[nabs-l] blind person becoming a teacher

[Lucy Sirianni]

Hi Kelsey,

      Yes, a blind person can absolutely become a teacher! I 
teach literature at the college level and know many other blind 
folks who teach various subjects and age groups.  I wonder if 
you're aware of the following resources.

      First, are you familiar with the book Teachers who are 
Blind or Visually Impaired by Deborah Kendrick? It profiles 18 
teachers and discusses their strategies for classroom management, 
etc.  I believe it's available on Bookshare.  Also, if you 
haven't already, check out www.blindteachers.net for more 
profiles of successful blind teachers at all levels.

      Also, you might want to register with 
www.afb.org/careerconnect/.  This website allows you to search 
for and connect with blind individuals in many areas of 
employment.  I received some wonderful tips from the English 
professors I talked with through the site when I was starting out 
in the field, and I'm sure you'd find people who could answer 
your questions as well.

      Finally, the National Organization of Blind Educators has a 
listserv.  To subscribe, visit this link:  
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nobe-l_nfbnet.org.

      I hope this is of help to you, and very best of luck as you 
decide whether to pursue a career in teaching!

Lucy

----- Original Message -----
From: Kelsey Nicolay <piano.girl0299 at gmail.com
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 09:54:07 -0400
Subject: [nabs-l] blind person becoming a teacher

Hello,
I completed my undergraduate studies in communications and
French, but I am finding that the French is not being useful to
me at all since "ow are no jobs in the French field.
Communications is a little better.  However, ever since I started
tutoring my two students, especially my student who is in
kindergarten, I think I would like to go back to school at some
point to become a teacher.  Family members keep telling me that
there is no way I could be a teacher, but I think otherwise.  I
went to a work and learn camp in 2007 with a girl who wanted to
be a preschool teacher.  I don't know if she eventually persued
that or not, but she was talking about it.  We both had the same
eye condition but she had a little more vision than I do but she
is still considered legally blind and uses Braille and JAWS.  So
my question is, what do you think about this? Can someone who is
totally blind be a teacher? I already decided that I would not
want middle or high school, but early childhood would be ok,
especially kindergarten.  Did anyone major in education or are
you majoring in education right now that you could give me some
suggestions on how I could make this happen? I know I would
probably need an aide in the classroom, right? Also, how would I
manage my class effectively without vision? I think I would want
to teach kindergarten or first grade.
"To ó please share your thoughts and experiences.
Thanks,
Kelsey Nicolay


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