August 2008 Issue

Subscribe to the Readers' Forum feed

From Timothy La Croix, Winston-Salem, NC:

In the June Ziegler was an announcement for Dating4disabled.com, and I want to let readers know about a scam on that site. There are people from Nigeria soliciting for funds and wanting your bank account number. Somebody might be fooled by this, and I would hate to see that happen.

From Jake Joehl, Evanston, IL:

I wish to comment on the article, "Conference Provides Helpful Tips to Job Seekers," appearing in the June issue of the magazine. The conference sounded great, and I wish I could have been there. It is absolutely shocking to me that nothing is being done about our 75 percent unemployment/underemployment rate. What is probably more shocking to me is how the American Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind simply refuse to get a grip and stop being at each other's throats over differences of opinion regarding such things as vocational rehab services. The ACB and the NFB should be ashamed of themselves for not banding together on this very important issue. State funding is admittedly a big problem in certain corners of the country, but one would think that there could at least be improvement somewhere. I tried to pursue VR services, but I gave up not long ago, simply because things just got too out of hand and it wasn't worth my time and effort. I was bounced around from counselor to counselor. Not only did they fail to tell me--for the most part--that a transfer was going to happen, but they also failed to communicate with one another. Or if they did in fact communicate, I never knew about it. I certainly hope this will not remain the case. To end my comments on a somewhat positive note, I have been a registered member of eSight and really enjoy it. I am currently trying to spread the word about the service, which I heard about a number of years ago from a job coach. Thanks for publishing the article, and let's hope for some real improvement.

From Tim Hendel, Huntsville, AL:

At best, the June articles about "super-blinks" puzzle me. There is an aspect of the media coverage of David Paterson, the legally blind governor of New York State, that troubles me. Governor Paterson, it is almost always pointed out, does not use braille or a mobility aid, such as a cane or guide dog. I do not know the governor well enough to understand why he shuns the tools that most blind people consider a help in leading independent lives, but it bothers me that the media seem to consider the non- use of these things as a sign of accomplishment. Governor Paterson is portrayed as a more successful blind person because he does not need the crutches that the rest of us use. Downplaying the importance of braille and mobility aids does a disservice to the rest of us blind people. Also, what are we to make of the life of blind adventurer Miles Hilton-Barber? His feats are interesting and fascinating, but are the rest of us meant to stand back and see how little we have accomplished, compared to Mr. Hilton-Barber? I had one burning question in my mind as I read the Ziegler article about this man. Namely, how did he pay for all of his adventures--especially in the early days, before his notoriety? This question was never answered. For most of us, including me, just paying for airlines tickets to the places he has visited is beyond our means. Clearly Mr. Hilton-Barber has had lots of support, both economic and human. Many of us regular blind folks have as much intelligence, determination and courage in facing our daily lives, yet simply lack the opportunities and support that others have had.

From Theresa Chan, Singapore, China:

In the June issue, two readers said how rude it is to ask for pen pals and then not respond to people who write to you. I agree fully. It is very disrespectful, rude and mean and shameful. I happen to have experienced similar rudeness--not just once, but several times. When someone has the kindness to respond to your request, always be kind--even if the friendship is unacceptable. Just return a short note to say, simply, thanks for your offer, which I appreciate, but will not be able to write. That is OK and people will understand, but if you just ignore them, they will be hurt. Also, when you make requests, always state what kind of correspondents you want, including ages, nationalities, genders, interests and formats of contact. I also have very rude friends right here at home; they never reply to my e-mails. There are rude people of every nationality. Whatever it is in life, do not use your blindness or any handicap defensively because it is your physical fate and not society's responsibility. Remember, sighted folks have problems, as the blind have. Some of us do much better than sighted people in some ways, but never in every way. There is discrimination, but not just against the blind or blindness. I know there are some people who do not like blindness, but not all in societies. Some people do not have the ability to understand you. We cannot blame society for our aches, and we must remember not to expect to be treated specially because of our blindness. If we would like to be well treated, we have to treat others well.

From a reader in Zimbabwe:

Has anyone brailled a letter to a person in the Pen Pals column and gotten a reply? Well, as for me, I have written many, but have gotten no replies. I don't know if this is the postal service's fault, if I used a wrong address, or if people do not want me as a correspondent. With the braille paper crisis that I have, it pains me too much to waste paper.

From Jeri Williams, Colorado Springs, CO:

I was gratified to read Judy Dixon's information in the May 2008 Readers Forum. Her explanations of the new rules pertaining to the braille literary code were enlightening and appreciated. I trust we braille readers will be updated as new rules are decided upon and utilized in publications of general use. I read and enjoy every issue of the Ziegler from cover to cover. I especially liked the March editor's letter, in which he shared names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., of various resources for materials and equipment available.

From Jane Welliver, Upper Darby, PA:

I experienced mainstreaming during the 1950s and '60s, but it was not common at that time. My dad was a school teacher and later became an elementary school principal. He had determined long before I reached school age that I was not going to attend a residential school. Meetings with the school district administrators and long hours spent recruiting other students in our area produced what one might call a home room for visually impaired children. The school district hired a resource teacher to work with us on braille, reading, etc. We were sent into other classrooms for music, arithmetic, social studies, science and typing. During those grade school years, our homeroom participated in many activities with the other children in the school. Individually, we wrote stories and poems for the school newspaper. Each year, as a class, we prepared a project for the school science fair. We were included in music programs for school assemblies, where each of us sang with other children in our same grade. With the help of our resource teacher and cafeteria aides, we would take occasional field trips to a farm, a children's zoo, a train ride, and, on one occasion, to a local radio station. One part of the school day was different for us. We spent the recess hour in our homeroom with a cafeteria aide. Most of our written work was done on the Perkins brailler. We had little exposure to the slate in school. I later took that up on my own and would be lost without it now. We used the cube slate for simple arithmetic and the Taylor slate for more advanced math. Aides and sighted students escorted us from class to class in all grades. One of the few disadvantages of mainstreaming, in my case, was that no one sensed the need for travel training at an early age. I didn't begin serious cane training until high school and I had to travel independently in college. We attended junior and senior high school with sighted students. The resource teacher would visit once a week, mainly for braille transcription. Mainstreaming isn't for everyone, but I'm convinced that it was right for me. I would have missed out on a wonderful home life if I had been forced to attend a residential school. The April articles about shortwave radio brought back fond memories. My folks bought me a multiband radio when I was in high school. Surfing the dial was my favorite late-evening activity during the late '60s, '70s and '80s.

From JoseClaudio Suarez Santana, Tenerife, Canary Islands:

The braille system will never die unless it's replaced by some other allowing us to read and write without any help from devices or technical equipment. I'm no enemy of progress, but claim my right to travel by bus reading the Ziegler or some other magazine, just as sighted citizens can look at their papers. A great battle should still be fought so that braille can serve more people. In Spain, we have had some advancements in this regard, although too few and too slowly achieved. Some charitable soul has, for instance, gotten drug names inscribed on medicine supply items. Some restaurants show you the menu in braille. Sometimes you can request official documents in braille. We should not expect those things to fall out of a serene sky, but express our need so that more and more accommodations be legally and effectively given to braille users. Otherwise, we should not complain. When you refuse help from sighted people, please be sure to do so politely. It's difficult when people express aloud and in most inappropriate terms their pity for us as blind people. I don't know how to deal with some situations we confront as blind persons, but I try to ignore bitter comments that may cause confrontation. It would be an arduous job to convince the sighted how mistaken they are about what we can or cannot do. The short story about marriage and divorce in the May issue was very revealing. I think fiction is a kind of transcription of reality in a quite understandable, beautiful way. I found in some fiction tales pieces of my own life reflected in most accurate ways, rather than in articles stuffed with statistics and globally considered situations.

From Karen Marshall, Chicago, IL:

So many people are just thrilled with all the new technology that is coming at us at a fantastic rate. Talking computers, cell phones, reading machines and heaven only knows what else. I am one of those few who are not so excited. I can't help but wish to have access to the good old IBM Selectric. I could do anything with a Selectric. Yes, I could even do columns and set my margins. I am not much of a high-tech person. I guess the older I get, the less patience I have. It seems like every business answers your calls by voice mail. Doesn't anybody want to deal with a customer? Several years ago, I wrote a poem about voice mail. My husband found a notice in a magazine about a poetry contest for the blind in Queensland, Australia. Since I like to write poetry, he convinced me to send in one of my poems. "We can win $30," he said. I wrote the poem and Mike sent it in. He was right: We won. But by the time we received our "$30," it was only $19.95. I also received a certificate. We got a good laugh out of that, and Mike bought me a box of my favorite chocolates. I am sending the poem along with this letter.

Voice Mail
I only want to get the facts
And so I make the call.
There's no one there to answer me.
The voice mail says it all.

"Press one for this, press two for that,"
And I become unnerved.
Do they believe that I believe
I'm truly being served?

When finally, I've lost it all,
I've ranted and I've raved,
A voice says, "Thank you very much.
Your message has been saved."

Please give me back the good old days,
When I still had a choice,
And I was warmly greeted by
A real live human voice.

From Charles Biebl, Baltimore, MD:

I have a question about doing one's laundry correctly when one is totally blind like me. Has anyone used the Jiffy Steamer? When I asked the manufacturer if blind people can use it, they couldn't give me any information. They say using the Jiffy Steamer is five times faster than ironing. Contrary to the current trend, your clothes always look nicer when they are ironed--even if they say differently on the label. I'm glad I can do my own laundry. One of the alternative techniques I use is a clothes hamper that has several compartments in it. One is for colored clothes, one for white, and one for towels and washcloths. What other techniques can I use to make sure I do a good job? I think all chapters of NFB or ACB should talk about grooming or fashion at least once a year. Most sighted people judge you on your appearance first. They judge you from the outside in instead of from the inside out--the way God does. Also, are stains visible? I was told they are. How do you know you have them if no one tells you? [Editor's note: I have no experience with steamers, but am expert at acquiring stains--especially on new items of clothing. Stains are always visible. Sometimes you can feel a stain on a soiled garment. Once washed or cleaned, however, the stained area will most likely be undetectable by touch, and it probably will have faded somewhat. The best hope for removing stains is to treat them before washing or dry cleaning the garment. There are products specifically for this purpose, or you can pour regular detergent directly on the stain. After the item is clean, asking for sighted assistance is, unfortunately, the only way to be sure the stain is gone.]

From Rita Warren, St. Louis, MO:

Joseph M. Moore's voice was silenced May 1, 2008. Joe read for and then worked at Recording for the Blind. At RFB, then in Manhattan, Joe read from the canon of world literature, books and materials for law students, and, most notably, books in Italian, French and Spanish. After leaving RFB, Joe then read one-on-one to students at the Lighthouse (reader service in midtown Manhattan). While at the Lighthouse, Joe read much the same material as at RFB, and made friendships that lasted a lifetime. He returned to reading books on tape--this time at Xavier Society for the Blind. The emphasis at Xavier Society was on books of Roman Catholic interest.

After leaving those structured settings, Joe read to many of us at our colleges and universities, undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, work places and in our living rooms. Joe's intelligence and depth and breadth of knowledge made what might have been a turgid reading experience a luminescent one. Although Joe's voice is preserved on tape at RFB and Xavier Society, for those of us who knew him as our friend and reader, no tape is necessary. Joe's crisp reading style, near perfect diction and vocal timbre are etched in our memories.