[Ohio-talk] Disabilities and their portrayal

Thu Jan 30 20:12:46 UTC 2014

It was just so puzzling for me that the professor said, "You're ahead of the
curve," and continued on presenting a hypothetical with false information?
If we're supposed to build the material we discuss on future hypotheticals
on the material discussed in the early weeks of the semester, then why would
we start with such a baseless statement?  Why would we say it is okay for
this hypothetical person to be killed for reasons that aren't true, then be
expected to make even more complex decisions later in the semester?
Furthermore, why would he admit I was right and then dismiss it to only give
the class false information?

In my meeting with the professor before the end of last semester I asked if
he knew of Dr. Ashe and he did not.  I even recommended the transcription of
her speech to him, and so I guess now I'm going to have to make a paper
topic out of it myself in order to get him to read these things.  

Aleeha is right on.  If we do not challenge these false beliefs, then we can
only expect horrible decisions to be made later in the future.  We are not
just changing what it means to be blind, or changing what it means to have a
disability in the terms of philosophy, but shaping what is ethical and what
is not too.  

Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton---2016
Music Therapy Major, Psychology Minor, Clarinet
Ohio Association of Blind Students, President 
NFB Community Service Group, Service Project Committee Chair
Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Aleeha
Dudley
Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2014 2:31 PM
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Disabilities and their portrayal

Hi everyone,
 I am currently tkking a social justice class this semester and we are
starting to discuss some very interesting issues, especially in the
readings. It's interesting to see society's views on topics like this, but
it is also important to continue to keep challenging the public's beliefs
about these matters because some day, blind children will face these
unacceptable barriers. 

Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 30, 2014, at 1:33 PM, "Paul Dressell" <pmdbmd at fuse.net> wrote:
> 
> Kaiti Shelton attends the University of Dayton and is active in our 
> Students' Division. Paul
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kaiti Shelton" 
> <kaiti.shelton at gmail.com>
> To: "NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" 
> <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2014 11:21 AM
> Subject: [Ohio-talk] Disabilities and their portrayal
> 
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I made quite a stir in my medical ethics class this morning.  We were 
>> asked to consider an example from our book, which concerned a 10 year 
>> old boy who was according to the book having all these horrible 
>> issues as a result of CP.  Some of the things the book claimed about 
>> this boy were not characteristics of CP at all, and it even claimed 
>> that CP was genetic itself rather than caused by complications.  The 
>> question was, "Is it moral to kill Johnny via lethal injection to end 
>> his pain and the suffering of his parents?"  I wasn't going to say 
>> anything at first, but then I started questioning things.  Is it 
>> moral to kill someone if you think they're in pain, but they don't have
the autonomy to tell you whether they are or not?
>> Is it moral to kill a child when his parents are making the request?  
>> Is it moral to make this decision without full and accurate knowledge 
>> of what the condition really is?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> And you know what happened?  When I contradicted the book the 
>> professor was first flustered, then when I started answering 
>> questions with the knowledge I had he told me I was ahead of the 
>> curve, and proceeded with his lecture, using the false information and
pretenses the book provided.  I was shocked.
>> This is a class of pre-med majors (and me who is the only non-medical 
>> specific person in the class), and it boggled me that this sort of 
>> stuff would be fed to the next generation of doctors, dietitions, 
>> exercise scientists, etc.  I know this is just an undergraduate 
>> class, but shouldn't doctors always take a patient-centered approach, 
>> or a human-centered approach for that matter?  And I'm reminded of 
>> "The Right to Live in the World," and how what that speech says 
>> applies to this situation.  The misinformation in my bioethics 
>> textbook only substantiates the claim that people with disabilities 
>> lead miserable or terribly painful lives, and that misninformation in 
>> the minds and hands of future doctors is a scary thing to me.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Anyway, just thought I'd continue discussion on this topic with 
>> others who will get it.  I'm sorry if I ranted a little; I got a 
>> little passionate on this issue.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Kaiti Shelton
>> 
>> University of Dayton---2016
>> 
>> Music Therapy Major, Psychology Minor, Clarinet
>> 
>> Ohio Association of Blind Students, President
>> 
>> NFB Community Service Group, Service Project Committee Chair
>> 
>> Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma
>> 
>> 
>> 
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