the "blind community"

Miriam, your memories of the East Coast world of the blind of yesteryear is very similar to that of the West Coast.  When I became involved in the "blind community" around Seattle, in the late 60's, most of the old timers were quite conservative in their politics.  There really was a "blind community" across the entire state.  Most of those old timers had attended the school for the blind and gathered each year for the annual reunion.  Then they gathered again for the Washington State Association of the Blind convention.  These were very social affairs, an opportunity to reunite with old friends. 

Although the WSAB fought for, and had passed, legislation providing Aid to the Blind and full college tuition and books for blind students, they still believed that the conservative politicians were more supportive than the Liberals. 

The Light House for the Blind was also a center of activity, both for employment and for after hour gatherings.  The Lions also put on group activities such as the annual Christmas dinner, held between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the annual fishing derby, and monthly Lion's roundup, where blind folks would be picked up, driven to the monthly dinner at the Social Center...later to become Community Services for the Blind, and then driven home again.  There were the monthly meetings of the local chapters of the WSAB.  We usually had a planning meeting on the second Saturday of the month, followed by the chapter meeting on the Third Saturday.  The King County, White Cane Association, affiliated with the WSAB, also had it's own Spring banquet and an annual Christmas party. 

Blind people tended to live in the same neighborhoods because they were mostly at the same income level.  Those blind children who did not attend the school for the blind were sent to the same grade, through high school. 

A very few blind people rose above the lower income class, mostly lawyers or a few agency employees.  An even smaller number became successful independent businessmen.  But most folks in the blind community either worked for the Light House or were on Aid to the Blind.  The folks with musical talent were always in demand at the many social events.  Some were very talented and some should have been ashamed of themselves.  But regardless, the crowd always gave them a royal reception.  For a brief time they were stars.  They were somebody. 

Today we mention the blind community on these lists, and it usually draws a few comments saying that there is no such a thing.  Perhaps that is becoming today's reality, but not so many years ago we really were drawn together.  And it was not a negative time at all.  In fact, I miss the camaraderie and the genuine understanding that comes with such close association. 

 

Carl Jarvis

 

 

From: Miriam Vieni

To: 'Blind Democracy Discussion List'

Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 8:09 PM

Subject: RE: the work ethic

Alice,

I'm describing the world of the blind, well the one that I know about, that
existed in the New York metropolitan area. First of all, I'm trying to say
that the blind people I knew, all of us, were clients, dependent on agencies
for services and education. We were all clumped together in a segregated
world and we saw ourselves as being dependent on others for what we needed.
Now, some of us were more intelligent than others, had good useable vision,
or had naturally good mobility skills if we were totally blind. Some of us
were musically talented. Back then, I guess in the generation somewhat older
than mine, most of the people who had any ability at all, became dictaphone
typists. A very few attended college and became what was then called, home
teachers. The people who rose in the ranks as dictaphone typists or home
teachers, became the elite and they looked down at the people who weren't
able to be employed. By the time I was in college, people were becoming
social workers rather than home teachers and a bit later, some became rehab
counselors. I know one couple, he's now 90, I guess, and she's in her late
80's and they worked as dictaphone typists for the NYC Department of Social
Services. At some point in their careers, they were refused a promotion that
they believed they were entitled to. I don't know any of the details. But
they left their jobs when they were in their late 50's, perhaps, because of
this. They had good pensions from the city and for all I know, they may have
also received social security disability benefits until they were 65 and
entitled to regular social security benefits. They were socially involved
with a huge number of blind people and they were absolutely livid about
people who received welfare benefits. They've always been very politically
conservative. They were active at the Lighthouse and involved in the Players
which was only for the elite. You need to understand that this is a world
that existed before 1961. 

No, the Lighthouse Players doesn't exist. In fact, the Lighthouse no longer
provides direct services to people, aside from the rehab services for which
they are reimbursed by the government. Say what you will about agencies and
dependency, the Lighthouse provided a variety of services that blind people
needed and still need. The children and young people who attended the
programs came from working class families and the Lighthouse gave them
opportunities that they never would have had. We used to attend children's
concerts regularly at Carnegie Hall as well as some other musical events
there. We attended radio broadcasts. Show business people came to the
Lighthouse to perform for us. I remember seeing Josh White and his son and
daughter when they were teenagers or young adults. I have a vague memory of
Myrna Loy giving me an autograph. I first learned about folk music from a
banjo player named Pete Haas who used to come to the children's recreation
program on Saturdays and do an hour of folk singing with an interested
group. So no, it wasn't clostrophobic, as you put it, it was just very
different because it represented the values of a former time. The Lighthouse
eventually developed a really classy adult recreation program in the 70's,
but then decided that older people should be "mainstreamed" into senior
citizens' programs and they dismantled this fine cultural and social
program. As far as I'm concerned, "mainstreaming" means, we don't want to
spend the money and we will pretend that in this modern era, blind people
can be socially integrated with their sighted peers.

Miriam