Hi Gary,

Unfortunately, as blind people, we are forced to deal with inaccessibility
issues.  Those come up even in a place that ought to be a refuge for us in
amateur radio.  Oh, well, I think you're right on this anyhow; too much talk
about something that isn't going to change until someone can come up with
enough money and power to force it changed...


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Jackson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 10:13 PM
Subject: Re: New Handi-Ham Paperwork


> Don't you guys have better things to do than bore the rest of the list
with
> all of this? I think you got way off topic a long time ago. If you don't
> like handi-hams or the rules they have to go by good ridense. There's been
> enough handi-ham bashing to last a lifetime.
>
> Gary
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Darrell Shandrow" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 11:59 PM
> Subject: Re: New Handi-Ham Paperwork
>
>
> Hi Andy,
>
> I haven't been a Federationist since 1997!  Even if I were, I'm not the
type
> of person to just spout off someone or some organization's line...  I call
> 'em exactly how I see 'em...
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andy Baracco" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 9:19 PM
> Subject: Re: New Handi-Ham Paperwork
>
>
> > i thought you were a Federationist.  Has the Federation finally seen the
> > light, so to speak?
> >
> > Andy
> >
> > At 08:48 PM 6/28/04 -0700, you wrote:
> > >Hi Tom,
> > >
> > >Just one important point.  The sighted don't need any special
treatment.
> > >They're sighted.  They don't need reasonable accomodations because
> they're
> > >the norm and everything is already accessible to them.  They don't need
> > >accessibility because, again, it is already inaccessible for them.  I'm
> > >blind; not sighted.  In order to be certainly able to participate, I
need
> > >the same material in an accessible format.  Period.  Readers are fine,
> but I
> > >think we're in a different age than in the not-too-distant past.  It is
> > >harder to find readers now.  It is hard enough to find people who are
> really
> > >sufficiently educated to read, let alone find people who really want to
> do
> > >it even for a reasonable amount of money.
> > >
> > >I'm definitely going to be contraversial when I say this, but, you know
> > >what?  I'm blind.  I'm not, in fact, equal to my sighted peers in all
> > >respects.  I'm somewhat equal, but not completely so.  In the areas
where
> > >the inequalities are due to lack of accessibility or to some other
> > >artificially imposed barrier to our participation, then it isn't too
much
> to
> > >ask for enough reasonable special treatment to get around the barrier.
> > >Times are changing; I think we need to insist on our accessibility now
> > >before it becomes too late.  More and more sighted people are writing
us
> off
> > >every single day, this stuff could ultimately come down to our very
> > >survival!
> > >
> > >
> > >