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

Tue Feb 19 23:00:32 UTC 2013

Lynda,
great story.
I also agree that professors should find a way to accommodate students. Good 
for you for helping your student enter that pallace.
I'm sure she'll remember you a lot.
Sadly, some professors are negative and do not want to help so they flat out 
discourage you from classes.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Lynda Lambert
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 10:59 AM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] More on this subject of working in blindness field

Bridget,
This is so unprofessional for a professor to tell a student that they cannot
take a class they are teaching. Instead, she needed to sit down and find out
how she could HELP YOU to realize your potential in her class. I had a blind
student take my Drawing and Writing in Salzburg Class one summer - it was my
job, in my view, to find out what we needed to do to help her get through
the course. In fact, our whole class helped her do it. They took turns
working with her in the classroom and out on our daily excursions - and I
had never asked them to do this. We all worked together for her. We had a
number of problems that made us realize her difficulties, when she was
denied entrance into some major places we visited - we all waited it out as
I kept dealing with the powers there - and it took over an hour and many
people coming to talk with me, before we all gained entrance into the Doge's
Palace in Venice. They were determined a guide dog was NOT going in, and we
were determined that our student and the guide dog WAS going in - and we
finally did. But they put a patrol on to follow me and the student - it was
very trying - we were looked at like we were going to destroy their palace.

You are such a good role model, Bridget, that reflects what determination
and patience can do for you. You took it all in stride, and you made it
through - despite the professor who was not very helpful. Honestly, she was
frightened of you and she did not know how to get out of it, but she tried
anyway. I can imagine the groaning she was doing to her colleagues, too.

I had another student who had a debilitating disease - she had a helper dog,
was in an electric wheelchair, was on oxygen, and had to have a nurse
standing by at all times. I moved our entire class to another building so we
could have her in our class - and I had her in more than one class. She is a
brilliant young woman, and she never missed a beat in getting anything done.
She could have had a dozen good excuses as to why she could not do my
classes, but she never neglected anything. Even with her difficulties
breathing, she delivered her own papers orally - I would never have expected
her to do this, but she did it. It was one of the highlights of my course,
to have her there. The other students loved her. Courageous peole do not
whine about their circumstances or make excuses - they meet the challenges,
I have found.  You are one of those people.
Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 9:34 AM
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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