Hi everyone!
I had a personal experience expose about the Virginia Rehabilitation Center
for the Blind published in the Washington Post a few years ago. The
editorial board ran it under the title "Of Human Blindness: I wanted to
learn, they taught me the dark side of charity." I was furious when I saw it
the morning it hit the streets.
I called my writing mentor who told me that this was a delicate situation and
an opportunity to educate as well. He suggested that I call my editor and
thank him for publishing the piece, say some nice things about it and tell
him KINDLY that the title perpetuated some stereotypes about blindness that I
had highlighted within the piece. He really understood my explanation and
thanked me for telling him. He said that he would bring it up at the next
editorial board meeting and that they would be more sensitive to the use of
language.
They are in the business of grabbing the readers' attention quickly and often
use recognizable references to do so. It seems to me that, like other
advocacy efforts, we can educate without alienating. After all, we certainly
don't want to burn our bridges by pissing off publishers. And, we can
continue to educate, too!
Best wishes,
Beth
Beth Omansky Gordon
The George Washington University
Washington, DC, USA
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