[blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
Lyn Gwizdak
linda.gwizdak at cox.net
Sun Jan 8 16:14:54 EST 2012
Wow! Doing the Internet at age 6!!!
I've heard of the Harvey Milk High School but don't know a whole lot about
it other than it was founded to provide a safe school for LGBT kids who were
being so mistreated in regular public school.
Albert, is this school in Manhattan? Just a thought: Have you ever done
any speaking engagements in schools as a blind person to talk to the kids
about blindness and guide dogs? I've done this in the past and did this a
year or so ago with our Humane Society. I talked mainly about the guide dog
in this program. But in regular schools when I went to speak with our old
NFB chapter, I brought blindness stuff for a "show and tell".
Actually, I should find out if any of the San Diego high schools have a GSA
and maybe I can set up a speaking engabgement with them to share about
blindness and my guide dog - and about being Queer and blind!
Is Blind LGBT Pride outreaching to this school as a organization? Do we
know if the HMS has any disabled or blind students? Here's a great place to
start and then branch out through outreach to GSAs.
Cheers,
Lyn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'Blind LGBT Pride discussion list'" <blindlgbtpride at acb.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 10:43 AM
Subject: Re: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
> Most children these days as early as 6 are surfing the net. i would think
> that in this day and age of full disclosure and comfort in being gay, and
> with the established gay support groups in schools, at least here in new
> york, that concerns about privacy would be minimal, provided children of
> all
> ages and orientations had parental approval as most require in any
> instance. We could first reach out to the Harvey milk high school to
> invite
> students to participate in an open and affirming on line group for lgbt
> teens of all ages and all orientations. Having it open to all, whether gay
> or not would serve to inform and educate all about how teens blind or not
> deal with being gay. Just my two cents. Peace.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York 10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlgbtpride-bounces at acb.org
> [mailto:blindlgbtpride-bounces at acb.org]
> On Behalf Of Lyn Gwizdak
> Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 1:16 PM
> To: Blind LGBT Pride discussion list
> Subject: Re: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
>
> Hi Albert, Caitlin, and everyone else,
>
> Reaching out to blind LGBT teens is a very logical thing to do. But I
> wonder how we can start this? It seems hard to even find the straight
> blind
>
> teens and young kids because of the privacy laws that the organizations
> and
> agencies must adhere to.
>
> You're right, Albert that we need to do this and that LGBT teens do
> exist -
> well, we were once LGBT teens and little kids even when we weren't aware
> of
> it yet. Do little kids and teens surf the internet? with me growing up
> in
> a world without personal computers and Internet, I don't know how old kids
> are when they can think of a topic and then Google it for information.
> Many
>
> kids have the family computer in a public place in their homes and LGBT
> kids
>
> may feel awkward or even fearful in trying to find LGBT information
> online.
> I wonder how blind LGBTs can find reading material about us in a way that
> homophobic parents won't find and then trash their kid over.
>
> Caitlin, you're right about almost NO reading material about blind LGBTs.
> I
>
> have yet to find anything! When I was a teen, the whole society made no
> mention of anything LGBT at all - we didn't exist - made invisible - and
> society in the 1960s didn't want to know about it either. I never even
> heard the word, homosexual or transsesual during that time. But I do know
> now that I was bullied in school more for my transness than for my
> blindness
>
> although that was a contributing factor. It was awful for me. My other
> blind friends at school weren't bullied.
>
> I wonder how the Gay-Straight Alliances can find and outreach to blind and
> disabled LGBTs? With disabled people being mainstreamed in the schools
> today, hopefully, the GSAs can make sure that their information is
> accessible to the whole student body - including the blind students. That
> way, the LGBT blind kids can go to the meetings. Anyway, this should all
> be
>
> much easier now than when I was a kid.
>
> Well, soon there will be something to add to being blind and LGBT. I am
> working on my autobiography and am telling my story of growing up blind
> and
> LGBT in the 1950s and 1960s and tell about my childhood and the bullying.
> I
> tell about my young adult years and feeling odd along with my blindness.
> I
> tell of my more recent years and my gender issues and how I dealt with
> this.
>
> And also my transition from female to male.
>
> I am working on a second draft and am letting several people read it so I
> can get some feedback. Being low income, I have no idea about how to get
> it
>
> published so that blind LGBTs can have access to it. Because I felt so
> terribly alone, I wanted to write this so others are not going to grow up
> feeling alone like I did. My niece suggested that I do an online book and
> I
>
> will explore that option.
>
> This is a great topic and we need to be responsible in helping to make
> life
> better for our blind and disabled LGBT youth who are coming up after us.
> The straight world sure as hell isn't going to do this. We need to take
> care of our young people and old people. Something that many in the
> general
>
> LGBT community don't see yet.
>
> Lyn
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> To: "'Blind LGBT Pride discussion list'" <blindlgbtpride at acb.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 6:53 AM
> Subject: Re: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
>
>
>>A very interesting and meaningful inquiry. I am sure there are lgbt blind
>> and disabled teens out there. perhaps starting a lgbt group for teens who
>> are blind may be worth considering. I mean, us lgbt blind adults had to
>> start out as blind teens who were lgbt, or at least I would think so.
>>
>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>> Founder
>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>> New York, New York 10004
>> www.myblindspot.org
>> PH: 917-553-0347
>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who
>> is
>> doing it."
>>
>>
>> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindlgbtpride-bounces at acb.org
>> [mailto:blindlgbtpride-bounces at acb.org]
>> On Behalf Of Caitlin
>> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 3:20 AM
>> To: Blind LGBT Pride discussion list
>> Subject: Re: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
>>
>> Hi All,
>> I'm a totally blind college student, and even though there are, of
>> course, copious resources pertaining to being LGBT online, there's
>> next to nothing about being both LGBT and blind. I would love for
>> there to be more young people I could talk to about this
>> intersectionality, as it can be very tough to deal with and explain to
>> others at times...I feel like it often gets written off as a phase,
>> simply because people can't seem to accept that anybody can be
>> disabled AND gay simultaneously...and though I doubt this attitude
>> exists solely in the teen and young adult demographics, it certainly
>> seems more prevalent than it does among the few older friends of mine
>> who are blind and LGBT.
>> I was happy to see this discussion, and hope that we can somehow find
>> more LGBT teens who are blind and reach out to them...I know that I,
>> for one, would love for that to happen sooner rather than later, asI'm
>> sure many blind teens out there are struggling and could use the
>> support.
>>
>> All the Best,
>> Caitlin
>>
>> On 1/4/12, ckrugman at sbcglobal.net <ckrugman at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>> Hi Lynn,
>>> Yes, I was most definitely referring to the NFB. I left NFB in the early
>>> 90's as a result of this issue and I got back involved a few years ago
>> when
>>> my friend reactivated a local chapter here in Fresno and not much has
>>> changed since I left. very disappointing.
>>> chuck
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Lyn Gwizdak
>>> To: Blind LGBT Pride discussion list
>>> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 12:13 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Chuck,
>>> Are you refering to the NFB and its homophobia? I was a member of
>>> that
>>> group and am VERY disappointed in them for their blatant discrimination
>>> against their blind LGBT members. I even tried to convince the Vermont
>>> State president when I was dating him of the need for an LGBT group
>>> within
>>> NFB a few years ago, but to no avail. I, too, am very glad for this
>>> group
>>> in the ACB and the ACB has shown itself to be the more progressive of
>>> the
>>> two main blind organizations.
>>>
>>> I am also a "baby boomer" Trans man, age 61 and I know very few blind
>>> LGBTs here in San Diego - five who I know aroound but don't see very
>> often.
>>> There is a bisexual blind person who runs a group at our LGBT center and
>> she
>>> expressed a desire to start a group for blind LGBTs. Now that the
>> holidays
>>> are over, I'll have to track her down to see if we want to do that.
>>>
>>> I wish I could afford to go to the CA state CCB conventions and get a
>>> Blind LGBT Pride state chapter going - currently there is none when I
>>> had
>>> the opportunity to go to a convention when it was here last year. But,
>> for
>>> now, I'm asure glad of this list!
>>>
>>> Happy New Year everyone!
>>>
>>> Lyn
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: ckrugman at sbcglobal.net
>>> To: Blind LGBT Pride discussion list
>>> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 7:41 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
>>>
>>>
>>> While this is definitely an admirable goal what are we doing to
>> outreach
>>> to other segments of the blind LGBT community. From a nonscientific
>>> review
>>> of postings to this list our membership is comprised of older LGBT
>>> adults.
>>> As an organization are we doing anything to address coming out issues
>>> for
>>> blind LGBT youth and young adults. There is still much prejudice and
>>> homophobia in the blind LGBT community and I am very disappointed to say
>>> that I am a member of a very large national organization of the blind
>> that
>>> has vchosen to stifle any attempts to address this issue. For that
>>> reason
>> I
>>> was very impressed when I found this organization and group.
>>> Chuck
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: dlb723
>>> To: Blind LGBT Pride discussion list
>>> Cc: blindlgbtpride-announce at acb.org
>>> Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:43 PM
>>> Subject: [blindlgbtpride] BPI Outreach
>>>
>>>
>>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>> Richmond, Ca
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> November 9, 2011
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> For more information, contact:
>>>
>>> Don Brown, Chair, Public Relations Outreach Committee
>>>
>>> Blind LGBT Pride International
>>>
>>> Telephone: 510-484-8282
>>>
>>> E- mail: president at blind-lgbt-pride.org
>>>
>>> Web site: www.blind-lgbt-pride.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI), and affiliate of the
>>> American
>>> Council of the Blind, announces its targeted outreach campaign to LGBT
>> Older
>>> Adults who are Blind and Low Vision
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The American foundation for the Blind's 2008 Special Report on
>>> aging
>>> draws attention to the disproportionate number of older individuals who
>> have
>>> vision loss. It's reported that the trend is expected to continue to
>>> grow
>>> significantly as the baby boom generation continues to age. Experts
>> predict
>>> that by 2030, rates of vision loss will double along with the country's
>>> aging population.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The report found that the age group with the most people who have
>>> vision loss is not seniors 65 years of age or older, but instead it is
>>> the
>>> baby boom generation-those between 45 and 64 years of age who are on the
>>> brink of aging into the senior age group and often have yet to
>>> experience
>>> the full extent of the severity of age-related eye conditions.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Blind and Vision Impaired individuals who are LGBT face a number
>>> of
>>> particular concerns as they age. Several studies document they are less
>>> likely than their straight sighted counterparts to access adequate
>>> health
>>> care, affordable housing or other social services that they may need,
>>> due
>> to
>>> attitudinal barriers, institutionalized discrimination, and the lack of
>>> program access. It's reported Blind and Vision Impaired LGBT older
>> adults
>>> tend to not avail themselves of services on which their sighted straight
>>> counterparts thrive, thereby increasing their likelihood of experiencing
>>> social isolation. This rapidly growing population reports pervasive
>>> social
>>> isolation within the LGBT community itself.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Blind LGBT Pride International is dedicated to the betterment of
>>> the
>>> lives of those who are vision impaired and who are lesbian, gay,
>>> bisexual
>> or
>>> transgender.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>> blindlgbtpride at acb.org
>>> http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlgbtpride
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
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