[nabs-l] Exclusion of blind persons with secondary disabilities

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all,

It's understandable that the program might want to be sure its
participants don't have severe medical conditions requiring
intervention, but there is a problem with the generalization that all
blind people with secondary disabilities need not apply. Usually
discrimination is problematic when it excludes an entire class of
people rather than allowing for case-by-case decisions to be made. If
any of you are interested in this program, I'd encourage you to
investigate this policy further.

Arielle

On 5/26/09, Linda Stover <liamskitten at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> If this were a program where individuals had to be physically present,
> I could better understand this requirement, although I do believe that
> exceptions should be made even in such a case depending on the
> severity of said secondary disability.  For instance, I have cerebral
> palsy along with blindness, but it is moderate enough that it causes
> no additional medical complications.  However, exclusion of persons
> with secondary disabilities from programs which require their physical
> presence is an entirely different topic.  This program would take
> place online, which would mean that no additional medical needs would
> need to be met, which makes the exclusion of those of us with
> secondary disabilities puzzling and frustrating.
> Courtney
>
> On 5/25/09, alena roberts <alena.roberts2282 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I think that Sarah makes a good point. ALthough I am apposed to any
>> kind of descrimination, it seems that this requirement was probably
>> thought through before it was made. I think the best action would be
>> to contact the program and ask them why this is a requirement of being
>> a part of the program. They also may make exceptions to this rule
>> depending on the other disabilities that the person has.
>>
>> Alena
>>
>> On 5/25/09, Sarah J. Blake <sarah at growingstrong.org> wrote:
>>> I'd like to see the entire program description. I communicated with BJ
>>> (RRRTC director) about the possibility of attending their Master's degree
>>> program. She (wisely) advised me against it because of my medical issues.
>>> MS
>>> State is located 90 miles from a major cityy. If I had medical needs
>>> which
>>> became serious--and I sometimes do--it would be challenging to get them
>>> met
>>> appropriately.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, some issues which appear to be discriminatory are not.
>>> When
>>> dealing with blindness and additional disabilities, there are very
>>> important
>>> things to consider. The ability to meet the needs imposed by the
>>> particular
>>> disability is a significant issue that should not be discounted.
>>>
>>> Sarah J. Blake
>>> Personal email: sjblake at growingstrong.org
>>> http://www.growingstrong.org
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm protected by SpamBrave
>>> http://www.spambrave.com/
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Alena Roberts
>> Blog: http://www.blindgal.com/
>>
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