Darwin Award: Blind counselors taking Blind students swimming at the Beach.

Startribune.com ^ | July 21, 2003 | Tim Harlow and Lucy Y. Her

[Cousin Eddie]

While it seems ridiculous, there is a very good reason for the braille markings at the bank drive-up window...read on...

This is a true story:
A bank put braille markings at its ATMs, inside counters, etc., but naturally, like any prudent business, they decided to save the expense of adding braille markings to the drive-up window. I mean, what's the point? Well, the point is this. They were sued for discrimination or violating some law regarding disabilities, and they LOST the case! They even lost on appeal. This happened 5 or 10 years ago...can't remember where but it was some place like The People's Republic of Santa Monica, San Francisco, Cambridge, Bezerkley, or some other such place.

[fishbabe]

a few years ago in virginia,a firechief interviewed a blind woman who wanted to be a firefighter..he felt he had to or the woman would have sued him under the ada act...someday,the liberals will succeed in getting blind and deaf people jobs that literally cost lives.....and the disabled won't care cuz they have a good paying job..who cares how many people die because of it........

[irgbar-man]

Another observation from a local: the lake is packed with runners, walkers, joggers, gawkers, cops, 'bladers, and people-watchers all freakin' day. Did no one at all see this child drown?

[r9etb]

Just the thought of that poor little girl dying like that.... It breaks my heart.

[irgbar-man]

Just a close-to-home reminder to be aware of one's surroundings. Always.

[pabianice]

Unfortunately, none were available. They were all in Miami Beach, giving driving lessons...

[meisterbrewer]

I've always wondered why they have Braille at drive-through banks.

The answer is actually very simple, makes a lot of sense, and has very little to do with discrimination.

Blind people have bank accounts, too. And some very independent and very impressive blind people manage to live on their own and not burden society with their disability.

So, how do they get their money out of their bank accounts? They hire TAXIS that drive them to ATMS so they can get their money. Do you really expect them to give their pin number to the taxi driver to get their money?

[Dataman]

Just the thought of that poor little girl dying like that.... It breaks my heart.

I spent 11 of my younger years working with disabled adults. Most of the people I worked with were bleeding-head liberals. They had such sympathy -- for about 9 months. Then it became just a job. No more courtesy, no more extra effort, no more special care. The administration saw the adults as little more than a ticket to funding. I can imagine that mentality at work in this story.

[MattAMiller]

You know I bet the ATM factory makes all their ATMs with brail. It would be cheaper and there's no reason not to. So I doubt this story.

[Yeti]

This one really does take the cake!

That "self-esteem through denial" meme is so destructive, and it infects precisely those who need help most.

[Duke Nukum]

Does anyone remember that episode of the Lone Gunmen where the rich guy is trying to start a blind football league and the ball beeped to help the players find it.

I don't know, that show should have gotten renewed just on the strength of that gag.

But I agree that this case is sad and not funny.

[knews_hound]

What say the breatheren?

[brianl703]

Are instructions for the usage of the ATM encoded in the braille? For many ATMs the functions of the buttons on the side of the screen change during the various stages of a transaction.

For a while, First Union ATMs would ask "English or Spanish" after you entered your PIN. Now they no longer do. Were the braille instructions on every single ATM updated to reflect that change? Or do the braille instructions instruct the user to enter some key combination which puts the ATM into a predefined mode of operation which the braille instructions will apply to?

[MediaMole]

There is also a program in Wisconsin to let blind people race stock cars. (No I am not making this up!)

[Ichneumon]

They hire TAXIS that drive them to ATMS so they can get their money. Do you really expect them to give their pin number to the taxi driver to get their money?

Plus, believe it not, some blind people even have friends who aren't blind, who can sometimes be persuaded to drive them to the ATM machine, and/or live within walking distance of a drive-though ATM machine.

Even when there's someone there who can operate the machine for them, blind people appreciate being able to handle it themselves instead of being made to feel like a child who can't do simple tasks on their own without "help".

[Ichneumon]

It would only be Darwin if an adult died.

There's no requirement that the deceased be an adult, but for a Darwin Award someone (of any age) has to die from their *own* stupidity, not the stupidity of someone else. That's what makes it a Darwin Award: Stupidity weeding itself out of the gene pool in a clear-cut case of natural selection.

[sonserae]

I lived in Wisconsin for 5 1/2 years. Average IQ is 60 and that is no joke. Hated the place.

[Ditter]

"handicapped parking at the drive in" I am having a slow day, it took me a second to catch your point. LOL

[Sloth]

That's why I specified adult -- in THIS situation there were adults, and there were kids, and 7-year-olds can't win Darwins for the idiotic decisions of an adult.

[drew]

My nephew is blind, and he would never consent to go swimming with other blind people. While I don't think the death of children is at all funny, this goes to show you how the thinking that you can't say it's better to have sight than to be blind can be pushed way too far and is silly to begin with.