[nabs-l] The blind educating the blind

[rachel Jacobs]

Hello all. I absolutely agree that blind individuals should do whatever job 
they want to do. Nobody should be told that they should work with the blind 
because they are blind. However, I do feel that blind individuals may have 
the upper hand when working with other blind people. It's just like people 
say, those who struggled from substance abuse make good substance abuse 
counselors. I use this example, because I am in the mental health counseling 
graduate program. So many people in my field of study say that this is true, 
and I happen to agree. Once you have lived it, you can understand what other 
people in the same situations are going through. It is not saying that the 
sighted are stupid in any way, rather it is saying that blind individuals 
can understand other blind people maybe a bit better than a sighted person 
who has not gone through what a blind person has. This is simply my opinion 
on this matter.
Rachel Jacobs
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Antonio M. Guimaraes" <iamantonio at cox.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 9:15 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] The blind educating the blind


> Hello all,
>
> I will take an umpopular view in agreeing with Jim here. I understand and 
> see the logic about blind people being the best to teach other blind 
> people, and having been through the challenges, and overcoming the 
> obsticles of blindness, but here are my thoughts.
>
> 1. Blind people should not limit themselves to work with the blind.
>
> If a blind person decides she wants to study engineering, or that he wants 
> to me a music therapist, or that she wants to be a massage therapist or 
> psychologist, these people should be encouraged to do what it is they 
> would like to do in their hearts, not just what some counselor, or a group 
> thinks they'd be good at.
>
> 2. If a blind person has in in her to teach the blind, there should be an 
> equal amount of enthusiasm to encourage and support her career choice.
>
> 3. Neither group, the blind blindness professional, or the mainstream 
> professional should tolerate discrimination. This will happen to most 
> blind people, and they need to be prepared to fight it back effectively, 
> mostly by showing how other blind people have been successful, or 
> demonstrating they have what it takes to be so.
>
> 4. We need not assume that the sighted are so stupid and misguided as to 
> be innefective o & m instructors, braille teachers, and so on. They are 
> mostly our allies, or potential allies. Let's not hold so much hostility 
> towards the sighted people in our lives.
>
> Antonio Guimaraes
>
> If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup 
> trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of 
> highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's great literary 
> works in Braille.
>
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> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim Reed" <jim275_2 at yahoo.com>
> To: "NABS mail list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 6:55 PM
> Subject: [nabs-l] The blind educating the blind
>
>
>> Hello all,
>> Let me preface this post by saying I am in support of blind 
>> proffessionals serving the blind community, but:
>>
>> Hypothetically, let's assume that 95% of the professionals in the fields 
>> of blind education, rehabilitation, and OM were blind. Would this be a 
>> good thing? I propose that this would not be a good thing. It seems to me 
>> that such an arrangement would further serve to isolate and segregate the 
>> blind community from society as a whole.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> Homer Simpson's brain: "Use reverse psychology."
>> Homer: "Oh, that sounds too complicated."
>> Homer's brain: "Okay, don't use reverse psychology."
>> Homer: "Okay, I will!"
>>
>>
>>
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>
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