Planet of the Blind

Beautiful video of folksinger Elizabeth Cotten, interviewed late in her life. Poignant and deeply rewarding to watch.

(Babble.com)
October 1, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] In response to two major stories involving people with disabilities being denied organ transplants, in part due to their disabilities, a national coalition of fourteen different advocacy groups is pushing for change.

The National Disability Leadership Alliance met with senior staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Transplantation, to urge HHS to issue legal guidance to transplant facilities regarding their responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) is comprised of fourteen advocacy organizations that are run by and for people with disabilities At the meeting, NDLA was represented by Ari Ne’eman, president of Autistic Self-Advocacy Network; Kelly Buckland, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living; and Diane Coleman, president of Not Dead Yet. The group discussed organ procurement and transplantation policies, and how they impact people with disabilities of all kinds.

Among the issues discussed were ensuring meaningful consent in organ procurement efforts and addressing discrimination against people with disabilities in accessing organ transplants. NDLA’s representatives raised the recent cases of Amelia Rivera and Paul Corby, individuals with developmental disabilities denied access to transplant waiting lists, and urged HHS to issue “strong and unequivocal legal guidance to prevent such acts of discrimination,” according to ASAN’s website.

Entire article:
Disability Advocacy Groups Push for ‘Strong, Unequivocal’ Legal Guidance on Organ Transplants
http://tinyurl.com/ide1001123

Comes in summer, sneaking back, my brother. He was my twin.  In life he had no talent. Comes in summer as a dragon fly. 

Weightless like all the soldiers of the dead my brother walks–upturned eyes of life in his footprints. 

Did you ever hear a thrush create a lonely pillar of song? This is something like that. 

Stephen Kuusisto 
Director
The Renee Crown University Honors Program 
University Professor
Syracuse University

Begin forwarded message:

From: Guiding Eyes for the Blind <connections@guidingeyes.org>
Date: September 28, 2012, 9:18:05 AM EDT
To: STEPHEN-KUUSISTO@UIOWA.EDU
Subject: Your support makes a wonderful difference

Donate | View
Online

CONNECTIONS
Guiding Eyes for the
Blind                            
October 2012

Our Blind
Students and Graduates are Counting on You.
Please click here to
DONATE TODAY!

After a very hot summer, we have welcomed the
beautiful weather at Guiding Eyes these past few weeks.
Mother Nature has made it easier on our students and guide
dog partners as they train together in rural, suburban and
urban settings.

This month’s class includes teachers, an author, a
social worker, a musician, a former cross country truck
driver, a high school student, a college student, and a
former plumbing and heating business owner. Whatever their
age or occupation, most experience some anxiety being away
from home and learning to work with their new Guiding Eyes
dogs. But thanks to the support of kind friends like
you, we are able to continually upgrade our facilities
and dormitories to make our students’ experience as
comfortable and “homelike” as possible.

Raven Tolliver, a 19-year-old
who graduated from Guiding Eyes a few months ago, was
grateful not only for her new guide dog companion, but also
for the friendly atmosphere and excellent facilities at
Guiding Eyes. She said, "When I arrived at Guiding
Eyes, I felt right at home because of the good food, my own
room, the student lounge, and the helpful
staff."

All students
have a private room with a phone located at their bedside.
The phones are specifically designed for accessibility, with
buttons that feature Braille letters. For those with hearing
problems in addition to vision loss, the phones are hearing
aid compatible with amplified volume.

The bonding process between a
blind student and Guiding Eyes dog enhances their ability to
develop into a successful working team. An ideal way to get
to know each other during "down time" from the intensive
training is by taking a stroll along the
specially-constructed walking path on the grounds of the
training school. This beautifully landscaped trail features
a footbridge and benches along the way for resting or simply
enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

As you can imagine, it is a tremendous expense to
provide essential services and maintain top-notch
facilities. Students receive their magnificent guide dogs,
training and lifetime follow-up services FREE OF CHARGE. As Guiding
Eyes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we rely upon
donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and
organizations.

Please take
this opportunity to support our work at www.guidingeyes.org/donate . For more
information about our programs and services, visit our
website at www.guidingeyes.org . On behalf of the
entire Guiding Eyes "family", I thank you for your
generosity and commitment.

Sincerely,

William D. Badger

President

www.guidingeyes.org

connections@guidingeyes.org

611 Granite Springs Rd.
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 (800) 942-1049

Click here to
customize your email preferences.

I am on the Amtrak train heading north and west from the Metro New York region. My guide dog is under the dining car table, safely out of the way of foot traffic and I have my Mac plugged into the train’s power source and the wifi is working and outside the windows you can see the mighty Hudson River and the mountains of beautiful New York  state. The train is swaying like a drunken Finn who has come to town after years in the woods. The train is swaying like a bug eyed chicken. The train is really wobbly and if you had a penchant for seasickness I’d think this would be really bad for you. In a minute I’m going to try and drink a Pepsi. We shall see how that goes. 

Mostly what I’m thinking about is the beauty of the guide dog movement–I’ve spent the last three days at my alma mater, Guiding Eyes for the Blind which is I believe (with some evidence) the nation’s best guide dog program. I’ve been interviewing the trainers about their work which, as you doubtless know is astonishingly complex–or you can imagine how complex it must be, for the aim is to train a dog from knowing nothing to being able to guide a blind person on the streets of New York, New York. And then your job is to train a blind man or woman to work with that dog, to trust it, to love it and follow it and become a bonded and soulful team. Frankly I know of no more beautiful job in the world, and I get choked up thinking about it. People who love animals and human beings equally, who want to see blind people succeed–that’s something. 

That’s something. That’s something.