There was a practice in Victorian England, popular among the gentry, called "poor-peopling on Wednesday afternoons." It was a practice about which Charles Dickens wrote most eloquently. It did very little for the "poor people," but it was very rewarding for the gentry who practiced it.
I was reminded of that practice recently, when a friend telephoned to read me an item from the local paper. The 28th annual program of the Kansas Association For Retarded Citizens had just been held in Lawrence, and one of its features caught the attention of a reporter. The article, entitled "Group Gets Feel of Handicaps," told of a workshop in which a dozen people participated.
According to the article, "first they were blind, then mute, then they lost the ability to speak and write properly." They completed the workshop "knowing they would not be handicapped when the 2 hours were over" (a remarkable guarantee), "and for some, the most common feeling afterward was relief, because the handicaps they experienced were only temporary." The article went on to say that "even in the artificial setting (of simulated disabilities), participants experienced very real fear, anger, and frustration, often felt by the handicapped." Participants reported that because of their simulated handicaps, their priorities had changed. "Instead of being concerned with the quality of their work," they said, "they were primarily concerned with just finishing it."
My friend knew that the article would concern me, as it did her. As a psychologist and a blind person, I have been a critic of the practice of simulating blindness, as in the so-called "trust-walk" popular on many college campuses. With no training in the alternative techniques of blindness, persons who wear blindfolds are forced to "trust" in the help of others with unobstructed vision. This practice usually strengthens the misconception most people have about being blind. In fact, the trust walk is designed to teach sighted people about dependence and not about blindness. The trust walk is one of the standard techniques of human relations training, where it has only an accidental connection with blindness or blind persons. If, in the process of learning about dependence and trust, harmful attitudes about blindness are reinforced, that is often regarded as a "cost" well worth the "benefit" of the practice. The Helping Hand Strikes Again!
The article in our local paper convinced me once again that there is a great deal of mischief being created by those charged with the task of providing services to others. In expressing this opinion, I run the risk of revealing the "fear, anger, and frustration" the experts tell us is characteristic of the "handicapped." However, with unemployment among adult blind persons of working age still running at 70%, statements such as those concerning the quality of work by the blind must be challenged. I hope that even if I had the X-ray vision of Clark Kent, I would still experience the fear, anger, and frustration that this practice deserves.
I believe that with the proper training in the alternative techniques of blindness, and given a fair opportunity to compete, the blind can function independently as equals in this sighted society. Blindness can be reduced to an inconvenience or nuisance and need not be carried around as a crushing burden to turn life into tragedy and failure. I believe in myself, and look upon my blindness as just another characteristic, much like being from New York or weighing 160 lbs. I manage to lead a productive and gratifying life in spite of my weight, my place of birth, and my blindness.
How then shall sighted people learn about blindness, if not by putting on blindfolds and frightening themselves? That is easy. Get to know someone who is blind. Say hello to the next blind person you encounter on the street, without asking him or her if you can be of help. The blind are not constantly in need of help. Read about the organized blind movement. It has been on the national scene since 1940, and provides a clear voice on matters affecting the blind. There is no need to be afraid or to play parlor games. White persons do not learn about black persons or the civil rights movement by simulating blacks, nor do men learn about women or the women's movement by simulating women. The real trouble with simulation is that it only teaches one what one already knows, and it prevents one from learning anything new. Shall we stand in front of a mirror and marvel at ourselves, or in front of an open window and learn what it is like out there?
I felt compelled to write this position paper after reading Dr. Hallenbeck's condemnation of simulation exercises as a means of teaching nonhandicapped people about disability (AHSSPPE,Summer, 1984). All of Dr. Hallenbeck's concerns may be justifiable, but as a strong advocate of the use of simulation I think there is another set of possible outcomes to consider.
If the simulation of a given handicap is too brief, it may, indeed, leave the individual fearful, frustrated, and left with that "if-it-was-me-I-couldn't-cope" attitude. I think simulation activities ought to be structured to give the participant a chance to get past the initial shock of not being able to do something -- walk, see, hear, etc. -- and on to exploring what can be done. In my own experience, largely in workshops for college faculty, I find that participants will quickly begin to develop (at least to seek out) compensation strategies. How much time is needed will vary with the task presented, but I like to wait until we are past the "good grief, I can't handle this" and on to the "how-can-I-beat-the-system" stage. Surely, that is what is really important -- not the disability, but the coping. As someone (Cole Porter?) once said, "you've got to accentuate the positive!"
I always structure simulation tasks to be done twice, once with the functional limitations imposed and a second time with the same limitations but with appropriate accommodations provided. In this way, the last thing participants experience is the successful completion of the task regardless of the limitation, rather than the anxiety of being unable to perform. Moreover, I think simulation exercises should always be followed by a de-briefing. Talk about experiences, feelings, etc. Then, if by chance one participant failed to recognize the appropriate coping strategies, someone else in the group can bring them up!
Dr. Hallenbeck proposes to substitute personal interactions with handicapped folks for simulation exercises. I know of no better technique for changing attitudes than such interaction IF it is available and IF it is positive. The first problem in such a program of awareness training is that, human nature being what it is, some of the folks you most want to reach may find one-to-one interaction too threatening to even attempt until they have some objective information about disability and what to expect from a handicapped individual. Then, too, if ALL awareness training is left to personal contacts, you had better cross your fingers that the handicapped folks with whom initial contacts are made are good models for all the things you want that "novice" to learn. Stereotyping is NEVER appropriate, but it happens; its most common underlying cause is lack of information. If you have only met one handicapped person in your life, you are likely to assume that all disabled people have the same skills, abilities, interactional patterns, etc. If the only handicapped person you'd ever met was Helen Keller or Beethoven that wouldn't be too bad (though you would have some very unrealistic expectations for future acquaintances!); on the other hand, if your only contact was with Captain Hook or a bedraggled street beggar selling pencils, it is likely that you would form some very different (and not very pleasant) perceptions. The only way to combat such prejudice (and the restricted freedom and opportunities that it engenders for the disabled population) is through education. I believe everything we teach about disability and disabled people should emphasize similarities, not differences, with able-bodied people. In my experience, simulation exercises can serve this goal admirably when presented appropriately and used judiciously.
A college administrator I know has a sign hanging above his desk which reads:
I think simulation experiences can be a useful means of achieving that end.