Right here at Rhode Island College, the Sherlock Center has so many opportunities and progressive views on individuals with disabilities. A vision specialist comes to my classroom to work with students and I find their work incredibly fascinating. I also participating in an orientation and mobility class and wore different googles to simulate different visual impairments and how complete day to day activities. Needless to say, it was very difficult, especially when I am used to seeing without any struggles. It made me think about the way individuals with visual impairments go through live and the factors that are more difficult for them throughout their lifetime. The quote that kept replaying throughout the podcast was "blind people can't do that". Ironically enough, Daniel Kish was able to bash expectation right out the window.
When learning about the 'rat experiment', it was discovered that rats who had higher expectations put on them actually performed better than those who were assumed to be less capable. This concept on a much larger scale applies to our society. The quote in particular "he can't do that, he's blind" is a perfect example of how expectations of someone who is visually impaired are so much lower than those who are capable of seeing. This is understandable to some degree but the problem that we run into is that when these individuals are young, adults end up completing tasks for them, which enables their learning and development to discover the world around them. I face this issue in my classroom. I find it essential to have para-educators understand the degree to which they are supposed to facilitate children with severe needs. The podcast states that as blind people we "never get that moment of what it is to really have that self-confidence to really trust our sense to know 'oh if I do use my cane properly and I am listening attentively to information around me oh, I'll be okay'." We want to find a delicate balance between keeping students safe but discovering learning on their own.
Staying Happy - Something important Daniel's mom said was that she just wants him to be happy. As a parent, yes you want your child to be safe but you also want them to enjoy living their lives to the best of their ability. "It's very hard as a parent with a child who's visually impaired, to let go" Love can get in the way. It seems to be a blessing and a curse.
Echolocation - Daniel Kish - THE LEGEND HIMSELF. He is truly an inspiration. I think he does an amazing job raising awareness and expectations for those individuals who are categorized as visually impaired. Daniel even led a hike in the woods. He opened up about how he never really enjoyed affection. And even though this is missing from his life, he is still truly happy.
It was interesting to hear about your personal experiences in the field of disability studies. It must be difficult to train the educators you work with NOT to finish their students' work, NOT to aid them with every little thing because for most people, that's such a basic reaction one that would be hard to overcome. I agree that Daniel KIsh is an inspiring figure. He seems more grounded and in touch with himself than most people I know. His approach to challenges, facing them, conquering them, is one I'd like to adopt in my own life and pass on, if possible, to my students.
ReplyDeleteOur beliefs affect our reactions towards disabilities. We tend to think that disabled people are helpless and we want to help them. However, teachers need to assist their students to be independent and self sufficient instead of assisting them to complete the tasks.
ReplyDelete"Expectations are a social implication that we need to meet this specific criteria or mold. " --> so true and important for us as educators to think deeply about. The next question is: Who creates the "criteria" or "mold"? For disabled folks, it is typically able-bodied folks who create the criteria and molds for them. This, of course, is highly problematic. We should look to the expertise of disabled people to better understand disability.
ReplyDeleteAnd as educators, we must carefully monitor our thinking to see how we've internalized these "criteria" and"molds" and how they shape the ways we think about and treat children.