Blind Woman Will Pursue Her Dream of Becoming a Nurse

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 21 Jan 2005 - 9:00 PDT

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With support from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), Melissa Resnick of Merrick, New York, will become the first blind nursing student at Nassau Community College (NCC). Admission to NCC's Nursing Department is highly competitive and the Department is widely respected for its academic excellence. The college confirmed her acceptance after initially expressing concerns over her ability to perform the required classroom and clinical work. Ms. Resnick will start her classes on Friday, January 21, 2005.

"Ms. Resnick is an exceptionally well-qualified woman who will be an asset to the nursing program at Nassau Community College," said Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "We applaud the college for taking this important step towards full acceptance of blind people into the medical professions. Blind doctors and nurses are bringing new insights into patient care and Melissa will surely inspire other blind youth to follow their dreams into nursing."

Ms. Resnick has been attending NCC since June 2003. She applied to the nursing program in October 2004. As part of the process of allaying NCC's concerns about her ability to successfully complete the nursing program, Ms. Resnick, a long-time member of the NFB, the foremost consumer organization of blind people in the United States, turned to the organization for assistance.

The NFB compiled numerous examples of how other blind individuals have used alternative (non-sighted) techniques to complete their medical and other healthcare studies. After considering the information, NCC agreed to admit Ms. Resnick to NCC's nursing program.

Blind since birth, Ms. Resnick has always dreamed of becoming a nurse. "NCC, through its Center for Students with Disabilities, which assists 1,000 disabled students each semester, has a solid record of working to expand educational opportunities for disabled students," said Dr. Sean A. Fanelli, President of NCC. "We look forward to working with Ms. Resnick to help her realize her dream." NCC is one of the largest community colleges in the country, with more than 21,000 students enrolled.

Ms. Resnick received a Bachelor's degree in biology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. Although SUNY initially attempted to discourage her from pursuing a degree in hard sciences, incorrectly believing that a blind person could not succeed in such a program, Ms. Resnick not only demonstrated that she could meet the demands of the course work, but she graduated with honors. She then went on to obtain a Masters of Science in biopsychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1993. And in 2004, Ms. Resnick obtained a Healthcare Provider CPR/AED Certification from the American Heart Association.

"It has been my lifelong dream to become a nurse and I have worked very hard to get here," said Melissa Resnick. "I purposely took difficult courses in school and volunteered at a hospital just to be overqualified for nursing school. I am confident that I will succeed and I thank Nassau Community College for giving me this opportunity."

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. The NFB headquarters has been located in Baltimore, Md., since 1978. In January 2004, the NFB opened the NFB Jernigan Institute, a $20 million, 188,000-square-foot research and training facility adjacent to its headquarters in South Federal Hill.

Contacts:

Linda J. McCarty
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, ext. 2220
(410) 340-0475 cell

Patricia Maurer
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, ext. 2272

Reginald Tuggle
Nassau Community College
(516) 572-7250
National Federation of the Blind