Klarinet Archive - Posting 000990.txt from 2003/06
From: "Christy Erickson" <perickso@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Left, Right or mixed handed?
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 17:58:06 -0400
>=20
> Christy, I'm not sure if maybe I missed something in one of the posts.
> But I am wondering if someone was actually forced to drop out of
> a conducting class, or if they just quit, on their own, out of
> frustration?
What's the difference? The person is still dropping out of what may be =
a
required class to earn a music degree. The lack of accommodation for =
their
difference is still an unreasonable barrier. =20
=20
>=20
> I'm thinking that many of us have little "disadvantages", some
> of which are much more of a disadvantage than simple
> left-handedness.
> What usually happens, is IF a person wants to do something
> badly enough, they will find a way to do it anyway. I personally
> have a hard time understanding why anyone would drop out
> of something that they really love doing.
Again, you're ignoring the fact that a disadvantage is a synonym for
handicap, according to the dictionary. You may be referring to what I =
call
differences and again, whether a difference becomes a disadvantage, =
depends
on the environment. I happen to be 5'10" tall, which in many ways has =
been
an advantage. Now, if you were to expect me to drive a car I didn't fit
into, that would be a disadvantage. I would choose not to drive a car =
that
I had to scrunch up to fit into but what if someone forced me to drive a =
car
that way or forced me to sleep in a bed all night that was much too =
short to
lie down in order to get a certain college degree? I could probably do =
it
but I wouldn't allow someone to place such unreasonable demands on me in
order to reach a goal.
What if it really isn't possible for the person to learn to conduct
with the hand the teacher insists upon? Unless you have walked in =
another's
person's shoes, it is impossible to make a judgment on the level of
difficulty someone else experiences to learn a skill that may be =
difficult,
if not impossible for them to do. What if they end up having to take =
the
class 2 or 3 times in order to pass, simply because they are forced to =
work
twice as hard as anyone else due to a teacher's refusal to make
accommodations and be flexible? Is anyone else going to pay the extra
tuition for them in order to do that? If it's not possible for a person =
to
pass a conducting class, even if they quit on their own out of =
frustration
due to the fact that a teacher will not make the accommodation and allow
them to switch hands, it is not legal! It is an unreasonable and
unnecessary requirement, plain and simple.=20
I'll agree that we all have little "disadvantages" but I think some =
are
trivializing the level of difficulty that may be required in order for
someone to develop the skill of conducting a beat pattern with the right
hand if they are more comfortable with the other hand. You can be sure =
the
accommodation would be made if the person only had a left arm. Everyone
sees that "disadvantage," if one prefers to call it that and understands
that it is simply not going to be possible to conduct with a nonexistent
right arm. I also believe that the accommodation would be made readily =
if
conducting were "conventionally" done the other way around and the
right-handers had difficulty doing it this way. However, just because =
a
handicap, difference, disadvantage, whatever you wish to call it, is not
readily visible, it does not mean that it does not exist or that it is =
not a
problem for a person. =20
If a person is deaf or hearing impaired, they usually learn sign
language and become very good at lip reading. The handicap is visible
because the accommodations needed are also very apparent and visible to
others. However, handicaps are not always so visible and readily =
apparent
to others but may just as problematic. The existence of a handicap also =
can
not be equated in any way with intelligence or lack of motivation. The
average person also cannot accurately judge the degree to which an =
invisible
handicap interferes with a person's ability to do or not do something,
unless you have walked in their shoes. It is never a good idea to pass
judgment on others simply based on your opinion. This is a particularly
harmful and potentially damaging thing for anyone one to do, =
particularly
when that person is in a position in which they exert some degree of =
power
or control over another.=20
Christy =20
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