I think your last sentence explains it, Natalie. One doesn't see it any more--at least I don't--but in my youth all we saw of blind people were those sitting on sidewalks selling pencils. Until I knew my father's friend, a successful attorney who was married and raised two children, who had become blind in adolescence, the beggars were all I saw--and maybe occasionally people with canes being picked up by service vans from Goodwill or Salvation to do some kind of handiwork. For those of us who are sighted and know the little difficulties of ife--and those of us who have gone to college and know the pressures and difficulties that can be encountered there--it is easy for us--at least for me--to admire all of you--I wouldn't use as strong a word as be in awe of, but maybe. I think we wonder if we would be able to "deal" as well as all of you. You younger folk do have, as has been mentioned here, some technological advantages older blind people didn't have when they were young and in school, as Elizabeth and some others have mentioned. People of my generation, as far as I know, had to use people as notetakers, as one of you mentioned, and people to guide them, before guide dogs. There weren't even tape recorders available to tape lectures. First Lady of the Seeing Eye, by Morris Frank, about the first guide dogs, presents the difficulties and embarrassing situations blind people faced before guide dogs became available. The book is in the collection. Cindy - > > My question to people like this, is, why do they say > stuff like this? It's > either learn to be independent and find ways to do > things or stay at home, > shrivel up and die. > > Natalie B. > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Have a burning question? Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know. To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.