[nabs] My Apologies

[Tara Prakash]

Ashley. There is no point beating the dead horse. But in one of her emails the original emailer identified the professor as Black. That was unnecessary. But I wish people would allow this matter not as a blindness related issue, it does not apply specifically to the blind.


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: bookwormahb at earthlink.net 
  To: Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students. 
  Sent: Monday, August 22, 2011 5:16 PM
  Subject: Re: [nabs] My Apologies


  Since we do not know the professor’s race, race had nothing to do with this. If you cannot understand a professor, it impedes  your learning. It doesn’t matter where they are from.  I hope the situation can be worked out. I took classes with professors who had mild accents. What helped me was repetition either in class as I asked for clarification or in office hours and I sat up front.
  But if a professor had a thick accent, I doubt I’d be able to cope with it.
  Ashley

  From: Leena and Charity 
  Sent: Monday, August 22, 2011 3:52 PM
  To: Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students. 
  Subject: Re: [nabs] My Apologies

  I did too. I also think a lot of people over react to things if they even sound like there might be a hint of racism.
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: bookwormahb at earthlink.net 
    To: Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students. 
    Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 12:41 PM
    Subject: Re: [nabs] My Apologies

    Christine, You meant to say Alicia, not Ashley, I think. Anyway, I thought her posts were perfectly fine and not judgemental.
    Ashley

    From: Christine Szostak 
    Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 12:56 PM
    To: Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students. 
    Subject: Re: [nabs] My Apologies

    Hi Ashley and All,
      I do not think it is necessarily your posts that Sarah was referring too. Your questions, at lease to me came across as intended. I think there may be a little name-mixing up on the list that may be occurring which may be why you feel targeted.
    Many thanks,
    Christine


    M. Szostak
    Doctoral Candidate
    Language Perception Laboratory
    Department of Psychology, Cognitive Area
    The Ohio State University
    Columbus, Ohio
    szostak.1 at osu.edu
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Starner, Alicia M. 
      To: 'Discussion list for NABS, National Alliance of Blind Students.' 
      Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 12:41 PM
      Subject: [nabs] My Apologies

      Hello All,

       

      I would like to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by the thread started by me titled “foreign Professors”. I believe there was a misunderstanding in the original intent of the thread, which was not to discriminate against my professor in any way for any reason. The inquiry was simply about what you have all done to overcome communication barriers due to a thick accent, a lisp, or other communication barrier that makes understanding difficult or impossible for you as a student. While oral and written communication skills is extremely important for anyone who is providing a service, I am not one that believes that one should be perfect with these skills. On the other hand, I do believe that if a service provider including but not limited to teachers, doctors, social workers, councelors, and psychologists have a thick accent, lisp, or other communication barrier that may impede their ability to be understood, they should work with those individuals to ensure they have the information they need. This thread was in no way a punch to his race, because I never mentioned his race on list, nor was it a blow to him as a person with ethnic differences. I am one that embraces diversity within our community and believes strongly that we all have something to contribute to the larger world as a whole regardless of our race, ethnicity, disability, or other diversity. In short, diversity is what makes life worth living and provides variety within our community. It is what makes our society challenging and worth living in. Again, I apologize to anyone who may have felt discriminated against or offended by my thread. I assure you, it was not intended to offend you at all! I am sad and disappointed that I didn’t make my written communication more concise to avoid people feeling as if I was racist or discriminatory against my professor and/or perhaps any of you. Please accept my sincere apology and hope we can continue to share our experiences and suggestions as students with visual impairments, as I have learned quite a bit from all of you and honestly respect all of our different opinions.

      Best Regards,

      Alicia

       



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