[nabs-l] Lines

[Kirt Manwaring]

Justin,
  In high school I took the extra time way more than I should have; in
hindsight, I was using it to hide the fact that I wasn't as efficient
with braille as my peers were with print.  I know this is an entirely
different subject, but I think extra time is legitimate only when
inherently visual information like pictures and complex graphs need to
be presented tactally or verbally.  Even then, it ought to be used
with care because, as has been said ad noseum, you can't get the "time
and a half" on the job.
  Best,
Kirt

On 3/31/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Do you take the time and a half on tests?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
> Silverman
> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 11:04 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Lines
>
> Hi all,
> Thank you Kirt for making such a great point. When I was growing up my
> parents and friends often pressured me to use my blindness so that we could
> cut lines and sometimes my parents even required it without giving me a
> choice about it. I used to try and justify our behavior but in  the end
> when
> I did this I always felt a deep sense of shame and anger, but I could never
> figure out why. Since then I have learned about self-perception theory in
> psychology classes and I think I understand why it bothers me (and many of
> us) so much. Basically, self-perception theory posits that we draw
> conclusions about ourselves by observing our own behavior. I think whenever
> I used my blindness as a reason to get a guest pass and skip the line, it
> made me start to see myself as a handicapped or crippled person, which was
> very upsetting. For some people who have trouble standing for long periods
> of time, or who have guide dogs who get uncomfortable standing out in the
> sun, cutting in line seems legitimate. But if we can physically handle the
> lines, accepting the special passes doesn't do us any real favors. I insist
> on standing in line with everyone else because I want to see myself (and my
> fellow blind friends) as strong, healthy, normal people. I feel I have
> little to gain by skipping the lines, and much to lose in terms of
> self-esteem and self-respect. I think every time we take an accommodation,
> we need to think about what we are gaining from that accommodation vs. what
> we are potentially losing in terms of normalcy. If an accommodation like a
> piece of technology is  truly necessary, it will give enough benefit that
> it's worth the self-esteem hit. But if an accommodation isn't really
> needed,
> I think we have more to lose than we have to gain by accepting it. For this
> same reason I also do not write off blindness as a reason to claim a tax
> deduction.
> I am proud to be (barely) earning enough income to be required to pay taxes
> and paying taxes just like anyone else in my income bracket makes me feel
> good about myself and where I belong in the world.
> There's also the argument that if we want to be allowed the same rights
> sighted people get, we need to be willing to saddle the extra
> responsibilities. If we want to be allowed to ride amusement park rides
> without discrimination, we need to be willing to wait in line.
> It sends a mixed message to skip the line and then insist on equal
> treatment
> by the ride operators, just like it sends a mixed message to request
> unnecessary extra time on tests and then ask for a professor's letter of
> recommendation.
> Again, though I'm not a dog user, I think having a guide dog is a
> legitimate
> reason to not wait in lines.
> Arielle
>
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