Dear eSight member,
Let me begin by saying I've been a fan of Saturday
Night Live since it's debut in 1975. I enjoy the
satire and the parodies and some years are more funny
than others. So I'm in a quandary with the skit
parodying the Governor of NY, David Paterson.
I'm all for people with disabilities being included in
society and poking fun at themselves. There's nobody
like me who can laugh at some of the more dumb things
I've done over the years, some which pertain to my
disability, most however did not. Just human foibles.
However, in satirizing Governor Paterson, rather than
being inclusive SNL, seemed to be showing their
ignorance and immaturity about people with low vision
or who are totally blind. Kind of like the commercials
the Canadian National Institute has run over the past
few years, with the young person waving his hands in
front of the blind man's face thinking he couldn't see.
Then the blind man imitating him behind his back
demonstrating that he knew exactly what was
happening.
SNL, in their little sketch perpetuated the myth that
people who are blind or who have low vision are
incompetent to do work, any kind of work including be
governor of a state like NY. If they had satirized
Governor Paterson's race, he's black, all hell would
be breaking loose in the media, but because he is a
person with a disability, people like the View's Joy
Behar are wondering what all the fuss is about.
It may have been an immature act of ignorance on Seth
Myers and the SNL writing team's part. Perhaps they
are not acquainted with any visually impaired people
or people who are blind. Being legally blind like
Governor Paterson and myself, we have some sight.
Granted it's not much, but we do the best we can with
what little sight we have.
Legally blind people have university degrees and are
competent in many areas. Some of us have taught,
been journalists, lawyers, scientists, politicians.
Not all legally blind people are totally blind. In
fact it's only a very small percentage of blind
people who are totally blind, approximately
2-3 percent of the "blind" population. The vast
majority have some sight and would be classed
as low vision. But we all should be treated with
the equal dignity Mr. Myers and his writing staff
and comedians would be expected to be treated with.
We legally blind people have incredible adaptive
technology available to us, there are screen readers
like Jaws and Zoom Text. There's even braille
keyboards. Oh and by the way not all blind people read
braille. I actually wasn't allowed to learn braille
because I had too much vision, even when I went to the
faculty of education and asked the administration of
William H. Macdonald school to learn braille I was
refused entry. I had too much sight why did I want to
learn braille.
So not only are people with low vision stigmatized by
the general populace, who don't understand blindness
and apparently dignity but even within the "blind"
community there are schisms and factions. I've been
told I try to "pass" as a normal person because I
don't know braille, well I am a normal person. I just
happen to have had low vision from birth and parents
who encouraged and empowered me to be everything I
could be to the best of my abilities and that included
going to public school like everyone else and high
school and university.
So that's why I'm upset about SNL's sketch this past
weekend. I think I'm unhappy that SNL took the easy
way out and treated Governor Paterson with less
dignity, not so much, because he's done silly things
or is a klutz but because he's visually impaired and
they think it's ok to make fun of people with
disabilities. That we are a perpetual joke. Or
something to be pitted as was evident in the movie
Blindness.
Here is some of what is in the papers and what the
discussion on the Huffington Post has to say:
SNL blasted for mocking NY Gov's blindness
http://tinyurl.com/63sohh
Advocates Call for 'SNL' Apology Over Paterson Skit
http://tinyurl.com/6muthn
Governor Paterson SNL Skit Criticized By Governor,
Advocates Of The Blind
http://tinyurl.com/6f6xhj
Dr. Cortes, President and CEO Lighthouse International
said, "Governor Paterson, like all elected officials,
should be judged by his actions. To use his disability
as the focal point of comedy is in very poor taste. We
applaud the courage it takes every day for people who
are blind and visually impaired to live productively
and effectively. Saturday Night Live has taken a cheap
shot at that courage. When Governor Paterson assumed
office, Lighthouse International, along with many
advocates for people who are visually impaired, shared
a sense of pride that progress had been made in
dispelling stereotypes. SNL has set that progress
back. They should issue an on-air apology."
Let me end with some comments by Governor Paterson
himself.
"There is only one way that people could have an
unemployment rate that's six times the national
average - it's attitude," he said. "And I'm afraid
that the kind of third-grade depiction of
individuals and the way they look and the way they
move add to that negative environment."
"I run the place that I work in so I don't have to
worry about being discriminated against, I think,"
he said. "But the point is that a lot of people who
don't get promotions and don't get opportunities and
don't even get work are disabled in our society."
Please post your comments at
http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1500
Read all the lists at
http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1501
Invite your friends and acquaintances to
submit their comments at
http://www.tabinc.org/net/
Liz Seger
Facilitator
eSight Careers Network(tm)
http://www.esight.org/
PS: All of us at eSight wish you and your families
a very HAPPY Holiday Season.
Please note that the next issue of eSight NetWork
News will come to you on Wednesday, January 7,
2009.
eSight Resources
Community News
Lighthouse Statement Regarding Saturday Night Live
Skit Concerning Governor Paterson
http://tinyurl.com/6dwq2g
Braille Test in Washington, DC, Feb 7, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/6lkeu4
Don't Overlook This Tax Credit
http://tinyurl.com/66nwdf
Low vision solution with the Farview
http://tinyurl.com/6l8r8p
Still Time to APPLY:
Emerging Leaders Summer Internship Program
Deadline: December 31, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/5bctsq
AAPD Accepting Applications for Summer Internships
Deadline: Jan. 9, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/579yfa
Read all Community News postings at
http://www.tabinc.org/blog/
Resource Sharing
New resources, including: 55-b and 55-c employment
opportunities in NYS; new job lead from Lift, Inc;
articles submitted by members and more...
http://www.esight.org/view.cfm?x=1982
Job Postings
Austin, TX
Job Title: Technical Support Specialist;
Company: Lift, Inc.;
Go to: http://www.esight.org/view.cfm?x=682
Search all postings at
http://www.esight.org/search_jobs.cfm
Resources for Job Hunters
http://www.esight.org/job_resources.cfm
Networking Forum
http://www.tabinc.org/net
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http://www.tabinc.org/jsn/
Archives for eSight NetWork News
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Share Your "Aha! Moment."
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mentoring for our eSight community.
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About eSight NetWork News
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