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Resources for blind instructors?

Started by WeedInTheWheat, October 01, 2021, 07:33:47 AM

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WeedInTheWheat

Hi all,
   I have a postdoc who is absolutely brilliant and I have no doubt that he will be successful as a research oriented faculty if he decides to go that route. He does not have any teaching experience and is afraid to commit to an academic position before he knows how/if he can teach. Are there any resources out there aimed at helping blind faculty teach?

Caracal

Quote from: WeedInTheWheat on October 01, 2021, 07:33:47 AM
Hi all,
   I have a postdoc who is absolutely brilliant and I have no doubt that he will be successful as a research oriented faculty if he decides to go that route. He does not have any teaching experience and is afraid to commit to an academic position before he knows how/if he can teach. Are there any resources out there aimed at helping blind faculty teach?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/cgswup/any_blind_professors_here/

The thread above looks like it has some helpful information and people he could talk to. Possibly stupid question. I assume this is hard sciences? How common is it for people to become a postdoc without any experience teaching? I would assume that teaching while blind is going to be like teaching while being human in the sense that most of us don't start off being very good at it and a lot of getting better is about developing confidence.

mamselle

I only know of these via a sighted friend who does Braille music transcription and worked at the Braille Press for quite awhile, but the schools like Carroll and Perkins are very active in equipping students for jobs and for functioning generally at a very high level. Gaudette also comes to mind.

If they've gotten this far, it would seem they have a lot of resources already at hand; I can/will poke around more by asking my friend and getting back.

M.
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Reprove not a scorner, lest they hate thee: rebuke the wise, and they will love thee.

Give instruction to the wise, and they will be yet wiser: teach the just, and they will increase in learning.