[nabs-l] a question about blind teachers

[Chris Nusbaum]

Hi, Julie and list.

First of all, I'm a new member of the list, so let me introduce 
myself.  My name is Chris and I'm a totally blind seventh grade 
student (in public school) from Maryland.  I already joined a 
couple NFB lists, and went back on to see if I could find any 
others I was interested in, and found the NABS list.  I thought 
it would be cool to connect with other blind students across the 
country as well as adults, who share my belief in the Federation.  
To answer Julie's question, I know a little about blind classroom 
teachers.  I have a good friend who is a retired public school 
Latin and French teacher at our local high school.  He's been 
totally blind since birth, and everybody who has had him says 
he's a great teacher, which I have no doubt in.  I'll email him 
for you and see if I have permission to give you his email 
address so you can ask him some questions.  I'm sure he'd be very 
happy to help you! I also know of an NFB leader by the name of 
Joanne Wilson who also is a retired teacher from Iowa.  She 
originally had a lot of struggles becoming a teacher, beginning 
with the dean of her college (Iowa State University) telling her 
that she couldn't student teach because she was blind and not 
many blind people had been allowed to student teach in Iowa.  
However, she hooked up with NFB and was able to get a job with an 
accepting superintendent in a school in the same town as the 
university.  She showed that dean! * Smile! You can Google her if 
you want.  I'll email the guy I know and if he gives me 
permission, I'll send you an email off-list with his email.  Hope 
this helps!

Chris Nusbaum

"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:51:46 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] a question about blind teachers

Julie, I don't know about public schools, but, Dr.  Virgil Cook 
was a
blind college professor.
To my knowledge, he's still alive, but he retired, a few years 
ago.
He taught at the University of West Virginia, (if i'm not 
mistaken,)
as an English instructor.
You can research him.
He was the first ever blind college professor.
Blessings, Joshua

On 4/24/11, Julie McGinnity <kaybaycar at gmail.com> wrote:
 Hi everyone.

 I'm hoping you can help me answer a question I've been thinking 
about
 for a while.  How many blind classroom teachers are out there?  
I'm
 talking about blind classroom teachers who work in public 
schools or
 private schools.  I know there are plenty of TVIs who work 
teaching
 braille and mobility to blind kids, but what about blind 
teachers who
 work mostly or only with sighted kids?

 I am not an education major, and I honestly never plan on 
teaching in
 a classroom.  I'm just curious.  I have heard a scary number of
 stories about blind people being denied their education degree 
or
 being told they could not become teachers for various reasons.  
I know
 it would be hard to manage a classroom with little or no sight, 
but
 I'm sure accomidations could be made, alternative techniques put 
into
 consideration, so a blind person could be a teacher of sighted
 students.  If anyone knows anything about this, please share 
your
 story.

 Thanks guys.  And, happy Easter!

 --
 Julie McG
  Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in 
Opera
 Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of 
Guiding
 Eyes for the Blind

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
 everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
 life."
 John 3:16

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