[Social-sciences-list] Introduction, then a serious question

Wed Nov 12 19:25:19 UTC 2014

Hi all,

If nothing else, this made me laugh and stop being overly-serious
about the situation.  However, there of course is more to it than
that.

I thought it was just my problem, so I pulled in a music therapist who
is blind to back me up.  My professors (who aren't actually the
problem) have also started to help me push the process along.  The
supervisor has seen me in action, but it's the documentation that's
hard for me.  I really don't think she understood anything that I was
telling her about my difficulties, and so when I'd try to get her to
sit down with me and talk to that music therapist who is successful as
a totally blind person, she didn't see it as important.  So, that's
why I'm going through her bosses to get her to do what she needs to
now.

We have a meeting scheduled for next Friday.  Unfortunately, the
supervisor can't make it.  Her reason is understandable, but she is
the one who really needs to hear what this music therapist has to say
and suggest.  My professors might be able to make her do certain
things though, especially since they will have to relay the
information to her.  I was quite pleased when, after I had responded
to the supervisor and said no, we can't push the meeting back to
December, one of my professors backed me up and said this meeting
needs to happen now.

I'm also calling every smart person who deals with disability rights,
music therapy, and law that I know.  I have music therapists who tell
me that this is unethical (the national problem, not just my specific
issues) and are willing to help me prepare presentations and research
to pitch to the higher ups.  I also have people with advocacy
experience looking online to double check that there really are no
guidelines for accommodating music therapy students to speak of.  It's
tricky, because the school accommodations letters I have don't address
how to accommodate experiential classes like this, so there is a
disconnect there.  AMTA should be filling in that gap, but they
aren't.  I have talked with people from the NFB like Barbara Pierce
and my state affiliate president, and they've advised me to just
consult with Valerie Yingling now.  I've left messages with her and
Natalie Shaheen to see what they say.  If they tell me that this is
not ADA compliant, that will be huge for my case against my issues
and, more important, against the issues that are in the national
organization.  My case seems bad enough, because when Dr. Maurer was
at the Ohio convention a few weeks ago he told me I should ask Natalie
about how to accommodate for my specific issues.  Now we've got
Valerie into the mix since this is more an issue with the law than
with my university alone, so we'll see what happens.

I hope this is a good army of people, and some of these people will
willingly go to bat for me at the drop of a hat. I've also asked my
English professor how I might write a "call to action" or something,
and she's putting me in touch with another professor who doesn't have
a personal steak in this through contact with me, but specializes in
writing grants and other kinds of notices to organizations.

If you have any ideas of who I can add, do share.  P.S, I enjoyed the
extended metaphor as well.

On 11/12/14, RuthClaire Weintraub <ruthclaire at gmail.com> wrote:
> Has the professor observed you in action? Isn't that his/her responsibility
> as teacher?
>
> I understand concerns about biting off more than you can chew, or not
> wanting to put yourself at risk, or even a fear of jinxing your own chosen
> career path. Choosing one's battle, choosing one battle over another, that
> makes perfect sense to me. But there's battles and there's battles.
> Questions I have:
>    How are you arming yourself?
>    Who is helping you with your armour?
> Your advisor? Your professor(s)?
>
> My advice is that it's fine to protect yourself from threat of attack if
> you've detected that attack is imminent. Protective armour makes perfect
> sense if it's needed. But it is better when it's well-designed, and it's
> tricky to design something for battle conditions without a battleground
> suitable for testing the design.
>
> Kinaesthetic learning is ear-related more than eye-related, and if music
> isn't kinaesthetic, what is? In art, blindness is often associated with
> music. Blindness is not rare in music, historically or in contemporary
> times. Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles are exemplary as musicians, as
> splendid musicians who happen to be blind, never you mind the whammy their
> having been born black!
>
> I don't know what the legal ramifications are. About the connection between
> prejudice and ignorance, I do know something. If music therapy is your
> strength, that's exemplary. You have every right in the world to earn your
> living doing what you know and do best. No-one  should dare to try to take
> that from you.
>
> You have my permission - nay, I encourage you - to threaten them with this,
> if you can say it (or any variation of such a threat which will work for
> you) with a straight face:
>
> "Grandma Claire gets very annoyed with people who violate basic human
> rights boundaries."
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 7:01 AM, Kaiti Shelton via Social-sciences-list <
> social-sciences-list at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Facebook might work.  I'm keeping a journal on it now, although I'm
>> not sure if I'd want to blog about it at this time.  I still have to
>> sort out my own accommodation issues in order to earn my degree, and I
>> don't want to put that in jeopardy by making myself appear like a
>> rabble-rouser.  Although I'm right to question the ethics here, and I
>> know that I'm right, I know that some people will meet this idea with
>> resistance because of how important they think the competencies are as
>> they are currently written.
>>
>> I've been advised to really try to win over my professors.  If I can
>> get them on my side enough where I can explain this to him, put myself
>> into the argument as an example, and have them back me up, I might
>> have a better chance of changing this.  I'm also checking into the
>> legality of this, because something tells me this can't possibly be
>> legally sound.
>>
>> On 11/11/14, Rakesh Chand <chand at connect.com.fj> wrote:
>> > Yes, to kick-off facebook seems like a great bargain. Perhaps, later
>> > you
>> > could check-out about having a website. In Fiji it would be fairly
>> > expensive
>> > I'd assume because, we'd probably need some one to do web hosting..
>> >
>> >
>> > But, do let us know please! Excited to hear heaps more...
>> >
>> >
>> > Raks
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Kaiti Shelton [mailto:crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com]
>> > Sent: Tuesday, 11 November 2014 4:08 p.m.
>> > To: Rakesh Chand
>> > Subject: Re: [Social-sciences-list] Introduction, then a serious
>> > question
>> >
>> > Thanks all, if anyone has ideas, I'd still be interested in hearing
>> > them.
>> >
>> > RC/Claire, please do keep me posted on what your contacts think about
>> this.
>> > Thanks for spreading the message around.
>> >
>> > On 11/10/14, Rakesh Chand <chand at connect.com.fj> wrote:
>> >> Sounds very interesting
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I'm a totally blind person with guitar skills and am now trying piano
>> >> and to find resources is fairly difficult.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Please keep me informed as I never looked at music as a therapy even
>> >> though it has helped me to relax and keep away from stress of
>> >> mainstream work, family and daily leaving!
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Do keep up the wonderful work...
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Rakesh all the way from:
>> >> Fiji in the South Pacific
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From: Social-sciences-list
>> >> [mailto:social-sciences-list-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> >> On Behalf Of Kaiti Shelton via Social-sciences-list
>> >> Sent: Monday, 10 November 2014 5:55 p.m.
>> >> To: social-sciences-list at nfbnet.org
>> >> Subject: [Social-sciences-list] Introduction, then a serious question
>> >>
>> >> Hi all,
>> >>
>> >> Some of you may have seen me around on other lists; I'm a junior music
>> >> therapy major, and the president of the Ohio Association of Blind
>> > Students.
>> >> In case you're wondering what music therapy is, it is the
>> >> evidence-based use of music to address individualized goals through
>> >> music and therapeutic relationships, carried out by a professional who
>> >> has completed an approved music therapy training program and earned
>> >> board-certification by passing an exam for accreditation.  To simplify
>> >> that, in my field I will use music to address musical and nonmusical
>> >> goals, including gait regulation, memory recall, enforcing positive
>> >> behavior in children, improving social skills, improving/maintaining
>> >> quality of life, increasing fine and gross motor skills, improving
>> >> appropriate communication, etc.  I'm a lot more like a physical or
>> >> occupational therapist than a music teacher or performer, because I do
>> >> keep track of data and evidence to back up research and keep track of
>> >> progress.  End plug, but if you have any questions about what music
>> >> therapy is, feel free to ask.  I'm really looking forward to
>> >> interacting on this list.  I have been on the human services list for
>> >> quite a while, but I'm wondering if social science might be a little
>> >> more in-line with what I'm going to talk about in the next paragraph.
>> >> I'm also working towards a minor in psychology, so that's another
>> >> reason why I joined.
>> >>
>> >> Anyway, the serious stuff that I mentioned.  I just returned home from
>> >> the national conference for AMTA, the American Music Therapy
>> >> Association.  I had a great time overall, and learned a lot, but it is
>> >> one of the things I've learned that has me really worried about some
>> >> ethical concerns I see.  I went to a session on Friday night called
>> >> Musical skills and competencies:
>> >> essential or not?  The AMTA has established competencies which all
>> >> music therapy students must meet in order to earn certification, but
>> >> there is no standard protocol or guidelines for accommodating when
>> >> students with disabilities have to make modifications.
>> >>
>> >> The presenter used a student who is currently a senior in her program
>> >> as an example (with the student's permission).  This student lost her
>> >> left hand due to cancer when she was a kid, and is now looking for
>> >> music therapy internships.  It was apparent when she came to the
>> >> school for music therapy that guitar just wouldn't be an option for
>> >> her, since one hand needs to play chords and the other strums.  The
>> >> professor, having no idea what to do for this situation, called AMTA.
>> >> They told her, "You'll have to decide how to accommodate her."  They
>> >> offered this professor no guidance, no suggestions, not a single clue
>> >> about what should be done to make sure this student can get the
>> >> competency.  So, the professor accommodated by letting the student use
>> >> an IPad app to create the sound of a guitar in her sessions.
>> >> Otherwise, she's a really good music therapist in the making, and can
>> >> apparently play piano very well.  Aside from one hand being missing
>> >> and guitar in the traditional sense being a problem, there is nothing
>> >> that suggests to this professor that this student wouldn't be an
>> >> exceptional therapist.  However, she has had to have conversations
>> >> with the student, in which she has had to explain that the
>> >> accommodation process for music therapy students is completely
>> >> subjective.  The professor sees the IPad as an accommodation to meet
>> >> the guitar competency, but an internship director might see that the
>> >> competency is unmet and not take this student into their program
>> >> because of it.  The professor expressed worry, because on one hand she
>> >> wants this girl to succeed and knows her skills, but doesn't want to
>> >> set her up for failure if no one else agrees with her on
>> >> accommodations in an internship.  On the one hand, she wants to
>> >> believe that music therapy can be an accessible career to those with
>> >> disabilities, but she also feels like she needs to be a gatekeeper for
>> >> the competencies so the integrity of the field is maintained, and the
>> >> integrity of the college is upheld.  She's very worried because she
>> >> realizes that as music therapy has grown, more and more students with
>> >> disabilities are going to be coming into the field.
>> >> Competencies just keep getting added to the litany, but none have been
>> >> taken away or modified.
>> >>
>> >> I had a situation last semester, where my professors didn't know how
>> >> to accommodate me in documentation.  While this session focused on
>> >> accommodating for the music competencies, the problem is still the
>> >> same.  I question how on Earth a profession which accommodates for
>> >> individual client needs on a daily basis around the world doesn't have
>> >> policies in place for accommodating students with disabilities who
>> >> wish
>> >> to
>> > become professionals?
>> >> How is it okay that there is no standard system in place for this?  I
>> >> understand every student is a case-by-case basis really, but there is
>> >> nothing at all for professors to go by, so they don't know what is
>> >> okay and what is breaching the competencies.  I wonder how many
>> >> students have been held back for one reason or another, because they
>> >> couldn't meet a competency in the cookie-cutter way due to their
>> >> disability?  But let me tell you the kicker in all of this; let's say
>> >> that student X with the hand problem is hypothetically told by someone
>> >> that she can't get an internship because she can't actually play
>> >> guitar.  After the internship and completion of the college program
>> >> for music therapy, all students must take an exam to earn
>> >> certification.  The exam does not test musical skill at all.  To my
>> >> knowledge it also does not test one's ability to actively assess
>> >> clients, which is the issue I ran into last semester when I was having
>> >> difficulty providing visual feedback on my group.
>> >>
>> >> As a student, I understand why we have the competencies.  This is a
>> >> profession that has had to advocate itself to death for the past 60 or
>> >> so years because it is so new and out of a typical person's norm, but
>> >> if we keep making it harder by adding competencies and pushing out
>> >> potential therapists with disabilities, I think detriment will be done
>> to
>> > the field.
>> >> The whole reason I learned about music therapy was because I worked
>> >> with a blind music therapist as a child.  She taught me to be okay
>> >> with the fact that I was different from my sighted classmates,
>> >> emphasized the importance of using braille and a cane, and encouraged
>> >> me to practice music.  When I got older, she was a role model I could
>> >> talk to about general blindness issues, and was a mentor once I
>> >> figured out I wanted to go into music therapy.  I remember being 8 or
>> >> 9 years old, and worrying about how I would go to the grocery store by
>> >> myself when I was older.  I think she and I had a closer
>> >> therapist-client relationship because she was someone I could ask
>> >> questions that others wouldn't understand.  I am hoping to do the same
>> >> thing for other students with disabilities who may become my clients,
>> >> and it would be a shame if others with disabilities can't serve as
>> >> role models and mentors to their clients.
>> >>
>> >> Is it ethical for a profession which strives to accommodate clients to
>> >> push those who have disabilities and want to be a part of the striving
>> >> away?  To me, that says that I as a blind person am good enough to
>> >> receive services from a music therapist, but I'm not good enough to be
>> >> a provider, and if I modify a competency so that I get the same basic
>> >> result but in a different way I'm not actually a complete music
>> >> therapist.  I personally don't think it is sound, but there are those
>> >> who cling to the clinical competencies like ethically, it is the most
>> >> important thing to protect them.  I'm not saying that protecting the
>> >> integrity of the competencies isn't important, but for students with
>> >> disabilities there has to be some middle ground.
>> >>
>> >> I don't quite know what to do about this.  I've emailed a bunch of
>> >> people to start a think tank, which includes one blind and one sighted
>> >> music therapist, a socialworker who is their supervisor, a woman I
>> >> know who knows more than I thought there was to know about disability
>> >> rights for students, and my state NFB president, but other than that
>> >> I'm stumped.  This issue really bothers me, but I also want to take it
>> >> easy since I still have yet to get through my own training and figure
>> >> out my own accommodation issues.
>> >> Thoughts?
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________
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>> > --
>> > Kaiti
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>> --
>> Kaiti
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-- 
Kaiti