I, too, looked up the article mentioned since it combined two things near
and dear to my heart.  Ferrets and working with people with disabilities.
 
Considering the source of the article, I have a very hard time putting a
lot of faith into it.  I did e-mail them and ask them if they could please
give me the name and address and/or phone number of this gentleman with the
wonderful program.  I explained what I do and how my office would love this
great resource.  Still no reply.  But then, I am not surprised, are you?
 
But, Simon, I have to put my "two-cents worth" in regarding the blind
concert violinist.  That is the one part of the article that I truly
believed (i.e., a blind concert violinist).  Just because someone has
become blind or visually impaired does not mean that they lose their
talents or the ability to acquire new talents.  Stevie Wonder is a great
example.  His blindness does not interfere with his art.
 
Braille is just one method of allowing the blind to "read" words or music.
There are also other adaptive aids that can be used to alert a blind person
to some cue, such as those of a conductor.  Yes, there would need to be a
willingness on the conductors part to assist in making the accommodation.
But most accommodations are very simple.
 
I'm not trying to flame you, and I have a feeling that my perception of
what you said is probably different from what you actually meant.  (Lord,
it wouldn't be the first time, nor will it be the last, that I have
mistaken something.......LOL!) It's just that disability issues, and what
disabled people can or cannot do, is a topic very near and dear to my
heart.  I help my clients deal with these issues every day, and it can be
heart wrenching.
 
It would be wonderful if that article was true.  I doubt it.  I just hope
that it doesn't give a warped perspective of ferrets or on people who are
blind.
 
I'll get off my soapbox now.  Thanks for listening!
 
Catherine, Pato, Snowball, Hubert, and Elsie
"Behind The Zion Curtain"
[Posted in FML issue 2956]