[humanser] humanser Digest, Vol 129, Issue 15
Ericka Short
ejshort3 at gmail.com
Mon May 4 01:50:11 UTC 2015
Ericka
Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 25, 2015, at 7:00 AM, humanser-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific population
> (philip blackmer)
> 2. Re: Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific population
> (jonathan alpert)
> 3. Re: Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific population
> (Kaiti Shelton)
> 4. Re: Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific population
> (Janice Toothman)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2015 12:09:44 -0700
> From: philip blackmer <pblackmer27 at gmail.com>
> To: JD Townsend <43210 at bellsouth.net>, Human Services Division Mailing
> List <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
> population
> Message-ID: <46F636C2-C49D-46C8-989F-5649A735D0E3 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> I should be more careful to follow the subject lines of the emails I'm reading! I was going from one email to the next in my inbox and I thought that the conversation was still on computers and mainframes! Certainly made for some funny thoughts when you started talking about music. LOL have a nice day!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 23, 2015, at 7:26 PM, JD Townsend via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Hello:
>>
>> A great question. Clearly one you've thought about quite a bit.
>>
>> As you know as a Music Therapist a large piece of any therapy is in the art of the therapist. And, any self disclosure is informed by theory, but executed by art.
>>
>> I often ask my clients if they know why I use a long white cane, in the past, my dog guide. It allows them to identify my blindness, putting some of the power in their hands. In my work with folks with dementia the act of asking them for help is, also, empowering. I will sometimes follow an elbow if I can see that it might be a positive for a client. However, I would not do this with a more cognitively able population. Always focus on the higest level of functioning of the client and do what it takes to strengthen that.
>>
>> And, I have seen such wonderful work with music and your population - let them sing out! Perhaps I'll tell you about having 4 schizophrenic Elvis Presley imitators on stage together belting out one of his tunes.
>>
>> JD
>> -----Original Message----- From: Kaiti Shelton via humanser
>> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 11:55 AM
>> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific population
>>
>> Hi, all,
>>
>> I'm wondering if I could get some advice here. I'm a music therapy
>> student, working in an assisted living facility for one of my
>> practicum courses. The population I am specifically working with is
>> residents on a memory support unit with mild-moderate Alzheimer's and
>> dementia, although it is a locked unit. This is the second time I've
>> worked with some of these residents, and I'm very pleased with their
>> progress and their responses to the music therapy.
>>
>> Last year my supervisor advised me not to disclose information about
>> my blindness, but this time the supervisor after talking to a blind
>> music therapist agrees that it is important. Especially since these
>> residents can feel very vulnerable at times, disclosure can help with
>> the therapeutic relationship-as I'm sure those of you who are
>> practicing other human service fields know.
>>
>> Some of the residents show glimpses of recognition from time to time,
>> though I can't be certain that they really understand that I'm blind
>> because of their confusion. One resident, who was more mischevious,
>> would move things on me and always told me not to run into stuff, so
>> I'm pretty sure she knew. Another resident who is a little more high
>> functioning may know because until I greeted her with her name, to
>> which she responded, "You've got it now," she would tell me her name.
>> She recognized that I learned her voice and then stopped telling me
>> her name every session. One resident noticed my glasses had slid a
>> little down my nose the other day and told me to push them up. She
>> started saying, "You should get some new glasses so you can see better
>> (my lenses are quite scratched from trying to get close to read print
>> things) and she said, "I'll be happy for you when you get new ones and
>> can see a little better."
>>
>> It's remarkable that some of these things have happened because some
>> residents who have said things are quite confused most of the time. I
>> haven't felt right in self-disclosing to them yet. There has always
>> been something that happened in the session that made me hold back
>> when I've thought, "This session might be good for self-disclosure."
>> My partner in the class has also tried to facilitate opportunities for
>> me to self-disclose in sessions she has planned, but it has just never
>> felt right yet.
>>
>> My supervisor agrees that I need to go when the time is right, but I
>> don't know why it has taken this long. I'm usually not uncomfortable
>> telling complete strangers that I'm blind when I need help or want to
>> ask a question, so why am I struggling here with these clients who may
>> not even remember it later on?
>>
>> Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I'm using "Hit the Road,
>> Jack" in my session on Tuesday and thought I could use Ray Charles as
>> a gateway into the self-disclosure conversation, but I want to do it
>> soon since we're terminating services at the end of the month. My
>> partner has already self-disclosed that she was a diver and that was a
>> big part of her life before college, and that has resonated with a
>> resident of our's who also dived as a teenager. I know some of the
>> residents have eye problems as well, so I'd like to make that
>> connection if possible.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> --
>> Kaiti
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/43210%40bellsouth.net
>>
>> JD Townsend LCSW
>> Helping the light dependent to see.
>> Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/pblackmer27%40gmail.com
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2015 15:35:50 -0400
> From: "jonathan alpert" <jna3434 at comcast.net>
> To: "'philip blackmer'" <pblackmer27 at gmail.com>, "'Human Services
> Division Mailing List'" <humanser at nfbnet.org>, "'JD Townsend'"
> <43210 at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
> population
> Message-ID: <000a01d06669$c3508e20$49f1aa60$@comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi, I have a bit of a different opinion.
> A professor told me very early that people either can see that you have a
> visual impairment or can tell in some way and if not, they will find out at
> some point. So during your introduction, just briefly mention it. They may
> be a bit curious, or not. Then with that out of the way, there is no
> wondering or elephants in the room. With the hundreds of clients I have had
> in front of me, I only had one client that had an issue. He was very focused
> on it. I talked to my supervisor about the situation and agreed it would be
> best if someone else worked with the client. Besides that one, I have had
> many clients tell me that it's a positive because they see I have an "issue"
> and I can still do function well so they can too. It's very rewarding to
> hear that. A lot of times I find blindness to be an issue in the "real
> world" but in this field, with the clients, it's been a blessing.
>
> I close this by saying, do whatever you think will work for you.
> Best of Luck
> Jonathan
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of philip
> blackmer via humanser
> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 3:10 PM
> To: JD Townsend; Human Services Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
> population
>
> I should be more careful to follow the subject lines of the emails I'm
> reading! I was going from one email to the next in my inbox and I thought
> that the conversation was still on computers and mainframes! Certainly made
> for some funny thoughts when you started talking about music. LOL have a
> nice day!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>>> On Mar 23, 2015, at 7:26 PM, JD Townsend via humanser
>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Hello:
>>
>> A great question. Clearly one you've thought about quite a bit.
>>
>> As you know as a Music Therapist a large piece of any therapy is in the
> art of the therapist. And, any self disclosure is informed by theory, but
> executed by art.
>>
>> I often ask my clients if they know why I use a long white cane, in the
> past, my dog guide. It allows them to identify my blindness, putting some
> of the power in their hands. In my work with folks with dementia the act of
> asking them for help is, also, empowering. I will sometimes follow an elbow
> if I can see that it might be a positive for a client. However, I would not
> do this with a more cognitively able population. Always focus on the higest
> level of functioning of the client and do what it takes to strengthen that.
>>
>> And, I have seen such wonderful work with music and your population - let
> them sing out! Perhaps I'll tell you about having 4 schizophrenic Elvis
> Presley imitators on stage together belting out one of his tunes.
>>
>> JD
>> -----Original Message----- From: Kaiti Shelton via humanser
>> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 11:55 AM
>> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
>> population
>>
>> Hi, all,
>>
>> I'm wondering if I could get some advice here. I'm a music therapy
>> student, working in an assisted living facility for one of my
>> practicum courses. The population I am specifically working with is
>> residents on a memory support unit with mild-moderate Alzheimer's and
>> dementia, although it is a locked unit. This is the second time I've
>> worked with some of these residents, and I'm very pleased with their
>> progress and their responses to the music therapy.
>>
>> Last year my supervisor advised me not to disclose information about
>> my blindness, but this time the supervisor after talking to a blind
>> music therapist agrees that it is important. Especially since these
>> residents can feel very vulnerable at times, disclosure can help with
>> the therapeutic relationship-as I'm sure those of you who are
>> practicing other human service fields know.
>>
>> Some of the residents show glimpses of recognition from time to time,
>> though I can't be certain that they really understand that I'm blind
>> because of their confusion. One resident, who was more mischevious,
>> would move things on me and always told me not to run into stuff, so
>> I'm pretty sure she knew. Another resident who is a little more high
>> functioning may know because until I greeted her with her name, to
>> which she responded, "You've got it now," she would tell me her name.
>> She recognized that I learned her voice and then stopped telling me
>> her name every session. One resident noticed my glasses had slid a
>> little down my nose the other day and told me to push them up. She
>> started saying, "You should get some new glasses so you can see better
>> (my lenses are quite scratched from trying to get close to read print
>> things) and she said, "I'll be happy for you when you get new ones and
>> can see a little better."
>>
>> It's remarkable that some of these things have happened because some
>> residents who have said things are quite confused most of the time. I
>> haven't felt right in self-disclosing to them yet. There has always
>> been something that happened in the session that made me hold back
>> when I've thought, "This session might be good for self-disclosure."
>> My partner in the class has also tried to facilitate opportunities for
>> me to self-disclose in sessions she has planned, but it has just never
>> felt right yet.
>>
>> My supervisor agrees that I need to go when the time is right, but I
>> don't know why it has taken this long. I'm usually not uncomfortable
>> telling complete strangers that I'm blind when I need help or want to
>> ask a question, so why am I struggling here with these clients who may
>> not even remember it later on?
>>
>> Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I'm using "Hit the Road,
>> Jack" in my session on Tuesday and thought I could use Ray Charles as
>> a gateway into the self-disclosure conversation, but I want to do it
>> soon since we're terminating services at the end of the month. My
>> partner has already self-disclosed that she was a diver and that was a
>> big part of her life before college, and that has resonated with a
>> resident of our's who also dived as a teenager. I know some of the
>> residents have eye problems as well, so I'd like to make that
>> connection if possible.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> --
>> Kaiti
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/43210%40bellsout
>> h.net
>>
>> JD Townsend LCSW
>> Helping the light dependent to see.
>> Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/pblackmer27%40gm
>> ail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> humanser mailing list
> humanser at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> humanser:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/jna3434%40comcast.net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2015 23:16:36 -0400
> From: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
> To: jonathan alpert <jna3434 at comcast.net>, Human Services Division
> Mailing List <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
> population
> Message-ID:
> <CAFja7FZiKwGP8EzbgQGCb2Fr-2gmCmXQarnpBuRE3NC1gSEMVg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Hi, all,
>
> Thank you so much for your thoughts. I should clarify a few things
> that I forgot to mention earlier. I do use a cane, but as music
> therapy does require me to use both hands most of the time for playing
> instruments and working hands-on with the residents I do not walk
> around with it in hand. I do leave it unfolded and propped up against
> the wall in the front of our room so that residents can see it, but
> from what I can tell they don't seem to pick up on it or if they do
> they feel that it would be an imposition to ask (some fel like they
> need permission to play the instruments we give them in the sessions
> and we have to frame our encouragement as a favor they would be doing
> for us in order for them to feel like they would be useful to the
> group.
>
> My prof advised me to hold off early in practicum because a resident I
> mentioned briefly in a previous email picked up on it and was doing
> things like moving the stool I use in sessions when I wasn't using it,
> and trying to wrap scarves we use in movement around my neck or
> ankles. I always did manage to move before she snagged me with a
> scarf and never did sit down on thin air, but part of that was due to
> my co-leader giving me warnings verbally or swooping in to move the
> stool back if I was in the middle of leading something. My fear was
> that if I tripped or fell I might break an instrument or worse, fall
> on one of the residents. I understand some psychiatric issues are at
> play there, but we didn't want to agrevate anything by going in depth
> with the self-disclosure in that case.
>
> I did self-disclose today, and was very satisfied with how it went. I
> led "Hit the Road, Jack," and the residents improvised with shakers.
> At the end I asked if anyone knew anything about Ray Charles, and they
> did not so I told them he was blind. Once they recognized that I told
> them how he used to mandate that he be payed only in one dollar bills
> so he could make sure he wasn't being cheated out of money, which led
> me to saying, "I'm blind too, but thankfully now there are methods for
> handling money and other things that work better." I also disclosed
> that I used to be a music therapy client, which was not planned at all
> but was right in the moment.
>
> A music therapist who has been a mentor figure for me has suggested
> that this could possibly make its way into a research study of music
> therapists with disabilities and client perceptions. After today I am
> even more interested in this possibility. I felt so much better at
> the end of the session having done that, but I'm wondering if I should
> talk with my supervisor about possibly doing it again so that some of
> the residents might better understand it after hearing the information
> a second time.
>
> The good thing about this is that I'm learning in a practicum setting
> so that I'll have this skill honed by the time I move on to
> upper-level practicums, my internship after graduation, etc. My
> supervisor is not blind himself but he has been great about talking
> through this stuff with me and seeking advice from a blind music
> therapist at times.
>
>> On 3/24/15, jonathan alpert via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi, I have a bit of a different opinion.
>> A professor told me very early that people either can see that you have a
>> visual impairment or can tell in some way and if not, they will find out at
>> some point. So during your introduction, just briefly mention it. They may
>> be a bit curious, or not. Then with that out of the way, there is no
>> wondering or elephants in the room. With the hundreds of clients I have had
>> in front of me, I only had one client that had an issue. He was very
>> focused
>> on it. I talked to my supervisor about the situation and agreed it would be
>> best if someone else worked with the client. Besides that one, I have had
>> many clients tell me that it's a positive because they see I have an
>> "issue"
>> and I can still do function well so they can too. It's very rewarding to
>> hear that. A lot of times I find blindness to be an issue in the "real
>> world" but in this field, with the clients, it's been a blessing.
>>
>> I close this by saying, do whatever you think will work for you.
>> Best of Luck
>> Jonathan
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of philip
>> blackmer via humanser
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 3:10 PM
>> To: JD Townsend; Human Services Division Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
>> population
>>
>> I should be more careful to follow the subject lines of the emails I'm
>> reading! I was going from one email to the next in my inbox and I thought
>> that the conversation was still on computers and mainframes! Certainly made
>> for some funny thoughts when you started talking about music. LOL have a
>> nice day!
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>>> On Mar 23, 2015, at 7:26 PM, JD Townsend via humanser
>>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Hello:
>>>
>>> A great question. Clearly one you've thought about quite a bit.
>>>
>>> As you know as a Music Therapist a large piece of any therapy is in the
>> art of the therapist. And, any self disclosure is informed by theory, but
>> executed by art.
>>>
>>> I often ask my clients if they know why I use a long white cane, in the
>> past, my dog guide. It allows them to identify my blindness, putting some
>> of the power in their hands. In my work with folks with dementia the act
>> of
>> asking them for help is, also, empowering. I will sometimes follow an
>> elbow
>> if I can see that it might be a positive for a client. However, I would
>> not
>> do this with a more cognitively able population. Always focus on the
>> higest
>> level of functioning of the client and do what it takes to strengthen that.
>>>
>>> And, I have seen such wonderful work with music and your population - let
>> them sing out! Perhaps I'll tell you about having 4 schizophrenic Elvis
>> Presley imitators on stage together belting out one of his tunes.
>>>
>>> JD
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Kaiti Shelton via humanser
>>> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 11:55 AM
>>> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
>>> population
>>>
>>> Hi, all,
>>>
>>> I'm wondering if I could get some advice here. I'm a music therapy
>>> student, working in an assisted living facility for one of my
>>> practicum courses. The population I am specifically working with is
>>> residents on a memory support unit with mild-moderate Alzheimer's and
>>> dementia, although it is a locked unit. This is the second time I've
>>> worked with some of these residents, and I'm very pleased with their
>>> progress and their responses to the music therapy.
>>>
>>> Last year my supervisor advised me not to disclose information about
>>> my blindness, but this time the supervisor after talking to a blind
>>> music therapist agrees that it is important. Especially since these
>>> residents can feel very vulnerable at times, disclosure can help with
>>> the therapeutic relationship-as I'm sure those of you who are
>>> practicing other human service fields know.
>>>
>>> Some of the residents show glimpses of recognition from time to time,
>>> though I can't be certain that they really understand that I'm blind
>>> because of their confusion. One resident, who was more mischevious,
>>> would move things on me and always told me not to run into stuff, so
>>> I'm pretty sure she knew. Another resident who is a little more high
>>> functioning may know because until I greeted her with her name, to
>>> which she responded, "You've got it now," she would tell me her name.
>>> She recognized that I learned her voice and then stopped telling me
>>> her name every session. One resident noticed my glasses had slid a
>>> little down my nose the other day and told me to push them up. She
>>> started saying, "You should get some new glasses so you can see better
>>> (my lenses are quite scratched from trying to get close to read print
>>> things) and she said, "I'll be happy for you when you get new ones and
>>> can see a little better."
>>>
>>> It's remarkable that some of these things have happened because some
>>> residents who have said things are quite confused most of the time. I
>>> haven't felt right in self-disclosing to them yet. There has always
>>> been something that happened in the session that made me hold back
>>> when I've thought, "This session might be good for self-disclosure."
>>> My partner in the class has also tried to facilitate opportunities for
>>> me to self-disclose in sessions she has planned, but it has just never
>>> felt right yet.
>>>
>>> My supervisor agrees that I need to go when the time is right, but I
>>> don't know why it has taken this long. I'm usually not uncomfortable
>>> telling complete strangers that I'm blind when I need help or want to
>>> ask a question, so why am I struggling here with these clients who may
>>> not even remember it later on?
>>>
>>> Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I'm using "Hit the Road,
>>> Jack" in my session on Tuesday and thought I could use Ray Charles as
>>> a gateway into the self-disclosure conversation, but I want to do it
>>> soon since we're terminating services at the end of the month. My
>>> partner has already self-disclosed that she was a diver and that was a
>>> big part of her life before college, and that has resonated with a
>>> resident of our's who also dived as a teenager. I know some of the
>>> residents have eye problems as well, so I'd like to make that
>>> connection if possible.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> --
>>> Kaiti
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> humanser mailing list
>>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/43210%40bellsout
>>> h.net
>>>
>>> JD Townsend LCSW
>>> Helping the light dependent to see.
>>> Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> humanser mailing list
>>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/pblackmer27%40gm
>>> ail.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/jna3434%40comcast.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
>
>
> --
> Kaiti
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2015 05:41:13 -0400
> From: Janice Toothman <janice.toothman at verizon.net>
> To: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>, Human Services
> Division Mailing List <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
> population
> Message-ID: <551282B9.8090902 at verizon.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> Hi Kalti,
> I am so glad that it went well and you added something spontaneously
> because it felt "right". That is always that best way of
> self-disclosure because it is genuine and congruent with who we are as a
> person.
>
> I am glad that you felt it was a positive learning experience. There are
> times in the therapeutic experience when self-disclosure can enhance or
> facilitate the therapeutic process. Good luck with the future endeavors
> that you may plan to do after seeing the outcome from this experience.
>
> Also, it is also a tremendous help when supervisors are supportive of
> and empowering of our disabilities in the training experience as in your
> Music Therapy case.
> kind Regards,
> Janice
>
>> On 3/24/2015 11:16 PM, Kaiti Shelton via humanser wrote:
>> Hi, all,
>>
>> Thank you so much for your thoughts. I should clarify a few things
>> that I forgot to mention earlier. I do use a cane, but as music
>> therapy does require me to use both hands most of the time for playing
>> instruments and working hands-on with the residents I do not walk
>> around with it in hand. I do leave it unfolded and propped up against
>> the wall in the front of our room so that residents can see it, but
>> from what I can tell they don't seem to pick up on it or if they do
>> they feel that it would be an imposition to ask (some fel like they
>> need permission to play the instruments we give them in the sessions
>> and we have to frame our encouragement as a favor they would be doing
>> for us in order for them to feel like they would be useful to the
>> group.
>>
>> My prof advised me to hold off early in practicum because a resident I
>> mentioned briefly in a previous email picked up on it and was doing
>> things like moving the stool I use in sessions when I wasn't using it,
>> and trying to wrap scarves we use in movement around my neck or
>> ankles. I always did manage to move before she snagged me with a
>> scarf and never did sit down on thin air, but part of that was due to
>> my co-leader giving me warnings verbally or swooping in to move the
>> stool back if I was in the middle of leading something. My fear was
>> that if I tripped or fell I might break an instrument or worse, fall
>> on one of the residents. I understand some psychiatric issues are at
>> play there, but we didn't want to agrevate anything by going in depth
>> with the self-disclosure in that case.
>>
>> I did self-disclose today, and was very satisfied with how it went. I
>> led "Hit the Road, Jack," and the residents improvised with shakers.
>> At the end I asked if anyone knew anything about Ray Charles, and they
>> did not so I told them he was blind. Once they recognized that I told
>> them how he used to mandate that he be payed only in one dollar bills
>> so he could make sure he wasn't being cheated out of money, which led
>> me to saying, "I'm blind too, but thankfully now there are methods for
>> handling money and other things that work better." I also disclosed
>> that I used to be a music therapy client, which was not planned at all
>> but was right in the moment.
>>
>> A music therapist who has been a mentor figure for me has suggested
>> that this could possibly make its way into a research study of music
>> therapists with disabilities and client perceptions. After today I am
>> even more interested in this possibility. I felt so much better at
>> the end of the session having done that, but I'm wondering if I should
>> talk with my supervisor about possibly doing it again so that some of
>> the residents might better understand it after hearing the information
>> a second time.
>>
>> The good thing about this is that I'm learning in a practicum setting
>> so that I'll have this skill honed by the time I move on to
>> upper-level practicums, my internship after graduation, etc. My
>> supervisor is not blind himself but he has been great about talking
>> through this stuff with me and seeking advice from a blind music
>> therapist at times.
>>
>>> On 3/24/15, jonathan alpert via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hi, I have a bit of a different opinion.
>>> A professor told me very early that people either can see that you have a
>>> visual impairment or can tell in some way and if not, they will find out at
>>> some point. So during your introduction, just briefly mention it. They may
>>> be a bit curious, or not. Then with that out of the way, there is no
>>> wondering or elephants in the room. With the hundreds of clients I have had
>>> in front of me, I only had one client that had an issue. He was very
>>> focused
>>> on it. I talked to my supervisor about the situation and agreed it would be
>>> best if someone else worked with the client. Besides that one, I have had
>>> many clients tell me that it's a positive because they see I have an
>>> "issue"
>>> and I can still do function well so they can too. It's very rewarding to
>>> hear that. A lot of times I find blindness to be an issue in the "real
>>> world" but in this field, with the clients, it's been a blessing.
>>>
>>> I close this by saying, do whatever you think will work for you.
>>> Best of Luck
>>> Jonathan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of philip
>>> blackmer via humanser
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 3:10 PM
>>> To: JD Townsend; Human Services Division Mailing List
>>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
>>> population
>>>
>>> I should be more careful to follow the subject lines of the emails I'm
>>> reading! I was going from one email to the next in my inbox and I thought
>>> that the conversation was still on computers and mainframes! Certainly made
>>> for some funny thoughts when you started talking about music. LOL have a
>>> nice day!
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>>> On Mar 23, 2015, at 7:26 PM, JD Townsend via humanser
>>>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello:
>>>>
>>>> A great question. Clearly one you've thought about quite a bit.
>>>>
>>>> As you know as a Music Therapist a large piece of any therapy is in the
>>> art of the therapist. And, any self disclosure is informed by theory, but
>>> executed by art.
>>>> I often ask my clients if they know why I use a long white cane, in the
>>> past, my dog guide. It allows them to identify my blindness, putting some
>>> of the power in their hands. In my work with folks with dementia the act
>>> of
>>> asking them for help is, also, empowering. I will sometimes follow an
>>> elbow
>>> if I can see that it might be a positive for a client. However, I would
>>> not
>>> do this with a more cognitively able population. Always focus on the
>>> higest
>>> level of functioning of the client and do what it takes to strengthen that.
>>>> And, I have seen such wonderful work with music and your population - let
>>> them sing out! Perhaps I'll tell you about having 4 schizophrenic Elvis
>>> Presley imitators on stage together belting out one of his tunes.
>>>> JD
>>>> -----Original Message----- From: Kaiti Shelton via humanser
>>>> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 11:55 AM
>>>> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
>>>> Subject: [humanser] Self-disclosure of blindness with a specific
>>>> population
>>>>
>>>> Hi, all,
>>>>
>>>> I'm wondering if I could get some advice here. I'm a music therapy
>>>> student, working in an assisted living facility for one of my
>>>> practicum courses. The population I am specifically working with is
>>>> residents on a memory support unit with mild-moderate Alzheimer's and
>>>> dementia, although it is a locked unit. This is the second time I've
>>>> worked with some of these residents, and I'm very pleased with their
>>>> progress and their responses to the music therapy.
>>>>
>>>> Last year my supervisor advised me not to disclose information about
>>>> my blindness, but this time the supervisor after talking to a blind
>>>> music therapist agrees that it is important. Especially since these
>>>> residents can feel very vulnerable at times, disclosure can help with
>>>> the therapeutic relationship-as I'm sure those of you who are
>>>> practicing other human service fields know.
>>>>
>>>> Some of the residents show glimpses of recognition from time to time,
>>>> though I can't be certain that they really understand that I'm blind
>>>> because of their confusion. One resident, who was more mischevious,
>>>> would move things on me and always told me not to run into stuff, so
>>>> I'm pretty sure she knew. Another resident who is a little more high
>>>> functioning may know because until I greeted her with her name, to
>>>> which she responded, "You've got it now," she would tell me her name.
>>>> She recognized that I learned her voice and then stopped telling me
>>>> her name every session. One resident noticed my glasses had slid a
>>>> little down my nose the other day and told me to push them up. She
>>>> started saying, "You should get some new glasses so you can see better
>>>> (my lenses are quite scratched from trying to get close to read print
>>>> things) and she said, "I'll be happy for you when you get new ones and
>>>> can see a little better."
>>>>
>>>> It's remarkable that some of these things have happened because some
>>>> residents who have said things are quite confused most of the time. I
>>>> haven't felt right in self-disclosing to them yet. There has always
>>>> been something that happened in the session that made me hold back
>>>> when I've thought, "This session might be good for self-disclosure."
>>>> My partner in the class has also tried to facilitate opportunities for
>>>> me to self-disclose in sessions she has planned, but it has just never
>>>> felt right yet.
>>>>
>>>> My supervisor agrees that I need to go when the time is right, but I
>>>> don't know why it has taken this long. I'm usually not uncomfortable
>>>> telling complete strangers that I'm blind when I need help or want to
>>>> ask a question, so why am I struggling here with these clients who may
>>>> not even remember it later on?
>>>>
>>>> Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I'm using "Hit the Road,
>>>> Jack" in my session on Tuesday and thought I could use Ray Charles as
>>>> a gateway into the self-disclosure conversation, but I want to do it
>>>> soon since we're terminating services at the end of the month. My
>>>> partner has already self-disclosed that she was a diver and that was a
>>>> big part of her life before college, and that has resonated with a
>>>> resident of our's who also dived as a teenager. I know some of the
>>>> residents have eye problems as well, so I'd like to make that
>>>> connection if possible.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Kaiti
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> humanser mailing list
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>>> humanser:
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>>>>
>>>> JD Townsend LCSW
>>>> Helping the light dependent to see.
>>>> Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System
>>>>
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