From: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (William Wilson)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Pick on Deana Day!
Date: 15 Dec 92 19:16:48 GMT
Reply-To: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA
X-Fidonet: Blink Talk Conference
Originator: wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com

Index Number: 26796

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 JD> Now I'm playing devil's advocate with you as well Willie, and
 JD> I'm going as far to the opposite side as possible.  I think the
 JD> reality is, however, somewhere in between.

Jeff,
    This, of course, is what I truly believe as well, but just to
continue the thread...

     You mentioned the reality of convenience as the reason for using a
sighted mate for one's transportation needs.  I don't think anyone would
argue that in fact, if one has a driver available to them, this is
always going to be the most convenient route to follow!  One can
proclaim all the independance in the world, but I want to see the blink
who would haul a 40 pound bag of dog food on their own when a mate with
a car can accomplish the same task in a few minutes with very little
effort.

     On the other hand, what about that pint of coffee creamer available
from the 7-11 a few blocks away?  It would still be more convenient for
our mate to get it, but arn't we jeopardizing our own independance by
always taking the easiest route for things like this?  In fact, if we're
really honest with ourselve's, how many things are there that we do in
our daily lives that couldn't be done easier by a sighted mate?  Don't
get me wrong, as due to each of our own particular talents I know there
are some things where we are on an equal standing if not at an
advantage, but little things like cleaning up that dog barf is probably
a heck of alot easier for someone with working peepers to accomplish
than it would be for us!  So then, if we have a sighted mate around who
willingly always performs these lovely chores for us, do we allow them
to do so and have no guilt feelings about the consequences?

     Since I've never had this option available to me, I seriously don't
know how I would handle the situation, but I do at times even now feel a
little bad when I let a sighted friend do something that I am fully
capable of doing myself, usually after I am told, "Oh, let me do that!
It's easy for me!"  Ironically, one of the reasons I'm making such a big
deal about this is because, a way's back in this echo, when members of
the blind consumer group that you subtly referred to in your message as
the outcriers of independance were confronted with the fact that the
leaders of the organization were known to use sighted assistance quite
regularly, they responded with exactly the same "convenience" argument,
albeit disguised under the word "efficiency"!  They are, after all, in
this situation, the same thing, are they not?

     I do believe that this is all sort of a personal judgement call,
and frankly, everybody has the right to be as "independant" as they want
to be without being hasseled by someone who just happens to share the
same disability.  Heck, I know a fully sighted guy who is 41 years old
who still lives at home with his mother who cooks, cleans and does for
him virtually all those things she has been doing since he was a child,
so where does he lie on the scale of independance?  When he is
confronted with this fact, his response is generally, "So what?", and
that sort of ends it right there, for it is accepted that if it doesn't
matter to him, it shouldn't matter to his peers.  Unfortunately though,
if we think of him as one in a million, each of us is about one in 10,
and therefore, we each have a more profound affect on the image
portrayed of the whole, like it or not!

     Geeze, all this talk about independance, I keep thinking it is the
fourth of July rather than Thanksgiving down here!  Enough of this,
cause I'm off to Mom and Dad's for a great meal and where I can sit my
butt on the couch and have my beers delivered to me!  Yep, I'm going to
take full advantage of them, and all of us will love every minute!
                                        Willie

... Have you smooched your pooch today?

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!William.Wilson
Internet: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org