In our 2011 presentation at the SBL academic teaching program unit, Lauren Tuchman and I discussed the fact that people who are blind have been working as academic scholars since ancient times, sometimes with the aid of scribes and readers and sometimes using modern technology. A person once asked my opinion regarding the viability of a career in biblical studies for a person who is blind. My thoughts have changed over the years as I have witnessed people do things I never thought would be possible. A few observations follow.
“A career in biblical studies” is a broad phrase. What, exactly, does that mean to the person who wants it? Does he/she want to teach about biblical hermeneutics? Teach biblical languages? Teach biblical backgrounds (e.g. socio/historical study of the Ancient Near East or Greco-Roman world? Dig around and become a biblical archeologist? Work with ancient manuscripts to sort out disparate interpretations of unclear texts?
One or two of those things may seem problematic. It depends on technology and human support. Some people that in abundance. For those people, amazing things may happen. For the rest of us, there is still a place in the world where biblical studies is a career option. It is a big field.
So my opinion is that certainly, a career in biblical studies is quite viable for a person who is blind … Asuming that the person who is blind narrows the scope to a manageable meaning and has a precise definition of what that looks like, appropriate tools and techniques can be found and learned and support can be sought if needed.
With the idea that a career in biblical studies is viable, how does one get to it? There are some very practical things that each person in the university or seminary can do to contribute. Please read the additional support articles. Whether you are student, faculty, or staff, we want to help you along this journey of making successful study and practice experiences to scholars who have disabilities.