Hi Brenda. My heart goes out to you. Sounds like some folks handled your
situation wrong.
But literacy for all isn't an issue generally speaking or at least outside
of the campaign offered by Barbara Bush I haven't seen anything close to the
type of campaign your suggesting. General literacy for all isn't a bad idea
though.
However this is not an either or proposition.
"sight savers" is what they called partials in Frances blend elementary
school for the blind where I attended, were always encouraged to read I
Suppose they still are.
My wife went to normal school and could see like you, but only out of one
eye. They told her she might acquire glaucoma. But she didn't have it as a
little girl. What worked best for her according to her school
administrators was reading large print and yes, she should have definitely
learned to use that medium but her teacher wanted to teach her Braille The
teacher wanted to offer her "informed choice."
..Denying her that means she wasn't allowed to seriously explore her options.
I think that would be like telling Her family she wasn't allowed to be
bilingual if she lived in a Spanish community or there was a good
probability she could be relocated to Mexico in a short time. English is
your only language.
It had to be a choice Braille or print. Society said well you can see so
it's print we made your choice for you. She didn't have enough information
to choose for herself.
Her family definitely didn't want to see her as a blind child and still
they don't like her using a white cane foldable or otherwise to get
around.To them she's not blind.Not even now, not even with progressive
glaucoma. They aren't bad people they are great folks to hang with in fact
very nice and helpful to me and to us as a couple.
She learned grade one through the teacher I mentioned but the school made
her stop.
She my wife, never really used that Braille but learned it that was maybe
20-years ago. Her eye did get glaucoma now it's not speculation but fact.
She wishes they would have let her learn Braille and it wasn't because of
the NFB in fact until we met she wasn't involved with any blind
organizations except maybe some camps for the blind in PA that met over the
summer.
Terra can use zoom text as long as her eye functions and by the standard you
suggest she is "literate" but she says and I respect her opinion that she
needs to be "Braille literate."
If we stress "literacy for all"and make it either or discounting a campaign
to improve Braille literacy according to what I understand you to say you
are doing to her opinion what you state "NFB types" did to yours.
And, your opinion has been the dominant opinion. IN fact some go as far as
to say "Literacy" just means one has access to the printed word so as long
as the technology talks everything is fine.
But if you seriously look at blind people who are working they need to
physically be able to read and write.
Sight savers for the most part can and I'm sure we have exceptions but those
who are loosing their sight or are "blind" totally" have a much greater
percentage of illiteracy.
People who can't read and write even if they acquire employment have a much
higher probability of being let go.
I guess they could listen and keyboard but reading of the printed word
independent of a computer enhances your marketability.
Let me illustrate my position another way I believe we should end all
disease.
But sometimes I do the "relay for life" that focuses on curing cancer which
is a specific not a general disease.
This month lots of folks are focusing on breast cancer. Now I do campaign
for cancer in general and I do favor abolition to all diseases but this
months focus is on breast cancer.
If you do a campaign to help "sight savers" become literate I will sponsor
you but it's Louis Braille's 200th birthday. Braille has opened a door to
the blind they have never been able to enjoy before now. It equals the
Gutenberg press for those in the sighted world.
It is only fitting we celebrate this man's tremendous accomplishments by
saluting and promoting Braille literacy.
There were other people even during his life who tried to promote other
systems and to destroy Braille as to slow and cumbersome. Fortunately 200
years later Braille literacy still thrives.
Not at all is this meant to put you down and seriously when you promote
literacy for all as a participant in an event let me know which agency I
should make out my check to.
I will sponsor you.
If you forget my email remind me at our personal website lifesrace.com
God Bless:
MikePeterson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brenda" <[email protected]>
To: "Michael Peterson" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: ot three requests
Hi Michael
I grew up a high partial and was sent to sight saving school up to grade 5
where I was given large print. I had excellent partial sight and could
even read regular print when they let me. When I finally stood up and
said no more large print, they sent me to regular schools. The resource
person for the kids left behind told them that I was a good reader and
that is why I was able to go to my local school.
When I started associating more with the blind, I was basically told by
NFB types that I was blind already or would "go dark" (as one cruel person
told me. Hence, now that I'm loosing a lot more of my vision, I don't get
the chance to morn. I never fit in in either blind or sighted world. I
did not read brail because it was not as efficient as print for me.
I think braille literacy is good, but reading literacy would be better.
Everyone should read the way that works best for them. I had friends with
good partial sight who were not encouraged to read, yet there were braille
writing contests for braille users. The NFB (not sur, but I would guess
they are involved) doesn't want talking traffic signs, but they want to
have braille as the only reading method. LITERACY is what should be
stressed. EVERYONE should read be they fully sighted, partial or blind.
If I had learned braille as a child, I would have forgotten it by now, but
print made it possible for me to get through life. Had I not felt
abandoned and unaccepted by the blind, I might have benefited from many
adaptive strategies that would have really helped me.
LITERACY FOR EVERYONE ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS/ABILITIES!!!
BrendaOriginal
Message -----
From: "Michael Peterson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 5:58 AM
Subject: ot three requests
Many of you use and recognize the importance of Braille as does GW Micro
with the introduction of software accessible to Braille displays. For
this reason I make the following requests!
1. If you can joined me and several others as we walk for Braille
Literacy on October 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m on the golden Gate
bridge please be there.
We need as many blind people as possible to show visibly to the world
how very important Braille literacy is to us. If you know celebrities
dignitaries or other people of prominence who can help us spread this
message
please encourage
them to come along too!
If you can walk please go to http://www.nfbcal.org and fill out the
walker registration form. You can walk with us if you like and even
better yet, have friends and family sponsor you as you walk for Braille
Literacy across the golden Gate bridge.
Friends and family who are interested are also invited to join our
effort.
2. If you can't be there but are willing please sponsor me, Michael
Peterson, by selecting my name and filling out the sponsor a walker form
at
http://www.nfbcal.org
3. You may not have seen the Braille silver dollars minted in honor of
Louis Braille's 200 birthday. They really have Braille letters on them
and only 400,000 are in circulation so they will definitely be a
collectible.
Buy one if you can before the end of December because the money raised
will be used to increase Braille literacy.
Any left after December 31 will be melted down. The great news is more
than 200,000 Braille Silver dollars have been sold so far. They are a
fantastic Christmas or Hanukah gift for the person who has everything!
They are also very very cool a great conversation piece.
Something you can hand down as an heirloom from generation to generation
like a gold watch, something no one else will have.
Oh and by the way if you wish please feel free to pass this message to
anyone who might be interested. I and the blind children of tomorrow
thank you.
Thanks for reading!
God Bless:
Michael Peterson
sponsor link
http://www.nfbcal.org
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