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Blind American Idol Singer Gets Hollywood Nod

Scott McIntyre Impresses Judges with his Singing Talent

Jan 22, 2009 Suzanne Robitaille

American Idol's two-hour Phoenix premiere was well worth watching to the very end, when 23-year old Scott McIntyre, who is blind, auditioned for the judges.

McIntyre, who is from Phoenix, has been blind from birth. Sporting a 'Mind the Gap' t-shirt (a nod to London's famous 'tube' system) that he thought Simon Cowell would appreciate, McIntyre won the judges over with his rendition of Billy Joel's And So It Goes.

Talent is a Must

To be sure, contestants with disabilities have competed on American Idol and other programs before. For instance, the Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin competed on Dancing With the Stars. But other performers with disabilities have sought stardom and were shot down due to a lack of talent. Last season, Nigel Lythgoe, a judge on So You Think You Can Dance?, told a blind contestant that he admired her passion but he didn't want to "patronize" her. She simply wasn't good enough for the competition, he added. Likewise, on American Idol, talent is a pre-requisite. The judges saw this talent in McIntyre, who is also a pianist and songwriter. The final outcome was four 'Yes' votes from the judges, and Paula Abdul told him she especially liked his "softer tones."

Seacrest's "Mistake"

However, there was one low point to this happy ending. After the audition ended happily, McIntyre was met by yelps and cheers from his family, as well as Idol host Ryan Seacrest, who proceeded to give McIntyre a high-five gesture. McIntyre, who has said he has tunnel-like vision that allows him to only see "one [piano] key at a time," missed Seacreast's gesture. Now Idol watchers and media outlets are making fun of Seacrest, which is misplaced criticism.

The best way to learn how to communicate appropriately with a blind person is to either ask, or try. Most people have never had the opportunity to interact with a fully blind person. It takes some practice -- practice that's relatively easy to get by volunteering at Lighthouse International or other blind organizations. Instead, Idol fans should applaud Seacrest for treating McIntyre like everyone else, and for grabbing his hand and continuing through with the motion after realizing his "mistake."

Idol's producers chose not to cut the "mistake" from the episode, a decision that may helping more people realize the difficulties of having a vision impairment. Hopefully, Idol viewers will get to see -- and hear -- lots more of McIntyre throughout Season 8.

The copyright of the article Blind American Idol Singer Gets Hollywood Nod in Reality TV is owned by Suzanne Robitaille. Permission to republish Blind American Idol Singer Gets Hollywood Nod in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.