March 9, 2013

Whereas, a principal activity of the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) is its vigorous campaign to dispel forever from the public mind the many myths and misconceptions about blindness that have blighted the lives of blind people for far too long, and to replace these negative notions with the more upbeat and accurate understanding that the blind are normal people who cannot see — people who, with proper training and the chance to do so, can live full, enjoyable, productive lives and take their rightful place in society, exercising all of the rights and meeting all of the responsibilities of first-class citizenship; and

Whereas, the Canadian Federation of the Blind, through its public education program, has worked hard to spread this positive message, and blind Canadians have better lives as a result of this message; and

Whereas, the inherently difficult task of uprooting attitudes that went almost unchallenged for thousands of years is made harder when agencies established to serve the blind, or other organizations or individuals that have chosen to concern themselves with the blind, sponsor or participate in activities that reinforce these same attitudes, which constitute the primary problem of blindness; and

Whereas, among the most misguided and harmful activities of this kind is the simulation of blindness by a sighted person, to raise funds for an agency doing work with the blind or to increase public awareness of blind people; and

Whereas, individuals who have put on blindfolds or low vision simulators, and tried to use canes for a brief time, without being steeped in Federation knowledge and experience beforehand, typically and erroneously infer that their fear and disorientation during that time are parts of the lifelong experience of all blind people and that blindness must be quite a tragedy, indeed; and

Whereas, the Federation has warned repeatedly that one cannot draw valid conclusions about blindness or the abilities of blind people from data acquired from studies in which the subjects were sighted people using blindfolds or low vision simulators, who have not been steeped in Federation knowledge and experience beforehand, and who have not had training and practice in the use of the tools and techniques needed to function efficiently without sight; and

Whereas, the print and broadcast media often find simulations of blindness appealing and newsworthy since these events play pathetically to the tune of the old melodramatic image of life as a blind person, and it seems easier to fall into the trap of mistaken tradition than to grasp the simple fact of the normality of the blind;

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) assembled this 9th day of March, 2013, in Victoria, British Columbia, that this organization deplore the use of any ill conceived publicity stunt, such as the simulation of blindness, as a gimmick to raise money for an agency doing work with the blind or as part of an event purporting to enlighten the public about the needs and problems of the blind; and

Be It Further Resolved that the officers and members of this organization contact the newspapers and the radio and television stations, taking them to task when they pay undue attention to such counterproductive publicity stunts and working with them to ensure that they will learn to report on events affecting blind people with a better understanding of our real problems; and

Be It Further Resolved that no member of this organization, who participates in an event that includes the simulation of blindness by a sighted person, may do so as a representative of the Federation; and

Be It Further Resolved that sighted Federationists who have been steeped in Federation knowledge and experience, who know the abilities of blind people, who wish to participate in Federation activities, such as CFB Walking Proud cane walks, under blindfold, may do so. Let it be understood that a sighted Federationist under blindfold is very different than a sighted person who has not been steeped in Federation knowledge and experience beforehand, who does not accurately know the abilities of blind people. These CFB activities are for the purposes of self-development.