[nabs-l] disclosing blindness

Sun Oct 11 03:46:25 UTC 2015

Hi all,

I think Arielle's example is a good one.  I'm sure most of us have
some part of their family culture or heritage that we can relate it
to; for my family it is Lebonese (even though I'm biologically not
included in this).  Any other factor could also apply.

I think there are other factors to consider when deciding whether or
not to disclose blindness.  First you want to consider your field you
are going into.  In mine I hope to use my blindness as an advantage,
and sell it as a plus in my interviews.  I think that because I know
what it is like to have a disability I have a different kind of
empathy and relatability for clients than a non-disabled colleague in
my field would, especially so if the client is blind in some form or
fashion.  I had a music therapist who was blind when I was young and
aside from being an MT she was a role model I wouldn't have had if she
were sighted.  I think that in capacities like this that no matter how
hard they try to understand or how caring they might be, non-disabled
professionals just cannot fully get it or serve in that capacity for
clients who might really benefit from seeing a person with a
disability in that role.  I would never dream of disclosing it for the
reasons that Aleeha and others described if I were going into a highly
visual field, or one that did not place such a high emphasis on
working with people with disabilities and forming strong and
empathetic therapeutic relationships.  The other thing to consider as
others have said is whether or not the disclosure will have a purpose.
I am going to start working on some research specifically related to
the lack of support for blind students and their educators in my
field, and as my professors are the principle researchers and I'm
their student I'm probably going to disclose information about my
visual accuity and the specific challenges we have faced in my
education thus far so it can benefit other music therapy students in
the future who are blind.  I also hope it will benefit the field in
general, as there is a strange divide between the work music
therapists do with people who have disabilities and the belief that
individuals who have disabilities and want to be music therapists
might not meet all the professional competencies required for the job.
I would really like more understanding to be shed on this topic and am
passionate about it, so I have no problem with including my
experiences in qualitative data or discussing my challenges as a
student researcher.  It will show employers that I am concerned for
the profession and advancing the work we do, that I engaged in
research with two well-known professors and professionals in the field
while still an undergraduate student, and that I have problem-solving
skills that I can apply to work with my clients.  If an employer in my
field wants to refuse me a job because they find the research and see
that I'm blind I wouldn't want to work for them anyway because who
knows then what they feel about clients.

On the other hand, I also have an opportunity to contribute a chant to
a project my professor is working on for publication.  The chant was
crafted for a class assignment and addressed the goal of expressing
and releasing stress.  As this has nothing to do with my blindness, I
will make no mention of it and don't expect that my professor would
have a reason to either.  She would have no reason to disclose
anything as significant about the other students she has asked to
contribute, and I am thankful that she'd probably also see it as
something that is not pertinent to the project.

On 10/10/15, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Here's another way of looking at this. I am an ethnic minority, being
> a Jewish American, and my grandmother was born in Israel. I'm very
> proud of my heritage and have no fear or shame in disclosing it even
> with people I don't know well. However, I wouldn't discuss my Jewish
> or Israeli heritage on a resume or a bio for a writing club. Not
> because I'm hiding who I am, but because it just isn't relevant to the
> audience. Instead, on my resume I list grants and publications I've
> gotten. Conversely, if I met someone on a bus and we started chatting,
> I might disclose that I am Jewish, but I probably wouldn't disclose my
> grants and publications because again, it just isn't relevant to that
> particular conversation. We only have so many facts about ourselves
> that we can share, especially on a short piece of paper. I regard
> blindness in the same way I regard my Jewish heritage. It is a thing
> about me that I feel some positive conection to, but it's only
> relevant in a handful of situations. I hope that makes sense.
>
> On 10/10/15, Robin via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Not EveryOne agreed, & the Only1, I CalledOut was
>> DarianSmith, & (I Beleived) responded
>> appropriately when He ChimedIn MayBe I'm Wrong, but I Celebrate that as
>> well
>>
>> I'm NotPerfect. In the Words, of JossStone, I've
>> got a "Right ToBe Wrong". If you don't know what
>> I'm TalkingAbout. Google Her & That Phrase
>>
>> It's a Song
>>
>> ForGot to mention, Thanx Justin for appreciating
>> differring opinions, I appreciate yours as well
>>
>> KeepUp TheGoodFight
>>
>> At 01:00 PM 10/10/2015, you wrote:
>>>I, for one, was not offended.  I enjoyed your
>>>messages. Justin. -----Original Message-----
>>>From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>On Behalf Of Robin via nabs-l Sent: Saturday,
>>>October 10, 2015 3:58 PM To: National
>>>Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org> Cc: Robin
>>><robin-melvin at comcast.net> Subject: Re: [nabs-l]
>>>disclosing blindness Great Response! I'm only
>>>responding because I CalledYouOut ON ThisThread
>>>FadeToBackGround At 12:44 PM 10/10/2015, you
>>>wrote: >What I find to be  really interesting
>>>about this conversation is the >various
>>>point  of views that >have been voiced.   The
>>>truth is that there >isnÃ¢€™t any one way that
>>>we as blinlind people go about  doing any
>>>one >thing. Some blind people read Braille, some
>>>read  large  print, some >listen to the things
>>>they want to gain information from  via
>>>audio >output or human >reader, and for them it
>>>works.   some people >disclose their blindness
>>>all the time, some only do it
>>>in  certain >situations and others  do not ever
>>>for any reason and thatÃ¢€™s >something
>>>that >worksrks for them.   Some people mention
>>>their >blindness related work on resumes only
>>>when  applying to  blindness >related
>>>positions  while others will include it with
>>>their other >accomplishments and
>>>experiences  because an experience  is
>>>an >experience and a skill  is a
>>>skill. >Still  isnÃ¢€™t disclosure in a body of
>>>an article differenrent from a bio >before an
>>>article? >is it different when arranging for a
>>>flight? Is it different when >creating a profile
>>>for a dating site?is Disclosure  different in
>>>a  >academic setting? And how different is the
>>>disclosure of blindness from >disclosure
>>>of  being a man, a woman, gay,
>>>straight, >latino/Latina,  asian,
>>>etc?   Darian  .    .   > >On Oct 10, 2015, at
>>>12:23 PM, Robin via nabs-l
>>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org> >wrote: > > You ask me, why
>>>would I Wave TheBanner of MyBlindness? Well, >I
>>>would because I'm ProudOfIt & not
>>>AshamedOfIt. >I'm not Ashamed of any of
>>>MyAttributes
>>>(Portuguese-Black-Filipino >Heritage) nor am I
>>>of MyBlindness. I want to Celebrate it all. If
>>>an >Employer isn't GoingToHire me simply because
>>>of MyBlindness, then they >are Discriminating
>>>AgainstMe & as far as I know, that's against
>>>TheLaw. >> > You have TheOption of NotDisclosing
>>>yours, I should have TheOption >of disclosing
>>>mine without being negatively affected if I
>>>choose to >disclose it. I thought Federationists
>>>are Proud of TheirBlindness, but >as far as
>>>those, who are ChimingIn on ThisThread, I
>>>guess/presume, I'm >wrong. > > I'm Blind & I'm
>>>ProudOfIt Among OtherThings > At 12:11
>>>PM >10/10/2015, you wrote: >> Robin, why would
>>>you hold blindness up as a >banner to wave in
>>>the wind?  I'd rather hold up my skills which I
>>>have >worked so hard to learn and
>>>master.  Deciding not to disclose has
>>>know >baring on whether blindness is or is not a
>>>nuisance; I'm either good >enough as a writer or
>>>not. Justin. Justin -----Original
>>>Message----- >From: nabs-l
>>>[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>>Robin via >nabs-l Sent: Saturday, October
>>>10, >2015 2:58 PM To: National Association of
>>>Blind Students mailing list ><nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>Cc: >Robin <robin-melvin at comcast.net> Subject:
>>>Re: >[nabs-l] disclosing blindness If you don't
>>>disclose your Blindness, >isn't that simply
>>>reinforcing the Stereotype of Blindness as
>>>something >more than a nusance? I suggest
>>>BeingProud of it, and disclosing it. How >are
>>>"we" supposed ToChange Public'sPerception if
>>>"we" don't start. >(Note: this is just
>>>my >(humble) opinion - Take It OR Leave It)
>>>Everyone's view(s) are equally >important on
>>>this topic. I just felt it necessary to indicate
>>>mine >especially if others on ThisList feel the
>>>same as I do, but are >discouraged from sharing
>>>due to the enormous responses
>>>indicating >otherwise. At >11:37 AM 10/10/2015,
>>>you wrote: >I would have to agree! If you
>>>are >submitting a paper to a journal, you >want
>>>to be known as an amazing >writer. Period. You
>>>do not want to be >known as someone who is
>>>an >amazing writer despite your blindness.
>>>This >type of qualification >serves to minimize
>>>your accomplishments, and you >worked hard to
>>>get >where you are, blindness or not! On Sat,
>>>Oct 10, >2015 at 1:13 PM, >Aleeha Dudley via
>>>nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org > wrote: > >In all
>>>honesty, >I do not disclose my blindness
>>>directly unless it is > >absolutely >necessary.
>>>I find that it gives the opportunity for a
>>>person >who > >does not know me to make
>>>judgments about me before meeting
>>>me, >>especially > given the stereotypes of
>>>blindness that are so prevalent. >>I will not >
>>>disclose on a resume, or in other important
>>>documents >>related to employment > or academic
>>>work. I prefer to do that >>disclosure in
>>>person, so that I may > try to
>>>influence >someoneÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢Ã‚€Ã‚™s >attitude
>>>about me through gh my own behavior. >. > >
>>>On >Oct 10, 2015, at 2:07 >PM, kcj21 via nabs-l
>>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>wrote: >> > > > >Good >afternoon
>>>all,              I am >currently >submitting
>>>one of my > literature papers to my
>>>university's >>undergraduate research journal
>>>and > they require that I submit a bio. >>This
>>>led me to ponder whether I should > include my
>>>blindness in this >>bio and when we, in general,
>>>choose to > disclose our blindness. In >>most
>>>instances, I only bring it up when >
>>>necessary. >Additionally, >although I am , in no
>>>way, uncomfortable with > sharing >my
>>>disability, >I do not want it to become the
>>>central part of my > bio >or in
>>>anyway >overshadow my work.  I would just like
>>>to open up a > >discussion >regarding when we
>>>mention our blindness and whether
>>>that > >disclosure >may, in some capacity,
>>>overshadow or modify
>>>our >accomplishments. > > >Best,Kaley > > >______
>>>___________________________ >
>>>______________ > >  > nabs-l mailing
>>>list > > >nabs-l at nfbnet.org > > >>http://nfbnet.o
>>>r >  g/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org > > >
>>>To unsubscribe, change >your list options
>>>or >get your account info
>>>for > >nabs-l: > > > >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/o
>>>ptions/ >
>>>nabs-l_nfbnet.org/blindcowgirl1993%40 >gmail.co >
>>>nabs-l_nfbnet.org/blindcowgirl1993%40 >gmail.com
>>> >
>>>  > > > > >______________________________________
>>>  >_ ________ > >  nabs-l mailing
>>>list > >nabs-l at nfbnet.org > >http://nfbnet.org/ma
>>>ilman/li >  stinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org > > To
>>>unsubscribe, change your list options >or >get
>>>your account info
>>>for > >nabs-l: > >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/optio
>>>ns/nabs >
>>>-l_nfbnet.org/kestomberg%40coe.ed >u > > >_____ >
>>>-l_nfbnet.org/kestomberg%40coe.ed >u > > >_______
>>>  >
>>>________________________________________ >nabs- >
>>>________________________________________ >nabs-l
>>>mailing
>>>list >nabs-l at nfbnet.org >http://nfbnet.org/mailma
>>>n/list >  info/nabs-l_nfbnet.org >To
>>>unsubscribe, change your list options or >get
>>>your account info
>>>for >nabs-l: >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/n
>>>  >
>>>abs-l_nfbnet.org/robin-melvin%40comc >ast.net >__
>>>_____________________________________________ >na
>>>bs-l mailing list
>>>nabs-l at nfbnet.org >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/list
>>>info/nabs-l_nfbnet.org >To unsubscribe, change
>>>your list options or get your account info
>>>for >nabs-l: >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/n
>>>abs-l_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40 >gmail.com
>>>_______________________________________________ >
>>>nabs-l mailing list
>>>nabs-l at nfbnet.org >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/list
>>>info/nabs-l_nfbnet.org >To unsubscribe, change
>>>your list options or get your account info
>>>for >nabs-l: >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/n
>>>abs-l_nfbnet.org/robin-melvin%40comc >ast.net > >
>>>  > > >__________________________________________
>>>_____ > >  nabs-l mailing list >
>>>nabs-l at nfbnet.org > >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/li
>>>stinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org > > To unsubscribe,
>>>change your list options or >get your account
>>>info for
>>>nabs-l: > >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs
>>>-l_nfbnet.org/dsmithnfb%40gmail.c >om
>>>_______________________________________________ >
>>>nabs-l mailing list
>>>nabs-l at nfbnet.org >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/list
>>>info/nabs-l_nfbnet.org >To unsubscribe, change
>>>your list options or get your account info
>>>for >nabs-l: >http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/n
>>>abs-l_nfbnet.org/robin-melvin%40comc >ast.net
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>nabs-l mailing list nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get
>>>your account info for nabs-l:
>>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40gmail.com
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>nabs-l mailing list nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get
>>>your account info for nabs-l:
>>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/robin-melvin%40comcast.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
>

-- 
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton-Music Therapy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present
Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
Division 2015-2016

"You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!"