[blindlaw] Blind Attorneys Working On Special Education Cases

[Tai Tomasi]

Hello all. I am working on special education cases and having difficulty accessing IEPs and all manner of other documents, some of which are provided as electronic documents and others which have been scanned from hard copy. I use both the OCR software bundled with our scanner as well as ABYY FineReader, and neither is a completely viable option. For example, I am dealing with a case involving a series of text messages which neither OCR system adequately converts.

I am using a sighted reader whenever possible, but am wondering how others gain access to IEPs and other forms  with checkboxes and handwritten materials. In the case of strictly typed material with tables and checkboxes that can make documents inaccessible, has anyone been successful at getting documents in more accessible formats from schools?

I work for a nonprofit. Does anyone know of inexpensive ways that my organization could obtain a paralegal or reader to assist me? Would Americorps be a viable option for something like this? I would appreciate any tips on this.

Tai Tomasi, J.D.
Staff Attorney

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