[stylist] More on this subject of working in blindness field

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Back at university, for an elective, I wanted to take a stage make-up
class. The instructor had been my Intro to Theatre prof, and as a final
project, we had to write a scene, then the class voted on which scenes
to produce. Small groups were put together and assigned a scene. I
really wanted to direct my scene, which was one of the scenes chosen. I
had to convince her that I could direct even though I can't see. She was
so sure my *visual impairment* would cause too many problems to
effectively direct anything. I gave her detailed ideas I already had
formulated. She let me direct but I was the only director assigned an
assistant director. I spoke with my assistant explaining the situation,
and all I might need from her was to make sure my actors were in deed
following directions when it came to physical movement and otherwise I
was good. I knew how I wanted the set, what music to use, how the
characters should look, and considering the scene was one I wrote, I
knew how I wanted it performed. My scene was one of the favorites by the
class.

So anyway, when I decided to sign up for her stage make-up class, she
found out I had registered and emailed me stating we needed to talk. I
knew she wouldn't want me in the class, and during our meeting, she
proceeded to tell me how difficult the class would be and why I couldn't
be able to handle. The sighted lady who had never been blind was telling
me why I couldn't do it. I calmly explained how I could and that I
already was pretty good with make-up. She told me that she would have to
judge my work the same as others, and I said I wouldn't expect anything
less. She said I would have no perspective, to which I added that having
had sight before, it gave me a little advantage to understand things
such as creating wrinkles or bruises. I even networked with blind actors
just to get more ideas on how to do things nonvisually. The prof still
wanted me to drop the course.

I took it and was grudgingly given an A, smirk.

Bridgit
Message: 14
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:47:21 -0500
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] more on this subject of Working in blindness
	field
Message-ID: <53130C8156D84A26B96DD5692BF79D0C at OwnerHP>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Lynda,
 Yes, there are many marginalized kids and adults in this world, and
with
the recession more than before. It is enfuriating when you think of the
"privileged" and how much they take for granted and how they have
insullation against their own short-comings and bad decisions. Good for
your
daughter trying to help them.

By the time I got to junior high, they were asking kids to choose either
college prep or commercial as a course of study to pursue starting in
the
eighth grade. I chose college prep, but I had an encounter with a fellow
7th
grader that really riled me up. She was the daughter of a Lafayette
College
professor. She came to school on the morning we were to make our
decisions
final and sought me out. She explained, in what I thought was a rather
haughty manner, that her father was a professor and that she discussed
my
situation with him at dinner the night before. She knew I wanted to take
college prep. She said that the entire family had agreed that it would
be a
mistake for me to consider going to college; there simply was no way I
could
do the work. I wish I had punched her, but alas, I didn't.
Donna