“I Have to Convince People I Am Worth Accommodating”: A Narrative Inquiry of A Blind Student in Undergraduate Music Education

This narrative inquiry aimed to re-story the experiences of Paulina, a blind music education major, as she navigated her degree program at a large university. While scholars have begun to document the experiences of students who are blind or visually impaired in both PK-12 settings and during student teaching, no known study has explored the experience of a blind preservice student during their music education coursework. Utilizing critical disability studies as a lens, this narrative inquiry utilized the three commonplaces of temporality, sociality, and place to highlight Paulina’s experience. Data included interviews, memos from all three researchers, emails and texts, conversations at a research conference, and informal conversations. Paulina’s story centered around three themes: sight is mandatory here; the hope, promise, and failure of support; and the emotional toll and physical consequences. Implications from this study may inform preservice preparation programs as well as offer insights regarding combating ableism in any musical space.