In the foot steps of Hear Again and typeing...

jillio said:
She taught me to see thelight coming through the braille markings from across the table so I would always know what she had in her hand.:giggle:
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Clever! Remind me not to play cards with you... <wink>
 
Nika said:
Ooh, thanks! I will definitely check it out. I hope they have it online...
I agree completely. A lot of our attitudes are couched in subtle phrasing, both because the phrasing leads to the attitudes and the attitudes lead to the phrasing. That is exactly my plan, is to take advantage of that connection to use the power of language for good, to hopefully help make positive social change through research.
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I just defended last month so I don't know if it has been posted yet. I haven't even bothered to check, lol!

Ah, research is another of my passions! I think the civil rights era is a perfect example of the way in which language was used very effectively for positive change.
 
nika,

just wondering. did you see my other post above where i asked you about where you'd like to receive blindness training and the people, food and things you'd like to take on a desert island with you?
 
jillio said:
Ah, research is another of my passions! I think the civil rights era is a perfect example of the way in which language was used very effectively for positive change.
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Exactly! That is what I have in mind. I think of how African-Americans were addressed as "boy" and so on. I would like to do the same thing for people with "disabilities." I can't tell you how many times my sighted friend gets asked what I want to eat/drink at a restaurant, how many times customer service people use sir/ma'am with everyone except me, etc. I see this happening with people with all sorts of visible "disabilities" and would really like to see things change! I'm waiting for the day where people ask me directly if I want milk in my coffee.
 
Nika said:
Exactly! That is what I have in mind. I think of how African-Americans were addressed as "boy" and so on. I would like to do the same thing for people with "disabilities." I can't tell you how many times my sighted friend gets asked what I want to eat/drink at a restaurant, how many times customer service people use sir/ma'am with everyone except me, etc. I see this happening with people with all sorts of visible "disabilities" and would really like to see things change! I'm waiting for the day where people ask me directly if I want milk in my coffee.
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It is astounding, isn't it? I was working with a blind student through disability services at the university, and he used a service dog. It never ceased to amaze me that, walking across campus with him, 9 out of 10 people would speak to his dog, and fail to say hello to him.:roll:
 
jillio said:
It is astounding, isn't it?
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Absolutely. And I have heard that from many guide dog users. In fact that is one of the reasons I don't want to get a guide dog, cause I don't think I could put up with having people address my dog and not me.
 
Thanks again, folks. I am really enjoying this. All of you sound incredibly interesting, so if you ever want to chat on AIM or Yahoo feel free to IM me at NID2008. (Same for both.)
 
Nika said:
Absolutely. And I have heard that from many guide dog users. In fact that is one of the reasons I don't want to get a guide dog, cause I don't think I could put up with having people address my dog and not me.
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i've been using guide dogs since 1992 (i've had 2 guide dogs -- sugar and my current guide, tigger), so i know exactly what you are talking about. it does get frustrating having people address my dog and not me, but at the same time, i couldn't imagine my life without a dog. i love the freedom of traveling with a guide dog, so that makes it all worthwhile. having said that, i completely respect the choices of blind people who do not wish to use a dog. in fact, whenever someone asks me if they should get a dog, i always tell them, "only you can make that decision. just because getting a guide dog is the right decision for me doesn't mean it's right for you or anyone else."
 
Nika said:
What do you think are advantages of having a guide dog and what do you think are advantages of the long cane?
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advantages of a guide dog:

1. being able to find a chair, counter or person easily.

2. i walk much faster with a guide dog than a cane, so speed is an advantage.

3. being able to navigate around construction sites with ease without having to run into barricades and search for holes in the ground with my cane.

4. being able to find the path of least resistance (i.e. where there are few people around or landmarks that would get in my way when using a cane -- such as portable folding signs that are placed in the middle of a sidewalk).

5. being able to safely guide me to a stop after approaching a wheelchair ramp so i don't accidentally veer into traffic when i'm walking fast.

6. stopping on a dime after seeing a car pull out in front of me or alongside of me when making a turn.

7. i don't have to worry about getting my cane caught in sidewalk cracks and painfully jabbing me in the stomach.

8. having people walk up to me and start conversations by telling me what a beautiful dog i have or asking me how she is trained.

9. being able to cross streets independently even though i can't hear (pre-CI).
10. being able to maintain a somewhat straight line of travel in the snow (depending on how deep it is) without veering.

11. i feel safer traveling at night with a dog for my own protection.

advantages of using the long cane:

1. being able to use the constant contact technique to gain information about the ground underneath my feet. i can do the same with my guide dog by paying attention to cues on the ground, but it's easier interpreting and understanding them when using a cane.

2. being able to have constant contact with landmarks and other objects that are in my path. with a guide dog, the dog goes around obstacles meaning that i could miss a landmark if i'm not paying close attention.

3. not having people constantly asking if they can pet my guide dog.

4. being able to fold my cane away when not in use. (i obviously can't do that with a guide dog!) there have been times where poor sugar and tigger have been stepped on -- especially when riding public transportation.

5. most people recognize that a cane means blindness or visual impairment. they don't ask me, "is that a blind dog?" or "are you training that dog?"

6. not having to take my cane out to do her business when the weather is cold, rainy, icy or snowy outside.

7. being able to tell the depth of a snowbank by using three point touch or running my cane along the top of it.

8. being able to locate stairs with ease. with a guide dog, the dog hesitates at the top of a staircase, but sometimes i walk so fast that i'm not paying attention to what tigger is doing. with a cane, i never miss stairs because i can immediately feel my cane drop when it locates a step.
 
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