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From: Henry.Kasten@p0.f33.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Henry Kasten)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: blindness and the blindfold
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Date: 20 Nov 90 18:22:38 GMT
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Index Number: 11923

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi Gang,  The following is an excerpt from the Corps of Engineers
monthly publication.  It addresses Barrier Town.  I think we all
agree that a simulation is not the same as the real McCoy, but I
feel after you read this you may find that more sensitivity can be
established from such a program.

 Barrier Town...Learning more about the obstacles the physically
impaired face
By Tyler Sarlow, IMO

My friend and I love to go driving. We often take weekend trips to
out-of-the-way places just to see what we find. One thing you need
to know is that I am confined to a wheelchair and my friend is
blind.

Driving allows me the freedom to swiftly glide down an interstate
without the barriers I face in my chair. For my friend I am able to
describe the scenery as we go along and she takes in the smells of
the countryside. Yeah, life is grand on these trips.

One weekend we happened upon a small community, called Barrier
Town.  Little did we know that the town would live up to its name.

We got out to look around with my friend holding on to the back of
my wheelchair--this works out really well for both of us because
I'm the only one in her way.

Our first stop was the Post Office since my friend needed to mail a
letter. The postal worker was no help at all--he held an envelope
right in front of my friend's face without saying a word and
knowing all along she was blind. She was embarrassed when I had to
tell her to take the envelope and I was upset because the counter
was too high for me to help her.

After that rude experience, we decided to get something to eat. But
this, too, would become an unappetizing event.

We could almost taste the meatloaf and were looking forward to a
real "country" meal.  We asked to be seated next to the window, but
were made to sit back by the kitchen to get us out of the way. I
suspected that they had few handicapped people in their restaurant
because the waitress seemed uneasy around us and spoke so loud as
if we were deaf, too.  We decided to leave the restaurant and eat
at the fast food place next door and as we left, she said, "People
in wheelchairs aren't usually that rude." I wonder what she meant
by that.

Well, on our way out-of-town we stopped at a convenience store.
Someone had spray- painted "in" before the "convenience" sign on
the front door. We should have taken that warning to heart because
the man behind the counter tried to short-change us and, had I not
been there, my friend would have been stuck with chocolate milk
when she specifically asked for skim milk.

The only good part about this trip was visiting the park in front
of the town's city hall.

We watched the squirrels and listened to the birds while we rested
before our journey home. As we left, we stopped at the water
fountain and it was actually low enough for a person in a
wheelchair to lean over and drink from. I wondered who was
responsible for helping the disabled, but it didn't matter. I only
knew that I truly appreciated it.       The story above is
fictitious, but the examples are real. Even today in an age when
laws have been passed to accommodate the handicapped, few abide by
them.

--
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