[nabs-l] being scholastically social?

[Jedi]

Joe,

I think it's both. I think we should ask how to handle the task in 
general, but I think it's also fair to ask how to handle the task of 
socializing as blind people specifically since we are viewed 
differently by society than the sighted are.

It is my personal view that blindness is a nuisance and an identity. 
Blindness definitely does inconvenience us especially since the world 
was not made for our convenience in much the same way as it's not made 
for the left-handed, but blindness has also transformed itself into a 
part of our identities since the experiences we have as a result shape 
our world views in much the same way that ethnicity does.

Let me explain my view of identity and blindness a little. Having dark 
skin in and of itself doesn't shape a person's world view, and neither 
does having less eyesight than what's considered standard. However, 
belonging to an ethnic culture does shape one's world view, and so does 
belonging to the NFB. There has been some argument about whether or not 
there is a blind culture. the answer is yes and no. There are common 
factors and experiences that all blind people have, but the NFB is 
definitely a culture because we have taken-for-granted assumptions and 
a specific way of communicating those assumptions based on values 
associated with them. As a result, our world view is changed somewhat 
in much the same way that the world views of other Americans belonging 
to other co-cultures are changed. We also have the experience of being 
a minority to consider, and I doubt people will argue how much being a 
minority influences things. Put that all together and you have a unique 
set of experiences that make up one key factor in the shaping of our 
collective and individual identities. I don't think that's a bad thing 
at all; it's just something to keep in mind when entering into social 
situations. Does that make any sense? Probably not, but I'm willing to 
clarify as needed.

Respectfully,
Jedi



Original message:
> Interesting.  If we're talking straight up blindness, I think we've all
> experienced a moment or two of feeling out of place in light of the dominant
> sighted crowd.  I certainly experience with each meeting I attend until I
> shake off the feeling and plunge forward.  If we're talking ethnic minority,
> I can't say I've experienced that before, but I don't know if it's because
> the feeling is overshadowed by the blindness factor or because I've
> genuinely never witnessed this behavior.

> Regardless, what I find interesting about this discussion is that it makes
> blindness an identity factor.  I think the original post asked how we as
> blind individuals handled campus involvement, when our philosophy claims
> blindness can be reduced to the level of a nuisance.  I know this position
> does not claim blindness can be eliminated, but it would appear to suggest
> blindness is irrelevant to one's sense of self.  So, rather than ask, "how
> do you, as a blind person, handle X, Y and Z," shouldn't we be asking how to
> handle the task in general?

> Interesting discussion.

> Joe Orozco

> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jedi
> Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:51 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] being scholastically social?

> Joe,

> The issue of inaccessibility to informal networks is actually becoming
> a key issue for those who study organizational communication and
> diversity. Basically, inaccessibility to informal networks is a fancy
> way of saying that one is left out or somehow treated differently based
> on their minority group status. Either as a blind person or a member of
> a minority group, have you ever had that gut feeling that you just
> didn't belong or that your social interactions were influenced by your
> minority status? Perhaps you were the only member of a minority or one
> of few? Maybe it wasn't something that anyone said directly, or maybe
> it was. But either way, that gut feeling was still there.
> Organizational scholars would say that this kind of thing is controlled
> by context for sure. If your workplace and general environment are
> rather diverse and handle diversity well, you're probably less likely
> to have this experience. If not, than you probably will at some point
> and to some degree or other. But basically, the bottom line is that for
> people who experience this problem, they tend to be the only one or one
> of few representing their minority in an organization that hasn't yet
> become aware of its assumptions and ideologies favoring the dominant
> population. If you ask me, blindness will definitely cause one to
> experience this interesting problem at some point.

> Respectfully,
> Jedi


> Original message:
>> Jedi,

>> I'm part of a minority group and have never experienced or
> witnessed this
>> behavior.  What are you basing these conclusions on?  Or,
> could you give
>> examples?  If blind people are going to use this as a justification to
>> explain their social isolation, I'd like the comparison to be
> accurate.

>> Joe Orozco

>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
> their sleeves,
>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jedi
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 12:59 AM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] being scholastically social?

>> It's not just a blindness thing precisely. It's not uncommon for
>> minority groups to have difficulty making friends on the job or in
>> school: things are cordial at work, but there's often lack of
> access to
>> informal social networks which can, in some cases, become a real
>> obstacle even during work hours. Causes might include anything from
>> just not knowing what to say to a minority group member to feeling a
>> large gap between minorities and their non-minority
> counterparts. There
>> really is no right way to handle this problem because it
> affects us all
>> so differently. If it concerns you that you're feeling left
> out, it may
>> be worth addressing to someone who you feel will most likely hear you.

>> Respectfully,
>> Jedi


>> Original message:
>>> I am currently in high school. I don't do much in terms of
>> clubs or other
>>> school activities in school. I briefly joined the stage crew
>> for a play, but
>>> I was kind of in the way. No one talked to me, about anything
>> other than
>>> professional questions about things of a technical nature. I
>> did my job
>>> well, but I clearly did not fit in. people were afraid that
>> if they talked
>>> to me they would offend me or something like that.

>>> Because I don't do many activities in school, I am involved
> in the boy
>>> scouts, life teen, and the NFB. Even at places such as boy
>> scouts and life
>>> teen, most of the conversations I have are professional or
>> technical in
>>> nature. I really don't have many sighted friends. I don't
>> know if this is
>>> blindness related, or what.


>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Jamie Principato" <blackbyrdfly at gmail.com>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 8:11 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] being scholastically social?


>>>> In middle school, I would jump at the opportunity to get
>> involved in as
>>>> much
>>>> as my parents would allow. I did Student Government, Jazz
> Band, and a
>>>> Youth
>>>> Leadership organization that focused on competitive debate
> and public
>>>> speaking (think like a junior Toastmasters International). I
>> couldn't wait
>>>> for high school when I'd have even more interesting groups
>> and activities
>>>> to
>>>> choose from.

>>>> When I got to high school, I encountered a lot
>> of...problems...with the
>>>> school's Vision department (which is sad since I only went
>> to this high
>>>> school because we were told it offered the most for
> visually impaired
>>>> students). I could go on all day with the details here, but
>> I'll spare you
>>>> that. One of these issues was the fact that blind students
>> at this school
>>>> tended to be very...disconnected from the rest of the student body,
>>>> avoiding
>>>> activities and student events. I learned shortly after
>> joining Model UN
>>>> and
>>>> Psychology Club, attending the first Freshman dance, and
>> planning to go to
>>>> a
>>>> pep rally that the Vision department wasn't happy with the
>> fact t I joined
>>>> and attended these clubs without telling them first, and
>> that if I was
>>>> going
>>>> to keep attending, they'd need my mother to write up a
>> permission note (no
>>>> other student needed to do this) and they would have to first find a
>>>> teacher
>>>> to stay late in the day and basically babysit me while I
> attend these
>>>> activities. Oh, and I wasn't allowed to go to that pep rally
>> unless I sat
>>>> with my TVI and the other teachers, not in the Freshman
>> stands with my
>>>> class. My mother and I told them that all of this was
>> unnecessary, and we
>>>> complained to the principal, but between this and a number of other
>>>> issues,
>>>> we just ended up taking matters into our own hands.

>>>> We registered as a home schooling family, and joined a home
>> school support
>>>> group with about 70 or so other families in the county. I
>> took advantage
>>>> of
>>>> my new freedom and got involved in a ton of extracurricular
>> activities in
>>>> my
>>>> community, even sports (something that never would have
> flown at that
>>>> school). Now that I'm in college, I try to get involved on
>> campus and in
>>>> the
>>>> city when ever I can. I joined the university's fencing
>> club, a volunteer
>>>> organization, and I'm currently applying to Psi Chi. I also
>> try to get the
>>>> most out of campus cultural events like plays or concerts,
>> and make use of
>>>> campus facilities like the gym. THe only issue I've been
>> having is that
>>>> transportation in my city. The only bus that comes near by
>> house recently
>>>> changed its schedule and now stops running early in the
>> evening. The only
>>>> way to really go out in the evening for any sort of event or
>> get home from
>>>> a
>>>> club meeting is to take a cab or ride with a friend, but you
>> need to get
>>>> out
>>>> a bit first to make those sighted friends. I find that if
>> money is tight
>>>> one
>>>> month, it's pretty unlikely that I'll be doing much outside
>> of attending
>>>> class, including attending free activities or events. I
>> guess that's just
>>>> one price of living off campus though.

>>>> On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 4:28 PM, Darian Smith
>> <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:

>>>>> Hi list,

>>>>>  I'm curious to  here what  people's thoughts are about  becoming
>>>>> involved in  clubs and campus  activities in school (high school or
>>>>> college). do you  jump at the oppertunity to meet new
> people? do you
>>>>> feel nervous about it. have you met some of your  best friends at a
>>>>> ralley,  social club, campus society? how did your  self-
>> identity as
>>>>> a blind person factor into  your interactions with people? how did
>>>>> people interact with you?
>>>>>  Thoughts?
>>>>>  Best,
>>>>>  Darian
>>>>> --
>>>>> Darian Smith
>>>>> Skype: The_Blind_Truth
>>>>> Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
>>>>> The National Federation of the Blind has launched a
>> nationwide teacher
>>>>> recruitment campaign to help attract energetic and passionate
>>>>> individuals into the field of blindness education, and we need your
>>>>> help!   To Get Involved  go to:
>>>>> www.TeachBlindStudents.org

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