Deaf/Hard of Hearing ping list
with interests in health and society
Posted on 06/14/2006 1:19:13 PM PDT by churchillbuff
At his press conference this morning, President Bush, who often makes inside jokes when familiar reporters pose questions, asked Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten, who was wearing sunglasses outside, “Are you going to ask that question with shades on?” Bush noted that there was "no sun" but added, “I’m interested in the shade look, seriously.”
Turns out Wallsten is legally blind and wears the sunglasses due to a rare genetic disorder called Stargardt’s Disease.
But Wallsten later told the ThinkProgress web site that Bush’s comments did not offend him at all. “I never advertise it to him. I’ve never told him,” he explained, according to the site.
What a douche.
If he's blind I guess he is writing in Braille on that pad?
When I was in college I saw a very scruffy and badly dressed man mowing the lawn at a house where I was renting a room. I told my landlady that she didn't need to hire a bum to mow the lawn and that I'd do it for free.
She replied "That's my boyfriend."
1.23" tall.
Sure. I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I find the amount of humiliation you suffered rather startling.
God bless.
I wish the judge I had felt the same way.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing ping list
with interests in health and society
What did the President Know and When did he know it?
SHADEGATE... It's all Bush's fault coming to a theater near you...
Jeez.. Louise.
I have a legally-blind friend in his fifties who couldn't get a driver's license until a couple years ago. He can see "shapes." He uses an eyepiece to read roadsigns (when he needs to). If I'm standing more than 12" away from him, he has no idea who I am until I speak; then, he can ID my voice.
To put it mildly, riding in his car is a real trip. I consented to it only once.
I'm 20/180 without my glasses. He's worse than 20/200 with his. If I ever get behind the wheel of a car without my glasses on, it will have to be a life-and-death situation (both the cause and the effect).
Fatshyt Michael Moore will surely make a movie about this.
Several relatives of my friends were too.
I was embarassed recently by not realizing my friends mother was legally blind because she did't look like she was blind (her eyes looked perfectly normal).
She just had serious difficulty seeing.
Its an honest mistake, and this reporter chose not to be a jerk about it and use it as an oppurtunity to bash the president.
"I said, "What is he - retarded?" The cook replied, "Yes sir, he is".
Funny stuff! But it can happen to anybody. I try to be really patient with curious people - kids seem to notice my hearing aids a lot and want to know what the deal is. They ask and I tell them.
I'll send you a FRmail on it. It should be easier to understand after you read it. It's a short story.
Neither would Bush.
Please do. I grew up with handicapped kids and while I saw plenty of insults and mocking, I was also witness to a lot of empathy and kindness from the unlikeliest sources.
-that is scary to be legally blind and still allowed to drive? I suppose it is a RIGHT to drive......rme.
I looked up the disease, and it the studies say that one "good" thing about the disease is it doesn't blind people. It gives them different vision in different areas, requiring special lenses, and it makes them sensitive to both light and changes in light intensity.
That would explain the reporter's response of "I guess it's relative" when Bush said "there's no sun".
I would guess that Bush will issue an apology, and maybe he'll give the guy a one-on-one or something, all of which would be fine with me.
That picture may be a few years old, or maybe they were in a dark room with a window? It does seem to suggest something more.
Last saturday a referee was going to kick my son out of a ball game for wearing "sunglasses", until we pointed out that they were just prescription lenses with automatic darkening in bright light.
BTW, I happen to oppose these "auto-darkening" glasses, but my wife likes them, so of course her and the two children have them now.
My eyes are twice that bad, and I'm sure many others' are too.
If the leftist media tries to make something of this, they will look even more idiotic than they already do...........and that's a challenge.
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