Re: [acb-l] people first language

First, last, or carefully avoided, I remain "The Blind Man". Cathy
and I are referred to as, "That blind couple". That's how many of our
older clients keep us straight from all their other appointments.
"The blind couple are here today". Sometimes the phone rings while we
are visiting a client. "Can I call you back? The people from the
Blind are here."
So often newly blind or low vision people feel awkward regarding the
"Proper Way" of addressing me, or Cathy and me, or who we represent.
However they come at us, or refer to us to others, is okay by us. Our
job is to assist folks in re-establishing who they are. We meet folks
where we find them and build from there. A woman we met with told us
that if she were to lose her remaining vision she would kill herself,
because she did not want to live out her remaining years as a helpless
invalid.
I told her we understood completely. I said that was my own feeling
51 years ago, as I entered the Land of the Blind. "But," I gently
insisted, "These past 51 years turned out to be the best years of my
life". I told her that she was grieving a loss that had not yet
occurred. The fact is that she was grieving over a false belief that
blindness would leave her a total invalid. "Becoming blind most
certainly will change your life," I told her, "but so does aging. I
am no longer able to leap tall buildings at a single bound, or run
faster than a speeding bullet. But I can live a full, satisfying,
productive life, by adjusting to my world as it exists today."
And another thing, focusing on how we should be addressed, Blind man
or Man of Blindness, only avoids the real issue. To my way of
thinking, the real issue is how I feel about me. How do I adjust my
mind and my life to meet the new situation I find myself in. Adjust
to any new situation is not about forcing others to see me as I want
them to see me. That is a good thing, if it happens. But in the
beginning, this is all about me...and only me. How do I see me, and
what must I do or change in order to take my rightful place in this
old world? Nit picking over how I should be addressed is self
defeating. People will come to see me as a first class nit picker. I
went through that when I was a chest pounding member of the NFB. "Our
way or the highway", I would demand. How many folks did I drive away
by my rigidity? I'll never know. Each of us travel this road alone.
Sure, we have support and guidance from time to time...often wrongly
assumed, but by and large the trip is made inside our heads. We enter
the "Land of the Blind" as confused children. How we come out the
other end is totally up to us.
I have long ago stopped trying to correct other people's language.
But I do not tolerate contempt or dismissive attitudes without
challenging them.
Insisting on respect, and holding up my head proudly, has changed the
world...My world! And that is all I can take credit for.

Carl Jarvis


On 11/7/16, Jessie Rayl via acb-l <acb-l@acblists.org> wrote:
> Well, to you, you are you first, and your disability second.
>
> Newsflash! Regardless of how you want people to state it, and regardless of
> how many get it right …your disability is first, and you are second …most of
> the time.
>
> <sigh>!
>
>
>
> Jessie
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Kevin Frankeberger via acb-l [mailto:acb-l@acblists.org]
> Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 9:32 PM
> To: nancy Lynn <seabreeze.stl@gmail.com>; ACB List <acb-l@acblists.org>
> Subject: Re: [acb-l] people first language
>
>
>
> OK. Tomasso is a guide dog or, a dog guide.
>
>
>
> At the end of the day though, despite those who would support us with
> technology, it seems to me that we ought to be respected first, as persons
> and then identified with our disability.
>
>
>
> Like so many, my "blindness" differs from others. I am "me first,'
> disability second.
>
>
>
> High paws of course to those developing technology to help us better live
> our lives.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Kevin with a dog with paws and a tail trained to help me navigate my world.
>
> _____
>
> From: nancy Lynn via acb-l <acb-l@acblists.org>
> To: ACB List <acb-l@acblists.org>
> Sent: Sunday, November 6, 2016 5:14 PM
> Subject: [acb-l] people first language
>
>
>
> Or how about Tomasso, who happens to be a guide dog. With a great story like
> this, I don't care if they call me a blind person or a person who happens to
> be blind, or whatever. I like the way these people think, outside of the
> box, so to speak. Let's applaud innovation and forward thinking, not worry
> about the language.
>
>
>
> "Blind people" or, people who are blind? Jeanne, "person first" language
> makes so much more sense. Perhaps you could alert your friend that sent you
> this plus those marketing - BLITAB.
>
>
>
> Best, Kevin with guide dog Tomasso
>
> _____
>
> From: Jeanne Fike via acb-l <acb-l@acblists.org>
> To: acb-l@acblists.org
> Sent: Sunday, November 6, 2016 4:28 PM
> Subject: [acb-l] FW: BLITAB creates tablet for blind people
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
> Below my name and link is the story. A friend of mine in Kansas City sent it
> to me.
>
> Jeanne
>
>
>
> http://www.startlandnews.com/2016/11/eyeing-american-dream-new-kc-startup-blitab-creates-tablet-blind-people/
> <http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.startlandnews.com?p=eyJzIjoibnNjdVByWDktRWd1bkc3R2gwV3pwcC1OZlRNIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LnN0YXJ0bGFuZG5ld3MuY29tXFxcLzIwMTZcXFwvMTFcXFwvZXllaW5nLWFtZXJpY2FuLWRyZWFtLW5ldy1rYy1zdGFydHVwLWJsaXRhYi1jcmVhdGVzLXRhYmxldC1ibGluZC1wZW9wbGVcXFwvXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiMGM1N2U2YjYzNjgxNDIxZWJmNjhmZDhhZmU0NmI3YjFcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCI3ODcyNGM3OTBlNzY2NGY0NWU1MWMzMjk4Y2I2Y2FjOTYzYWE0Mjc1XCJdfSJ9>
>
> Eyeing the American dream, BLITAB creates tablet for blind people
>
> By:
>
> Meghan LeVota, reporter-
>
> November 04, 2016
>
> Eyeing the American dream, BLITAB creates tablet for blind people
>
>
>
> Editor's note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently
> produced by Startland News.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Kristina Tsvetanova is no stranger to obstacles.
>
>
>
> She's spanned the globe and learned three different languages en route to
> developing first-of-its-kind technology that aims to connect blind people
> to
>
> media in ways that rivals science fiction.
>
>
>
> Touted as an "iPad" for the blind,
>
> BLITAB
>
> employs patented "smart liquid" tech to convert emails, stories or other
> text into braille. Imagine, for example, running your finger across a
> series
>
> of words on a tablet that's then transformed to a tactile display that
> allows one to read text files, make notes and surf the Internet. The braille
> display
>
> shifts according to what the user needs and is supplemented by speech to
> text software.
>
>
>
> After recently earning a $50,000 LaunchKC grant,
>
> Tsvetanova and her co-founder, Slavi Slavev, have identified Kansas City in
> particular as a prime locale to cultivate the technology.
>
>
>
> 4.blitab1
>
>
>
> A BLITAB device.
>
>
>
> "There are a lot of resources in Kansas City," said Tsvetanova, CEO of
> BLITAB. "We like how the city has it as a goal to be attractive for
> entrepreneurs
>
> because you don't find that in every city in Missouri. The whole atmosphere
> and support system is strong."
>
>
>
> Attracted by the "American dream," Tsvetanova hopes the aspiration isn't too
> good to be true. Born and raised in Bulgaria, she and Slavev were eager to
>
> find a better life. Bulgaria is rated the least-happy country in Europe.
>
>
>
> Slavev attributes this to government corruption and low wages.
>
>
>
> "There's not so much opportunity in Bulgaria," Slavev said. "No one is
> thinking about innovation. Instead, most people are thinking about what
> they'll
>
> be eating that day."
>
>
>
> Thus in 2013, the two moved to Vienna, Austria.
>
>
>
> Like Kansas Citians, Austrians pride themselves on a vibrant entrepreneurial
> ecosystem. While BLITAB has raised capital and tested their tablet on over
>
> 3,000 people while in Austria, Tsvetanova believes they can bring their
> product to market faster in the U.S.
>
>
>
> "It's because of the American perception," Tsvetanova said. "You all are
> very open minded and open to innovation. The people in Austria are
> late-adopters
>
> and enjoy the calm, secure lifestyle of being an employee."
>
>
>
> Moving around the world, presenting an idea to a new culture and adapting
> your thinking isn't necessarily an easy thing to do, Tsvetanova said. She
> maintains
>
> her drive thanks to a personal connection — her best friend is visually
> impaired.
>
>
>
> "I watched my best friend get so frustrated trying to apply for classes with
> his phone's (speech to text service)," she said. "There was just no easy
> way
>
> to do it."
>
>
>
> So, Tsvetanova asked herself a question familiar to many entrepreneurs: "If
> someone has to solve it, why not me?"
>
>
>
> Armed with industrial engineering experience, she teamed up with the
> chemistry and business-savvy Slavev to build BLITAB.
>
>
>
> Imagine a conventional touchscreen tablet, but attached to it is a
> similarly-sized display that converts text into braille. Featuring
> speech-to-text technology,
>
> the Android-based operating system hosts can also run any Android
> application.
>
>
>
> The World Health Organization estimates
>
> that there are 285 million people with visual impairments, 39 million of
> which are blind. That's why Tsvetanova says it's important for the product
> to
>
> be not only accessible but also affordable.
>
>
>
> "(People with visual impairments) are people like us, and are equal to us,"
> Tsvetanova said. "Without equal access, they will be excluded from the
> community."
>
>
>
> While the firm is thrilled to be in Kansas City, there is still one more
> obstacle to overcome: staying in the U.S.
>
>
>
> "We cannot benefit from LaunchKC until we get the correct VISA," Slavev
> said. "Until then, we cannot work or be employed in our own company."
>
>
>
> While the duo currently has a business VISA that allows them to temporarily
> stay in the U.S., they plan to soon permanently relocate to Kansas City.
>
>
>
> "We hope that America values businesses that are doing something that is
> working," Slavev said. "For example, in Austria, if I said I'm Bulgarian
> there
>
> is a discrimination kind of. But here, if I tell people I've created the
> first tablet for blind people worldwide — maybe it doesn't matter if I'm
> Bulgarian.
>
> Or, so we hope. We will find out."
>
>
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