State Senator Attacks Governor Paterson's Vision Loss

Posted by Carl Augusto on 8/25/2009 10:16:14 AM

Governor Paterson's blindness is under attack again. This time, State Senator Diane Savino suggests it's hindering his ability to govern. In an interview with the Staten Island Advance, Ms. Savino said, "We live in a digital age now, with e-mailing and Blackberrying. He is not able to do that because of his visual impairment. David cannot do those things. Also, he does not read Braille. He has people reading newspapers to him. He listens to tapes of staffers briefing him. All that takes an enormous amount of time. As a result, he is not able to respond on the fly the way [former Gov. Eliot] Spitzer or even [former Gov. George] Pataki could. In some ways I think that has hindered him, in spite of everything he has accomplished in life."

This is exactly the kind of gross stereotyping and misinformation that holds people with disabilities back.

For starters, people with vision loss are actively participating in the digital age. Emailing, surfing the web, and text messaging are all possible thanks to screen reading and magnification software. Even the new iPhone comes equipped with talking features that make it usable to people with vision loss. In addition, there are scores of judges, CEOs, scientists, professors, photographers, politicians, and more that, just like the Governor, are smart, savvy go-getters who have climbed to the top of their careers and who also happen to be blind or visually impaired.

Governor Paterson has clearly figured out the adaptive techniques that work best for him. After all, he has been a major player in the Democratic Party for years now, successfully climbing the ranks despite the fact that he doesn't read braille.

Like we said to the SNL staff after its offensive skit, when judging Governor Paterson's performance, we ask one thing: judge him the way we do all politicians, based on his political record and not his disability.

Re: State Senator Attacks Governor Paterson's Vision Loss
Posted by Tara Deck [http://www.brailleinstitute.org] on 10/26/2009 10:18:53 AM

I can see where there are many things that could be done better, however we have to keep in mind that it is an individual preference.

Re: State Senator Attacks Governor Paterson's Vision Loss
Posted by Sandy Finley on 9/9/2009 11:23:37 AM

Mr. Augusto, I thik you are being a bit too sensitive here. While the Senator's portrayal of people who are blind not participating in the digital age is inaccurate, she has every right to criticize the Governor if she feels his responses are not timely. It strikes me the criticism may be apt, while the reason for it is not. I would be happier if she'd recognize this, but if he's too slow, he needs to hear that.

Re: State Senator Attacks Governor Paterson's Vision Loss
Posted by Jake Joehl on 9/2/2009 7:27:12 PM

I definitely agree that Gov. Paterson should've been taught Braille as a child, and I wonder if he ever used any audio. This is definitely one of those unfortunate cases which paints a clear picture of the Braille crisis in some parts of the country. However, I would have to argue that speech access is also very important. I was taught Braille as a child, and I first learned how to use a computer in the 80's when Apple came out with the Apple II. It wasn't long after that I graduated, so to speak, to Windows and am now happily using Vista with speech. I can't afford a Braille display due to the cost. So I think Braille and speech both have their place in society. I use Braille extensively now too. Regarding the O&M issue, I learned cane travel as a child and am now quite good at it. However, I don't think I'd make a good governor or other politician unless I can get more formal O&M instruction.

Re: State Senator Attacks Governor Paterson's Vision Loss
Posted by Tom Coburn [http://www.tcoburn.com] on 8/26/2009 9:40:05 PM

There are several things that bother me about Governor Peterson that are disability related though.

For instance, I don't like the fact he doesn't promote using a white caine. Even partials don't understand the white cane symbolizes "independence" not "dependence". That has always bothered me, but I know alot of that has to do with the lack of caine training from the blind schools. Its sad to think that even the state blind schools don't promote white caine training or O&M training to their students, much of less braille training.

I'm a partial, and I wish I had learned braille when I was a kid, but nobody taught me when I attended the Indiana Blind school because I could see print. Now that I'm in my late 30's, and can't read the very largest of print anymore, even with a 60x CCTV, learning braille now is really difficult, much more difficult now then if I had been a kid and learned it. I heard Peterson has 20/400 in both eyes, if thats true, why wasn't he taught braille? He should have been. I have 20/300 and I can't read print anymore, he should have been taught braille in the first place, and thats the blind schools fault for not teaching him to begin with. Its a major problem all around the country at blind schools, thats why if I ever had a blind kid, I'd never send them to the blind school, otherwise he/she would be put in that fantasy bubble that the whole world is like the blind school. Blind students at the blind school need to learn to interact with other normal sighted children, and learn how to deal with issues that come up, like the blackboard for instance, because when they get to college, there not going to understand what to tell disability coordinators about what accomodations they need to be able to get information off the blackboard, for instance. I never knew how, so I ended up failing out of college because of it, and blind kids need to learn how to live in a sighted world, not a blind world.

As for technology, there is no reason why he can't use a blackberry or do email. Thats his own fault for not learning how to use those things. They could train him, but if he don't use the tools available to him, thats his own fault. The problem with alot of partials, they don't want to appear to the public as blind. I say "why?" As a partial myself, I'd rather have someone think I was blind, then think I had more vision then what I do. It bothers me when partials throw fits about learning braille, or carrying around a caine, or something else that makes them appear to the public as being blind. So partials want the public to think they trip down a flight of stairs because their stupid? I'd rather have the public think I was blind and couldn't see the steps, then think I tripped over them because I was stupid not paying attention or whatever. Whats wrong with the public thinking your blind for goodness sake? its not like its very far from the truth.. Partials are legally blind, and should be treated NO DIFFERENTLY then someone with no sight at all, and I've always believed that. I don't consider myself any better then the totally blind because I can see some, but alot of partials act like their better then the totally blind because they can see some, and thats alot of the problem, I think. Its like partials and totals are put in two different categories, and thats not the way it should be. We should be standing together, not in separate worlds.

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