The fight for independence
Greetings! I'm Scott Savoy, editor of writing services at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca. Today, I am pleased to introduce an editorial by our president Donna J. Jodhan and today Donna talks about the fight for independence as a blind person.
I wish you a great day and first weekend in May.
The fight for independence
What does this really mean? In my opinion; it means being able to do as much as I can on my own. To access information on the Internet with no sighted assistance. To be able to complete forms online without any assistance. To be able to read information in alternate formats thus not having to depend on someone else to read it to me.
The right to make my own decisions without having someone else speak on my behalf; be it in the supermarket, in the pharmacy, in the shopping mall, or anywhere else. My independence would also include not having anyone else speak on my behalf at such places as restaurants, at the bank, or at airports. No one should be placed in a position to have to speak on my behalf and I should not be subjected to have to put up with clerks and attendants asking my sighted friend or family member something like "What would she like," or "Is she okay," or "Can she sign her credit card bill?"
There is a huge difference between someone wanting to be helpful and someone assuming that a blind person is not independent enough to speak or act for him/herself. Blame it on society's attitudes or our unwillingness to speak up for ourselves; a bit of both maybe. We as a community need to speak up and speak out. We need to fight hard to maintain our independence and we need to do it in an affirmative yet positive way. No need to snap at those who mean well or those who do not know any better. We can become teachers of independence to the mainstream world.
I wish you a great day and first weekend in May.
The fight for independence
What does this really mean? In my opinion; it means being able to do as much as I can on my own. To access information on the Internet with no sighted assistance. To be able to complete forms online without any assistance. To be able to read information in alternate formats thus not having to depend on someone else to read it to me.
The right to make my own decisions without having someone else speak on my behalf; be it in the supermarket, in the pharmacy, in the shopping mall, or anywhere else. My independence would also include not having anyone else speak on my behalf at such places as restaurants, at the bank, or at airports. No one should be placed in a position to have to speak on my behalf and I should not be subjected to have to put up with clerks and attendants asking my sighted friend or family member something like "What would she like," or "Is she okay," or "Can she sign her credit card bill?"
There is a huge difference between someone wanting to be helpful and someone assuming that a blind person is not independent enough to speak or act for him/herself. Blame it on society's attitudes or our unwillingness to speak up for ourselves; a bit of both maybe. We as a community need to speak up and speak out. We need to fight hard to maintain our independence and we need to do it in an affirmative yet positive way. No need to snap at those who mean well or those who do not know any better. We can become teachers of independence to the mainstream world.
I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day and weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.
Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna's blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
A monthly editorial on issues on diversity
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca
a monthly editorial on business issues and concerns
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html
weekly editorials on accessibility issues in Canada
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php
Editorials: An International perspective on issues of accessibility and disability
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (under the editorials section, an international perspective)
A general perspective on issues of access and accessibility
http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.
Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna's blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
A monthly editorial on issues on diversity
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca
a monthly editorial on business issues and concerns
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html
weekly editorials on accessibility issues in Canada
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php
Editorials: An International perspective on issues of accessibility and disability
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (under the editorials section, an international perspective)
A general perspective on issues of access and accessibility
http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7
posted by Editor at
1:04 AM
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