Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!olivea!oliveb!bunker!hcap!hnews!163!207.666!Jeff.Dubois From: Jeff.Dubois@p666.f207.n163.z1.fidonet.org (Jeff Dubois) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: Re: The Prose of a Dog named Cane Message-ID: <16577@handicap.news> Date: 28 Jun 91 16:08:03 GMT Sender: wtm@bunker.isc-br.com Reply-To: Jeff.Dubois@p666.f207.n163.z1.fidonet.org Organization: FidoNet node 1:163/207.666 - Local ASYST User's , Ottawa ON Lines: 60 Approved: wtm@bunker.hcap.fidonet.org Index Number: 16577 [This is from the Blink Talk Conference] year ago" you tell him. You know the cogs are turning now. "It's a real pretty cane... and, "... now he's stammering. It's just hit him like a ton of bricks. He tries to regain his composure and you can tell he's trying to get the foot out of his mouth. "What's your canes name" You don't want to be rude to him but you don't want him to leave totally uneducated in matters of blindness. "The canes name is Dogface." you reply. "Dogface?" he retorts unbelievingly. You know he has a puzzled look on his face. You nod your head and say "Yeah, Dogface". There's a brief silence. He hovers over your cane and calls her name. "Dogface, what a pretty cane" he says attempting the distraction process. You knew this was going to happen. That's why you told him your cane's name was Dogface. Had you told him that your cane's name was Cane, he would have called Cane, and your cane would have sat up. By using this method, he called Dogface, and your Cane just opened it's eyes but did not budge. "Your cane is very well disciplined". Now the hook is baited, and a proper education begins. You can tell him that she's a working cane, and that when she's in harness she shouldn't be distracted. He accepts this a whole lot better than if he had been successful in distracting the cane in the first place and you had to be firm. This guy is interested to learn but how he's educated is important. Unfortunately I have a warped sense of humour but the methodoly of my educational technique is effective. You still know the direction he's headed in. "If you don't mind me asking, have you been blind all your life?" This is one of the questions that really irks your wick. If you had a dollar for everytime someone has asked you that one you'd own this pub. You feel like asking him "Do you masturbate or did your parents have pre-marital sex?" for all three questions have the same impact. "It's none of your business" will offend him. That you know. Educational methodology technique 2 ready for implimentation. "When I was 12 years old I watched the eclipse of the sun through my fathers binoculars and burnt the retinas out of my eyes." "You're kidding" he says. "Nope, but I'm fortunate enough to have about 5% residual vision which means I may or may not see a bus parked in front of me depending upon the lighting and the colour of the bus against the contrasting background". He introduces himself as Richard, says he's new to the area, and will probably see me around. If I ever meet Richard again and perhaps he comes to the local pub he'll say hello. He'll know not to distract the cane, and he realizes that not all blind people are "totally" blind. If I run into him a great number of times he'll eventually know that I was kidding about the eclipse of the sun but to discuss the transmission of X recessive heriditary diseases would have been too boring anyways. If I never meet him again he'll remember me on the next eclipse of the sun, realize that some blind people actually see light, shadow, and sometimes shape but most importantly, never pet a dog named Cane. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!163!207.666!Jeff.Dubois Internet: Jeff.Dubois@p666.f207.n163.z1.fidonet.org