The Beach, Pretty Girls, and Dreaming

The Beach, Pretty Girls, and Dreaming

The Braille Monitor

June 2003

(back)

(next) (contents)

The Beach, Pretty Girls,

and Dreaming

by Richie Flores

From the Editor: The

following article first appeared in the Fall 2002 issue of the newsletter of

the Texas student division. Richie Flores has been an active member of the Texas

Association of Blind Students (TABS) for several years. He is currently a sophomore

at Blinn College. In the following article he explains why he joined TABS, one

of our most active affiliate student divisions. Here is what Richie has to say.

On the first day of third

grade my teacher asked each student to stand up and introduce himself or herself

and tell the class the three things they enjoyed most about life. When my turn

came, I proudly stood up and said, "My name is Richie Flores, and my favorite

things are the beach, pretty girls, and dreaming." I got a few snickers

from my classmates, a couple of puzzled grumbles, and a teacher who was not

impressed with my answer. After being a member of the Texas Association of Blind

Students for over two years I laugh to myself when I think of my reasons for

joining this organization. Some things never change. One way or another the

beach, pretty girls, and my dreams have all played a vital role in my joining

TABS.

When I was fifteen, I was approached by an agency for

the blind. A seminar for blind students was to be held at South Padre Island,

and I was invited to attend. According to the staff I would have a chance to

meet other blind students, have a lot of fun, and perhaps learn something new

about blindness. Enticed by the beach setting and also eager to meet other blind

students my age, I agreed to attend the seminar.

Upon arrival I was delighted to learn that three other

blind students and I would be lodging in a three-bedroom condo with cable TV

and a hot tub on the balcony overlooking the beach, no less. After dinner was

served in a pavilion on the hotel grounds, I got the chance to meet the other

eleven students also attending the seminar.

The after-dinner activity was a scavenger hunt to familiarize

us with our surroundings. The object of this activity was to locate items and

landmarks specifically assigned to each pair of students. The first pair to

finish would win a prize. I remember using my cane and my ears to locate the

finish line, a bubbling creek in the center of the hotel's courtyard. My roommate

and new friend David was not so lucky. As he and his partner rushed toward the

finish line, eager to pass us and win first place, down tumbled David into the

creek, clothing and all, soaked from head to toe, and above all embarrassed.

Never mind who won the scavenger hunt; I can't even remember what the first

prize was.

The point I want to make here is the reason for David's

mishap. I learned later that David was not using his cane. Instead he was using

the ever-popular sighted-guide technique. David was hanging on to the arm of

his partner, another seminar attendee. I came to realize that each pair included

one totally blind and one visually impaired partner. This was no coincidence.

Those in charge of the seminar gave us to understand that we totally blind students

couldn't get around without our partially sighted partners.

Poor David's experience did not seem to persuade anyone

that we were all blind and really should not be depending on each other for

safe travel. When the fundamental concept of independent travel for a blind

person is not emphasized at a seminar for blind teens, you can imagine the other

misconceptions and improper training methods I endured during those four days

at the beach.

Let me compare that seminar with the one I helped organize

for the Texas Association of Blind Students (TABS). In April of 2002 we conducted

what I consider one of TABS's biggest accomplishments. We couldn't offer the

luxury of South Padre Island or free hotel accommodation, but all in all it

went well. The TABS seminar took place in Houston, Texas, at the Marriott Courtyard

hotel. It was a day and a half long, and in my opinion it was very exciting.

Over sixty students registered, which is an amazing attendance. Our attendees

came on their own, bought their own meals, and rented their own rooms. A few

even volunteered that they were leaving with a new perspective on blindness.

A tangible example of our success was the fact that two

students decided to attend an NFB training center during the summer to enhance

their blindness skills. One of these students told me that she owed her new

attitude about blindness to the TABS seminar. Because of the information she

received, she now uses her cane, has increased her appreciation for Braille,

has gained cooking and cleaning skills, and has done it all proudly and independently.

Our seminar was filled with information and inspiration.

It was not conducted by an agency for the blind convinced that the blind need

charity. All our speeches and panels were composed of blind students who have

already experienced what these attendees were about to face. Although we had

no go-cart races, sand-castle-building contests, or scavenger hunts (with or

without unfortunate endings), I believe these kids learned important truths,

which was exactly what TABS wanted to happen.

As for pretty girls, my father once told me that the

most beautiful women are the ones who can stand on their own two feet. This

is true in TABS's parent organization, the National Federation of the Blind.

When I received a state scholarship and was first introduced to the NFB and

TABS, I was amazed to meet other students my age who were on the A honor role,

held offices in student government, and used their canes and other blindness

skills proudly. Kimberly Aguillard, Angela Wolf, and Yolanda Garcia all convinced

me that not just being a young woman but being a blind young woman was respectable.

The beautiful-woman principle continues throughout the

NFB. Our affiliate president Zena Pearcy and her board lead Texas. Dr. Joanne

Wilson, a longtime NFB leader, is currently the commissioner of the Rehabilitation

Services Administration, a position appointed by President George W. Bush. This

is a huge accomplishment for any person, man or woman, blind or sighted. Using

these women as role models has helped me to believe in myself as a blind person

and improved my attitude toward other blind people. All these women I have mentioned

are independent, intelligent, and confident, which by my father's standard makes

them beautiful people. They challenge me to step beyond my comfort zone and

live independently as a blind person. So in this sense pretty girls have played

a crucial role in convincing me that this organization has worthwhile purposes

and dreams.

The student division's dreams were my main reason for

joining this organization. Like the rest of the National Federation of the Blind,

TABS believes in promoting equality, security, and opportunity for all blind

people, particularly students. Obtaining access to courses and accessible textbooks,

mastering independent travel, and acquiring adaptive technology are areas of

the battle in which students are frequently engaged. The Instructional Materials

Accessibility Act, a bill the NFB and virtually every other organization in

the blindness field are urging Congress to pass, would ensure that all textbooks

published are available in an agreed-upon electronic format, which would enable

blind students or school personnel to use or prepare them in preferred media.

If this bill passes, the dream of equality for blind students will be a long

step closer to reality.

Blind students deserve the right to speak for ourselves

and control our school careers. But achieving equal opportunity remains only

a dream for many of us and is certainly a battle for us all. I have seen the

Texas Association of Blind Students and the National Federation of the Blind

taking action to change what is possible for the blind.

Federationists have established three training centers

across the country that encourage students to work hard and develop healthy

attitudes about blindness and high expectations for themselves. Other training

centers are now beginning to adopt these principles as well. Training in such

centers, families who believe in the ability of blind people, and positive blind

role models all help blind people to succeed. TABS believes that students can

and must take an active role in developing their own futures. We urge students

to be self-advocates. We also offer a network of blind students to share their

experience, knowledge, and friendship. In short, TABS has many dreams and the

determination to see them realized.

A trip to the beach, beautiful

and intelligent women, and powerful dreaming have played a huge part in my participation

in TABS and the NFB. The castles we build together will never be washed away

by the tide but will stand tall, proud, and strong. I will continue to believe

and fight for equal rights for blind people around the world. I will continue

looking to beautiful, intelligent women as role models to aid me in becoming

a beautiful person myself. Finally, as a member of TABS I will continue to dream

the dream of total independence, effective education, and training for Texas's

blind students.

(back)

(next) (contents)