't read
the printed page. We required sighted assistance to even read our mail.
Computers and scanners, and the KNFB reader made this possible and more
convenient. On line banking gives us the same privacy available to sighted
people, along with the convenience such affords. Hard copy Braille
statements always had to be transcribed. Thus lessening the level of
privacy available to us. Verses to that given to the sighted banking
customer. Braille displays made the reading of Braille less cumbersome, and
more convenient. But, when technology makes it easier for us to remain
sedentary, distracts the sighted when driving, and eventually to lack proper
writing skill, or to appreciate, even a moderately lengthy writing, it goes
beyond its original purpose, and begins to harm us, as a people. My grand
parents could build fires. As they didn't have central heating, and heated
with coal. I never learned from them this skill, and I am not directly
advocating we return to those days. But, this youthful generation in
America, at least, are unable to properly appreciate the fact we do have
central heating. There use to be telephone boxes nearly on every corner,
and the poorer among us didn't have home phones. The cost of a paid phone
call then was a lot less expensive. Now, even the poorest of us is given a
federally subsidized cellular phone. Which creates within youth less
appreciation for the things they have. The more affluent among us are
forced by technology to purchase the latest and the newest thing. For us
blind people this becomes more crucial. Because older technology won't work
with the newer sites, and newer technology is less accessible with older
operating systems. Straining even more subsistence stipends. This is done
deliberately to satisfy the greed of those manufacturing the technology. It
is sad indeed.
----- Original Message -----
From: Barry Hill (Redacted sender "barry.hill3" for DMARC)
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2016 9:22 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: I apologize whole heartedly:
I don't think you need to apologize, Angel. It was a very thought
provoking and interesting post that made a valid argument against modernity.
The Luddites made a similar valuable argument, and I suspect technology is
going to repeat the history that provoked the Luddites. About 35% of jobs
are at risk of being computerized in the next 20 years, according to a study
by researchers at Oxford University and Deloitte. There seem to always be
winners and losers with advances in technology but, for me, the only loss is
to my wallet.
Cheers
Barry
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Angel238 (Redacted sender "angel238" for DMARC)
Sent: 07 November 2016 4:38 PM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] I apologize whole heartedly:
Oh dear,, I am so sorry. I truly am. I apologize to the entire list. I
saw the post, and believed I was writing to a friend. We were having a
discussion about another subject altogether, and I believed I was writing to
him. I don't want to put down the echo in any way, or those who use it. I
haven't mis posted in years. But I did it this time. I am sorry again.
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