HEllo Ardith,

On Wed 2012-Jan-04 23:52, Ardith Hinton (1:153/716) wrote to Richard Webb:

RW>  You'll always hear or read us stressing the term
RW>  "alternative" because utilization of "substitute"
RW>  connotes inferiority, not quite as good as.

AH>  Makes sense to me.  I did the same without thinking
AH>  about it....  :-)

Figured you'd understand that one.



AH>            Agreed.  One example I often used in my English classes
AH> is that the Inuit... whose survival may depend far more on a precise
AH> knowledge of which is which than either yours or mine does... have
AH> 36 different words for snow.  For us all that really matters in the
AH> majority of cases is whether we need to take turns shovelling the
AH> stuff, what is likely to happen when people drive or walk on it or
AH> when it melts & refreezes, and whether we can still get around with
AH> a car or a wheelchair.

Right, all those 36 words for snow describe some
characteristic of it which needs to be communicated for
survival.  Snow that won't hold weight, snow that will, snow that's melting,
snow that's too hard and packed to show
tracks of animals, etc. etc.



AH>            Once I have learned the name of a person or a plant or an
AH> animal, I begin to notice details I hadn't noticed before.  The use
AH> of words may help us clarify our observations.  Assigning a
AH> "filename" enables me to collect what I know about xxx somewhere in
AH> my brain where I can find it again & compare it to similar examples.
AH> Language is a tool which we can use to refine & clarify our
AH> thoughts.  Language can also limit thought, however, and I think
AH> some concepts may be better expressed in one language than in
AH> another.

Indeed, and the other parts of speech are just as important
to our perceptions, and the perceptions of others.  Again,
alternative vs. substitute.  An alternate teacher might have full knowledge of
the lesson plan, the students to be taught and their abilities, whereas a
"substitute" teacher is
someone there to fill in for the day.  HE/she doesn't really know the lesson
plan, the capabilities of the students, etc.

AH>           Anyway, I understand why you're careful about the
AH> vocabulary you use with folks who are beginning to come to terms
AH> with a physical handicap of some sort.  I could spit nails WRT those
AH> who spout whatever "political correctness" decrees without changing
AH> their thinking one iota... or who firmly believe that certain
AH> medical conditions are limited to senior citizens, nasty evil
AH> smokers, etc. etc. despite evidence to the contrary.  Bottom line
AH> is, we've been there. And those of us who have been there tend to
AH> choose our words differently.  ;-) 

Right, it's a conscious choice we make, especially with
newcomers we're trying to reach with the message that the
loss of sight does not mean anything to them other than
they're going to have to learn to interact with the world
around them a bit differently in some ways.  Words are
powerful things.  They tell the hearer or reader a lot about our attitudes. 
oFten they tell the hearer or reader more
than we'd like them to infer, but like it or not they do.



RW>  Indeed, musicians do have an advantage there .


AH>           Uh-huh.  Although my learning mode is primarily visual,
AH> I'm grateful that the study of music has taught me to use my ears
AH> more efficiently....  :-) 

I'm sure, and the opposite is true in my case.  I have to
think carefully when making a presentation about what sort
of visual aids might help, I'm not used to thinking in those terms.


RW>  I've told more than one person that if the miraculous
RW>  were to occur tomorrow and I'd find myself with full
RW>  20/20 vision I probably would be so confused and
RW>  disoriented I couldn't cope for quite a time, as my
RW>  brain wouldn't know what to do with the input it was
RW>  now receiving.


AH> Although they may have 20/20 vision they don't seem
AH> to notice what's going on around them in many cases.  I must warn
AH> you that if the miraculous suddenly occurred you might find yourself
AH> wishing it hadn't.  These people evidently have difficulty sorting
AH> out what matters from what doesn't in the big city, where the pace &
AH> quantity of visual input can be overwhelming at times even for those
AH> who have had decades of experience with it... [wry grin]. 

Right, or even out in the woods, where I'm also comfortable. Sorting out
meaningful input from the "noise" would probably be extremely difficult for
me.  A bird in flight, the shape
of a leaf, all those things are just stuff I might or might
not notice, unless the bird in flight flies close or
directly across my path with my limited vision now I might
not even notice it.

AH>           I'm reminded here of a fellow Dallas & I met during our CB
AH> days.  We knew he was blind before we invited him to visit our
AH> place.  He coped so well, however, that by the time he enquired
AH> where the bathroom was I answered as I'd have answered a sighted
AH> person.  We both had a good laugh when I realized just after I'd
AH> told him where to find the light switch that it was irrelevant.  :-)

I remember getting a sermon as a young man about not turning on a light in a
bathroom by my mother.  IT was just one of
those things i never thought about.
Even more interesting, I remember coming home from work when my eldest was a
toddler to find my wife preparing supper,
and the kid playing on the floor in our apartment, adn the
place was pitch dark.  I had to remind my lady that our
child could see, and she should turn on lights for the kid
.

There's a story I heard when I was young about two blind
guys (brothers) who were remodeling a kitchen.  They're
working during the late evening hours, in the dark as they
were doing this for the customer after hours.  A local
policeman stopped by as he heard all this banging and
whatnot going on to find these two men busily installing
custom kitchen cabinets they'd built.  Then he asks why they didn'tturn on any
lights.  They seemed incredulous, as
they're trying to figure out why they would turn on lights
they didn't need.  The officer explained that maybe people
wouldn't be as concerned if they lit up their work area,
because they'd be sure nothing nefarious was taking place.

RW>  Adding sensory input could potentially be as debilitating
RW>  as taking it away.

AH>           I imagine so.  Visual input interferes with the alpha
AH> rhythms in the brain, as I learned from reading the report on some
AH> study or other while I was trapped in a hospital waiting room.  More
AH> about alpha rhythms on request.  :-) 

I'd heard that one, but I'd surmise not as much for people
who are used to processing it as part of their day to day
existence.  Give 20/20 vision to somebody like me though and I wouldn't be
sure how to cope, as I said, separating signal from noise would be a
challenge.  What can safely be
ignored, what can't?  I'd have to relearn how to interact
with the world around me.

Regards,
           Richard
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