hi james and list yes this astonished me as well. hear in leeds i asked about
doing a route to my new chess club in the end i did it with my satnav. all the
powers that be just could not deliver at all. trouble is around wellington
street there it's so really so busy. right near the rail way station. years
back in sheffield we had a chap called bert lowe who was brilliant and before
that mrs. tooze at sheffield school. i think the number of totally blind people
is very very lowe now though so may be it's all to do with numbers.
----- Original Message -----
From: James English <james13english@xxxxxxxxx>
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Friday, 9 October 2015 4:14 pm
Subject: [access-uk] Re: RNIB PRODUCT BOYCOTT
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
Hi,
What amazes me is guide dogs constant and varied requests for money,
coupled with their amazing inability to deliver essential services. By
the way, I wouldn't recommend giving guide dogs any money this year,
I've been assured by a former director (who left on good terms, btw)
that they have around 3 years worth of savings just doing nothing, and
that they could operate at full level for 2 years if no money at all
came in.
When I need some help to get shown around my routes at university,
however, they don't have the staff for that.
comJames
On 10/9/15, Mike Ray <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
The campaigns that present us as vulnerable etc. are doing so because
that is a very strong message to the brains of sighted folks, many of
whom have no relatives or friends or any experience of any blind people
beyond seeing one of us in the street. You have to remember that the
first thing, and the lasting thing, that a lot of sighted people are
thinking when they see one of us is "I couldn't cope with that".
And as far as driving for better employment prospects for us, that aint
gonna happen while the front bench of the government consists almost
exclusively of old Etonians. Such people are convinced that if their
mates get to keep more of there money there will be more jobs for
everybody.
When I am out and about, the over-riding thing I try to remember is that
I might not need help now, or at all, but next time I might, and the
next blind person who encounters the same sighted person might.
Mike
On 09/10/2015 15:47, Michael Moore wrote:
Mike,
... I do agree that many people need educating, and at times ask stupid
questions, but this is because we are exhibited as vulnerable and to some
extent set as an example of "this is not how you want to end upCbi?''.
Why are these organisations not getting behind and driving employment for
those who have spent time in developing their skills and then say, we've
helped these individuals into inclusive employment, through supporting
them
initially, so help us to assist others through education and
employment'''.
I know after losing my sight 20 years ago I went to a local computer
training centre, they wanted advice on what to do to make all accessible,
so
they called RNIB, who refused point blank to give any advice or resources
and wanted me to travel 60 miles to attend their courses. They took my
details and to this day still have to contact me to arrange a course.
This insular mind set regarding services is what is hindering progression.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of
Mike Ray
Sent: 09 October 2015 15:34
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: RNIB PRODUCT BOYCOTT
I'm sorry but all of you need to give members of the sighted public
around
you a break. They are asking stuff like "can you see a bit", because to
them the idea of going blind is a terrifying prospect. And they say
stuff
like "how do you get on the right bus" because they are astonished at
your
independence and doubt their own resolve to be so if they were to suffer
sight loss.
Just like thin folks who stare at us fatties, who do so because of their
own
morbid fear of being thought of as 'fat', sighted folks fear blindness
and
don't understand it.
I would certainly NEVER refuse help in the street or be rude when
somebody
states the bloody obvious like "you're walking towards a wall", because,
I
might not need help, but the next blind person along might.
And if I'm rude, that sighted person might not help the next person.
Sadly the RNIB and Guide Dogs are suffering a common problem of modern
times; they are run by suits who "know the price of everything and the
value
of nothing".
And if somebody talks to you on the train or the bus, even if they are
spouting rubbish, at least they are talking. We live in a society now
where
most of us, blind or sighted, go through our outside life in silent
isolation, making and seeking no eye-contact, words like 'hello'
and 'hi' which cost nothing and make a massive difference.
The RNIB are using ads like the ones mentioned to try to raise money from
people who are themselves terrified of losing their sight. That's why
they
use the emotive things they do. Although I can see how it might be seen
as
a negative by someone who has lived for a long time with reduced vision,
or
total blindness, but if it persuades a few people to cough up a few quid
then fine. They can use me if they like because I have no hesitation in
being plain about how total blindness often leaves me wishing I wouldn't
wake up tomorrow. Mostly because nobody takes any notice of me when I say
I
can still write code that will leave most sighted school-leavers
standing,
but I can't get a job.
Mike
On 09/10/2015 14:28, john gallagher wrote:
hi janet strangely when i got in to the leeds station today a dog triedget to zarah and it was someone with a training dog maybe aben drury but
to
of
course they never speak to us or anything but, like ian says all this from
a
charity that years ago fought of us like hell campained for things to be
bejter for us people have been on committees spending hours fighting for
our
rights and now they come out with something like this. the public are
very
gullable and believe all this rubbish.
them the dog could read the numbers and you know they believed it.
in sheffield people used to ask me how i got on the right bus and i told
outer space.
----- Original Message -----
From: Janet Bell <janet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Friday, 9 October 2015 2:22 pm
Subject: [access-uk] Re: RNIB PRODUCT BOYCOTT
Hi John
I just despair of these people and you are right you tell guide dogs
things and no notice is taken whatsoever because totally blind people
are in a minority they are just left on the shelf to disappear.
-----Original Message-----
From: john gallagher
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 2:17 PM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: RNIB PRODUCT BOYCOTT
hi janet well i am certainly not going to pay for the rubbish over
drive set up sad really but to me like the guide dogs the people at
the top never discuss anything with us at the bottom so to speak.
also on the train today someone was adamant i could see are you
parttly sighted she kept asking it just felt as though i had landed
from
"by qea"J00.0"zX00.0+by "by {ay+by ""com?)?inin^blej{.nblej+by "by
----- Original Message -----
From: Janet Bell <janet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Friday, 9 October 2015 1:59 pm
Subject: [access-uk] Re: RNIB PRODUCT BOYCOTT
Hi Ian
I don't know if you read this newspaper but last week in the daily
mirror there was an article about an American woman who wanted to go
blind which infuriated me about as much as what you have written
has. There was also an advert about fifteen years ago done by
action for blind people that made us look totally helpless which
annoyed me as well. I don't buy the rnib's products as I think they
are poor quality most of the time. and when my year's subscription
is up I don't think I will renew it either.
Janet ps there are still letters at the bottom of your messages.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Macrae
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 1:52 PM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] RNIB PRODUCT BOYCOTT
I am seriously considering boycotting what few RNIB products and
services I use chiefly the electronic newspaper service in
response to their latest ad campaign. There has been an item on
this at the end of today's edition of WATO. Celebs including
Barbara Windsor and Shirley Bassey are presented talking about the
idea of being told they're going blind. Bassey describes that
possibility as being "Devastating" and says she might as well be
told that she's going to die. Once again they have turned my
impairment into a thing of terror and me into an object of pity and
I've had enough of
x.ationblej^j"0b%by "(by by ^by i"v&0z\by
"Yh"gg"gg00.0"qea"J00.0"zX00.0+by "by "c
omCbi'ththth&0ff"a0bGhz0"Chae" ""by "jgththth
""com00.00\by i"0"ea0Z"j"j
y"brJ'"
"oneng00"those'"_z0"xshyoungandjggmththzth_ththththth-_^by "by +com???""
ity"_er0"u0zq"z0"ity""
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Michael A. Ray
Analyst/Programmer
Witley, Surrey, South-east UK
Eyes-free Linux:
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Raspberry VI:
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Michael A. Ray
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Witley, Surrey, South-east UK
Eyes-free Linux:
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Raspberry VI:
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