[nabs-l] waver

[Arielle Silverman]

I disagree with the position that math and science courses are highly
visual. They are only visual to the extent that sighted teachers tend
to present the material in visual ways, and sighted students tend to
prefer to learn the information visually and express it visually. The
knowledge gained in math and science courses is not inherently visual;
it can be mentally represented in several different modalities:
sentences, tactile imagery, sounds, experiences, mathematical
equations or likely a combination of the above. I would even venture
to argue that art history is not a visual course. The art itself is
usually perceived visually, but what you learn in an art history
course is the history behind the origins of the art, different
classifications of art, etc. This is all semantic knowledge, not
visual or aesthetic knowledge. I think it is critically important to
distinguish between visual knowledge (i.e. an understanding of what
different shades of blue look like) and knowledge that can be
transmitted in multiple ways, including through visual images (i.e.
statistics, which can be represented either through graphs, equations,
or computer code). The latter group of courses is readily amenable to
creative solutions, as all the blind scientists, mathematicians,
engineers and economists have illustrated. So I find it hard to claim
that such courses discriminate against the blind.

Arielle

On 1/10/11, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
> Sean,
>
> Excellent post.  I believe, however, that any large organization, with as
> many facets as the NFB, should have a constructive guide on what positions
> it has taken with regard to popular issues and at least a brief description
> of why that position was taken.  I was appalled to read some of the comments
> where the overarching views of the organization were misconstrued.  Some of
> the points that come to mind are: audible signals, accessible currency,
> video descriptions, and Braille literacy.  I feel such a guide could be a
> good way to succinctly inform prospective members and the public at large,
> because while I agree that such points can be found in resolutions and
> general literature, we're assuming that people will go hunting for
> information to disprove their preconceived notions.  Such a guide would at
> least serve as a starting point for putting the NFB philosophy into some
> kind of context for the uninformed.  Otherwise, thanks for laying out one
> hell of a post.  Not bad for a Democrat!
>
> Regards,
>
> Joe
>
> "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
>
>
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-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org