[Ohio-talk] sensory impairments

Wed Nov 25 17:32:38 UTC 2015

I can't disagree that there are important differences between our needs and those of other disabled populations, and in light of the foolish and often demeaning attempts of, say, airport personnel to require us to use wheelchairs in order to get any assistance at all, it is obviously necessary to educate the public about these differences. However, we have one thing in common with all of these populations, namely, that we do have accessibility needs and that we all have a right to live in the world without constantly facing artificial limitations on our abilities (i.e. disabling conditions). As a political matter, I think it would be better, when possible, to raise the consciousness of the public, so that physical and sensory disabilities are not seen as life-destroying tragedies but instead as highly manageable and, under the right conditions, as wholly irrelevant to one's ability to succeed professionally and have a full personal life. When the whole range of accessibility needs are incorporated into the design of both physical and virtual spaces, it is truly amazing how much easier life becomes both for us and for those who use wheelchairs. I have noticed this for myself since starting law school at Ohio State; vibrotactile traffic signals are nearly universal on campus, as are truncated domes on wheelchair ramps. Likewise, the adminstration has done an excellent job of obtaining electronic copies of books in a timely manner, which frees me from having to either scan them myself or coordinate constantly with an under-resourced disability services office. In other words, I think that our best bet for obtaining real equality in this country is to advocate for something like universal design of both physical and virtual spaces rather than focusing on the differences between us and other disabled populations.
Sorry for such a long email, and have a happy Thanksgiving!
James

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 24, 2015, at 3:17 PM, Marianne Denning via Ohio-talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Kaity, that is an interesting thought.  I am just trying to get people
> to understand that we have different accessibility needs than people
> with physical disabilities.  We don't need ramps, wheelchairs and
> other similar things.  My concern about putting deaf and blind into
> sensory impairments is that many people think blind people need sign
> language and tdeaf people need braille.  Again, our accessibility
> needs are different.
> 
> I think paralysis causes a physical limitation but blindness does not
> cause that.
> 
>> On 11/24/15, Kaiti Shelton via Ohio-talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> As a clinician I completely agree with this. Some of my music therapy
>> textbooks categorize visual impairment as sensory rather than physical, but
>> they are in the minority. One could argue that it is physical in the sense
>> that it hinders mobility, but deafness can have effects on mobility as well.
>> 
>> 
>> I'm just curious, though. If paralysis is a disorder where you can't feel
>> and do not have a sense of touch in a particular part of your body, would
>> paralysis be more of a sensory impairment than a physical one as well? Great
>> stuff to think about.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Nov 24, 2015, at 1:01 PM, Robert Spangler via Ohio-talk
>>> <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Sense - any system that consists of a group of sensory cell types that
>>> respond to a specific physical phenomenon and that corresponds to a
>>> particular group of regions within the brain where the signals are
>>> received
>>> and interpreted.
>>> -- Sounds a lot like sight to me!
>>> 
>>> The source from which I obtained this information argues that there are
>>> at
>>> least nine senses and maybe even more.  So, since sight is one of the
>>> senses
>>> (in fact, possibly two senses), it then follows that we have a sensory
>>> disability.
>>> 
>>> Source:
>>> http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/07/humans-have-a-lot-more-than-
>>> five-senses/
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>> Marianne
>>> Denning via Ohio-talk
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 10:35 AM
>>> To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Marianne Denning <marianne at denningweb.com>
>>> Subject: [Ohio-talk] sensory impairments
>>> 
>>> I have been thinking about this for awhile and wanted to discuss it on
>>> this
>>> list.  Blind people are grouped in with people who have physical
>>> disabilities.  Many blind people can have a physical disability but
>>> blindness itself is not a physical disability.  It is a sensory
>>> disability.
>>> The 2 main groups who have sensory impairments are the deaf and the
>>> blind.
>>> I know the NFB uses the term blind and that is great but could we also
>>> categorize it as a sensory impairment?  I would like to hear other
>>> people's
>>> thoughts.
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
>>> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
>>> (513) 607-6053
>>> 
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>>> 
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>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
> (513) 607-6053
> 
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