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

[Donna Hill]

Bridgit,
Good for you, girl! I wonder though what her perception of the abilities of
blind people is now. Did she learn something about prejudging people based
on things you have no knowledge of? Or, did she write the whole thing off as
you being a fluke, perhaps a savant?
Donna
 

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 9:35 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] More on this subject of working in blindness field

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


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