The Buzzz April, 2009

The Justice Online, Brandeis University, MA, USA
By: Sam Datlof
Posted: 3/17/09

Special Assistant to the President of Legal Seafoods Dr. David A. Ticchi, who has been legally blind  since birth, discussed discriminatory attitudes shown toward people with disabilities in the  workplace at an event sponsored by the Student Union Committee on Disabilities.

Ticchi, who is also the supervisor of the School-to-Career program at Newton High School, explained  that his vision is so diminished that he can only distinguish whether it is daytime or nighttime.
However, he emphasized that his father encouraged him "to do virtually everything" in order to  ensure that he could lead a normal life with his condition.

Ticchi related that although "no public school system was under any legal obligation to accept a  student with a disability [until 1973]," he was able to attend public school because of his parents'  efforts to address discrimination within the community. Ticchi noted that special education did not  exist until after the 1950s. At the time, most students went to Perkins School for the Blind, but he  said that his parents made sure he went to the West Bridgewater Public School System because they  wanted him to be educated with his peers regardless of his disability.

Ticchi said it was not until after college that he first began to feel the harsh realities of
discrimination. Although he wanted to work more than anything, Ticchi found himself unable to land a  job due to what he perceived as discrimination. So instead of working, he chose to join a Jesuit  volunteer corps, and he taught in a Native American reservation in New Mexico. He eventually  realized that he loved to teach and chose to attend Harvard University, where he received a master's  and doctorate in education.

Throughout the discussion, Ticchi frequently offered advice gained through his experience dealing  with discrimination and codependency. "What is most important in life is how we treat others and how  trustworthy we are," he said. He stated that even he, a blind man, cares about his own appearance;
despite the fact that he can't tell if his hair is combed or his clothes match, he still wants to  make a good impression. 

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