Jody,

Very refreshing stuff. There was a pamphlet floating around the Canadian
National Institute for the Blind years ago that offered this advice to blind
folk: "Cut your meat into bite sized chunks before putting it in your
mouth."

Bill Carroll, Toronto
-----Original Message-----
From: Jody Ianuzzi <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, December 18, 1998 2:02 PM
Subject: Meeting Sighted Persons -- JUmor


>This was forwarded to me and I thought some of you might enjoy it.
>If you have ever read one of the little brochures that float around titled:
>WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET A BLIND PERSON then you will enjoy the humor of
>this message. (these brochures are written in the same tone as this message
>and are considered to be negative by many competent blind people, including
>me)
>                ************************
>
>        WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET A SIGHTED PERSON
>
>People who use their eyes to receive information about the world are
>called sighted people or "people who are sighted." Legal "sight" means
>any visual acuity greater than 20/200 in the better eye without
>correction or an angle of vision wider than 20 degrees.  Sighted people
>enjoy rich full lives, working, playing and raising families. They run
>businesses, hold public office and teach your children!
>
>       HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE GET AROUND?!
>
>People who are sighted may walk or ride public transportation, but most
>choose to travel long distances by operating their own motor vehicles.
>They have gone through many hours of training to learn the "rules of the
>road" in order to further their independence. Once that road to freedom
>has been mastered, sighted people earn a legal classification and a
>"Driver's License" which allows them to operate a private vehicle safely
>and independently.
>
>       HOW TO ASSIST A SIGHTED PERSON
>
>Sighted people are accustomed to viewing the world in visual terms.
>This means that in many situations, they will not be able to communicate
>orally and may resort to pointing or other gesturing. Subtle facial
>expressions may also be used to convey feelings in social situations.
>Calmly alert the sighted person to his surroundings by speaking slowly,
>in a normal tone of voice. Questions directed at the sighted person help
>focus attention back on the verbal rather than visual communication.
>
>At times, sighted people may need help finding things, especially when
>operating a motor vehicle. Your advance knowledge of routes and
>landmarks, particularly bumps in the road, turns and traffic lights,
>will assist the "driver" in finding the way quickly and easily. Your
>knowledge of building layouts can also assist the sighted person in
>navigating complex shopping malls and offices.  Sighted people tend to
>be very proud and will not ask directly for assistance. Be gentle yet
>firm.
>
>       HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE USE COMPUTERS?!
>
>The person who is sighted relies exclusively on visual information. His
>or her attention span fades quickly when reading long  texts. Computer
>information is presented in a "Graphical User Interface" or GUI.
>Coordination of hands and eyes is often a problem for sighted people,
>so the computer mouse, a handy device that slides along the desk top,
>saves confusing keystrokes. With one button, the sighted person can
>move around his or her computer screen quickly and easily.  People
>who are sighted are not accustomed to synthetic speech and may have
>great difficulty understanding even the clearest synthesizer. Be patient
>and prepared to explain many times how your computer equipment
>works.
>
>       HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE READ?!
>
>Sighted people read through a system called "Print." this is a series of
>images drawn in a two dimensional plain. People who are sighted
>generally have a poorly developed sense of touch. Braille is completely
>foreign to the sighted person and he or she will take longer to learn
>the code and be severely limited by his or her existing visual senses.
>Sighted people cannot function well in low lighting conditions and are
>generally completely helpless in total darkness. their homes are usually
>very brightly lit at great expense, as are businesses that cater to the
>sighted consumer.
>
>       HOW CAN I SUPPORT A SIGHTED PERSON?!
>
>People who are sighted do not want your charity. They want to live,
>work and play along with you. The best thing you can do to support
>sighted people in your community is to open yourself to their world.
>These Americans are vital contributing members to society. Take a
>sighted person to lunch today!
>
>
>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
>To join or leave the list, send a message to
>[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
>"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>
>
>


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html