[humanser] Good evening.Re: Questions about Use of Aira in Counseling Work, Disclosures about Blindness, Readers, etc.

[Sarah Meyer]

James, thank you for your response. I will be in touch and I look
forward to speaking with you about these matters. I will be graduating
with my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in December!

Best wishes,

Sarah

On 2/18/19, NFB Of TN 2nd VP Email <jboehm at nfbtn.org> wrote:
>  I am a graduate masters student in my final semester at Peabody College of
> Vanderbilt University. I am in the clinical mental health counseling
> program. I have discussed many of the topics you presented with Ira and the
> topics mentioned about confidentiality and self disclosure.  I would love to
> speak with you regarding the topics . My phone number is found below.
>  Thanks
>
> James Alan Boehm
> Peabody College of Vanderbilt University
> Human Developmental Clinical Mental Health Counseling: M. ED.
>
> Contact Information
> Phone: 901-483-1515
> Email: James.A.Boehm at Vanderbilt.edu
> Personal Email: jimmydagerman80 at gmail.com
> NFB Email: JBoehm at NFB-TN.org
> Learning Ally: JBoehm at LearningAlly.org
> Kustom Cane: kustomcane at gmail.com
> You Cane Give Initiative: YuCaneGive at gmail.com
>
> Blindness is a mere characteristic not defining my abilities; the only
> disabilities in life are poor expectations and negative attitudes.
>
>> On Feb 18, 2019, at 3:53 PM, Sarah Meyer via HumanSer
>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I am writing with a few questions that have come up for me as I am on
>> Master's Internship.
>>
>> 1. Has anyone here used, or requested use of, Aira as an accommodation
>> while completing essential tasks of your job as a therapist or social
>> worker? I am particularly interested in hearing from those who are
>> bound to HIPAA and FERPA compliance. I tried to get my internship site
>> to explore Aira because I've had so many accessibility challenges
>> within our database and being able to read assessment scores in a
>> timely fashion, among other things, and when they heard that Aira
>> wouldn't be working towards getting their HIPAA certification until
>> Q2, they stopped having follow-up conversations. Aira was even willing
>> to take a look at and possibly sign a privacy document that my
>> counseling center was wanting vendors to sign (they have all outside
>> consultants sign for confidentiality purposes).
>> 2. If you use a reader or a service like Aira, would you include this
>> in a consent for treatment or confidentiality disclosure as a blind
>> provider? I could make an argument either way. I can see how allowing
>> clients/patients to know this before seeing me seems like the best and
>> most respectful thing to do of their privacy; yet at the same time, if
>> these are accommodations that I use in order to provide care, then is
>> it necessary? I hope this question makes sense.
>> 3. Another question to therapists, social workers, psychologists
>> (anyone treating clients): do you discuss your blindness with clients?
>> If so, when, and how? Are there some settings in which you do disclose
>> and others in which you do not? I personally cannot hide the fact that
>> I'm blind; my cane is very obvious, my eyes jiggle and I can't make
>> eye contact, and I use Braille and alternative technology. So, for me,
>> it is more a question of do I bring what is in the room but not openly
>> discussed out into the open?  So far, I have made a brief statement,
>> acknowledging that I am blind and may at times use some different
>> technology, and welcoming any questions/concerns about how this may
>> impact treatment. I have done this with my individual clients and some
>> groups; however I am getting ready to begin process observing a loss
>> and grief group where I may eventually take on more co-leadership, but
>> for now I will be silently observing. I am trying to decide if it
>> would be helpful to clients or unnecessary to discuss the blindness
>> factor, thus I was curious what others have thought and done depending
>> on situation. To be honest, I would like to not always have the
>> blindness conversation with a client, but my supervisor encouraged me
>> that if I do it might help clients to know about the tech I use so it
>> isn't as distracting to them.
>>
>> Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
>>
>> Sarah
>>
>> --
>> Sarah K. Meyer
>> Graduate Student, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
>> Ball State University
>> sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
>> (317)402-6632
>>
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>


-- 
Sarah K. Meyer
Graduate Student, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Ball State University
sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
(317)402-6632

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life
you want; blindness is not what holds you back. Together with love,
hope, and determination, we transform dreams into reality.