Letters & Reports Table Of Contents

Global Edmonton - Global TV
5325 Allard Way,
Edmonton, AB, CANADA
T6H 5B8
edmonton@globaltv.ca

August 28, 2005

Dear Global Edmonton,

As members of the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) and as blind Canadians, we are writing to express our concern about the prairie-wide CNIB "Vision Matters Telethon" to be aired on your station September 10, 2005. We are also writing to make you aware of the Canadian Federation of the Blind, about our philosophy of blindness and to suggest a positive way
in which to work with blind citizens.

The CFB is a grass-roots, nonprofit organization made up of blind people committed to the equality and empowerment of blind Canadians. We are modeled after the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in the United States, the largest and most influential grassroots group of blind people in the world.

The Canadian Federation of the Blind is not an organization speaking on behalf of blind people, instead we are an organization of blind people speaking for ourselves; we believe blindness is not a handicap, but a characteristic; we believe it is respectable to be blind; and we believe that with training and opportunity, blind people can compete on terms of equality with our sighted peers. Using these philosophies about blindness and the abilities of blind people, we work to empower each other, to promote self confidence and independence and to change what it means to be blind in this country. We provide public education about the positive achievements of blind people, we work with other blind people by mentoring and role-modeling to improve our skills and to feel part of a positive group, and we do advocacy to make sure blind people are treated fairly, equally and with respect.

For more information about the Canadian federation of the Blind and our activities, please contact us directly or go to our Website at <www.cfb.ca> We always appreciate an opportunity to speak about blindness from an independent perspective and to educate the public about our capabilities.

Regarding the CNIB telethon, we realize that you, like most of the public, view CNIB as an agency that always works for the good of blind people. This viewpoint is understandable because CNIB has strong name recognition and actively promotes itself as an important and trusted leader in the field of blindness in Canada. However, members of the Canadian Federation of the blind would like to share a different perspective.

The CNIB has a monopoly over blindness in Canada. It fundraises, conducts its activities and makes decisions on behalf of blind people without consulting us or demonstrating accountability. Over the years, CNIB has grown large and inflexible and often works harder to protect its own interests than it does to make a difference for blind Canadians.

In 1999, the CNIB produced a fundraising video, which was aired on television stations throughout Canada. This one-hour-long program portrayed blind people as helpless, "in the dark," and exaggeratedly grateful for the help of CNIB.

Though we have little information about the CNIB fundraiser that you plan to air on September 10, the little we know signals warning signs. For instance, the term "telethon" invokes images of poor, unfortunate people, who are inferior to the majority population and who cannot make it with out this public generosity. The idea of a telethon for blind people places blind citizens in a subservient position, unequal to their sighted benefactors.

The second problem becomes evident in the title of the program "Vision Matters." CNIB spends much time and resources promoting "sight enhancement." This approach to the rehabilitation of blind people is premised on the belief that a low-vision person should focus on their remaining sight and enhance this sight as much as possible, with the assistance of low vision aids. The CNIB teaches its clients to rely on their remaining vision and puts less emphasis on teaching blindness skills such as Braille, and proper cane use and technique. We in the Canadian Federation of the Blind believe that teaching someone to rely on their weakest sense leads to poor self confidence, lack of true independence and even, in some cases, unsafe situations for the blind person and the sighted public. We are not against using ones vision, but we believe that people should learn blindness skills first, and then learn to use vision as an additional tool after, and not the other way around.

The CNIB emphasizes the visual sense whenever they can; they send the message to the public that blind people should use vision if we have it, should wish for vision if we don't have it, and that all of us would be better off with vision in our lives. The agency spends little time truly promoting and supporting the activities and abilities of blind Canadians.

Judging from past experience, we suspect the content of the "telethon" will harm the public's perception of the abilities of blind people and damage the status of the blind. Because blind people live in a sighted society, work with sighted employers, and go to school with sighted students and teachers, the knowledge this sighted public has about the abilities of blind people directly affects how sighted people perceive us. For instance, if an employer believes that blind people are helpless and that we require a telethon, they are not likely to think that a blind person would make a good candidate for a job.

We ask you to consider cancelling the CNIB Vision Matters Telethon and, in future, to air programs that reflect the abilities of blind people and that encompass the wider population of blind Canadians.

For more information about the CFB, please contact us at 1-800-619-8789, info@cfb.ca, or go to our website at www.cfb.ca

Thank you very much for your consideration of our point of view.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lalonde, President
Canadian Federation of the Blind
P.O. Box 8007
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V8W 3R7
Phone (250) 598-7154
Toll-free 1-800-619-8789
E-mail info@cfb.ca
Web site www.CFB.ca

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