The thing I found most interesting during the interview was when Chantal Mays talked about the student who was able to go up and down the stairs and the principal's reaction. In this class we have learned that just because someone has a disability doesn't mean they can't do the same things we can, so in hearing that the principal congratulated the student on walking up stairs, that was very strange to me. It was almost like how a friend of a parent treats their friend's toddler when they walk toward them. Instead of acting as if this is normal, they treat them as if this is their first time doing something like this. However, to the principal, this was probably the first time he had ever encountered a blind student, so he did not have the proper context to understand that the student was just as capable as everyone else. So, he felt like she was "special" and needed to be awarded with praise for doing something everyone else can. I think this says a lot about our common perceptions of people who are blind in that a lot of people do not understand that they learn to do the same things that typical people do.
I had the same reaction! I feel as if the teachers and faculty of schools would greatly benefit from Chantal Mays coming in and having a lecture on blindness as I felt this interview educated myself tremendously. Overall understanding that just because a student is blind doesn't mean they can't preform basic tasks like walking up and down the stairs next to their peers!
I thought something very similar. It shifted my perspective on how to go about and perceive others that differ from me. Chantel did a very nice job going about the situation then further educating the staff of the school.
I love this response! My reaction was pretty much the same due to the fact that people perceive blind children as not being able to complete tasks like any other student. It shows that there is more than meets the eye whenever people see a blind person, and it should be known that people with disabilities can accomplish things that most would never think they could. Chantel put this in a very informative way and she knows more than most considering she has been doing this for about 39 years!