[nabs-l] Thoughts on an interest group for Health Care Professionals

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

Recently there has been discussion over on the Human Services List
about whether or not to change the division's name to allow for
inclusion of those in the health care fields.  If this passes, the
division would become something like the "Health and Human Services
Division."  Right now, views seem to be split almost down the middle
at least by those who have responded to the thread.  Some believe that
the mind-body connection warrants the inclusion of health care
professionals in the division, and think that there aren't enough
people in the health care fields within the NFB to form a separate
group or division.  Others point out that the problems encountered by
blind health care professionals are different from those in the human
services fields, and that although there is a connection between mind
and body and those individuals could be included in the human services
division we don't really know whether or not there is enough interest
or a population of people worth starting a separate group for because
no one has made one yet.

As someone in an allied health profession, which follows a very
wholistic approach not just addressing the mind and body, but also
emotional wellness and spiritual health for those who choose to be
spiritual, I have my own opinions about this.  I have found the human
services to be a great group of people who have been a great resource
to me, but there are some things I've experienced as a student in my
field which they have no idea how to comment on.  Though my field uses
a lot of the same principles found in sociology and psychology, as
well as counseling, the people there truly don't understand the full
scope of what people in professions similar to mine do.  However, if I
had a group where people understood the physical workings of the human
body, I could ask the questions I can't ask on the human services
group like, "How to do X with a client with Y physical limitation."  I
could also ask questions specific to hospital problems, ways to get
around accessing visual information on patients, etc.  So far the
adaptations for things like getting the information that is found on
monitors have been just things I've thought up myself, but it would be
great, I think, to have a think tank of people who have tried
different approaches, have different ideas, etc.  I would stay in the
human services division no matter what because that is a huge aspect
of my future career, but I do think this topic warrants at least a
separate mailing list or group if there are enough people to make it
worthwhile.

Thoughts?

-- 
Kaiti