[Blindmath] Equalizing the Blackboard

Tue Jan 17 20:17:00 UTC 2017

What accommodations are you receiving in the class currently?  Are you provided with copies of the material presented on the board?  Recording lectures?  Possibly tactile models of the visual materials/graphs/etc?

I don't believe the accommodations can be limited to the instructional hours, as it is the instruction AND materials that need to be made accessible.  If providing an assistant to orally describe the printed materials after class is necessary for access, then it should be provided.

Most schools offer peer tutoring or at least a list of tutors.  Instructors hold office hours, as well, which would be my first stop.  Often, the instructors don't fully understand what they need to do to make the course accessible.  Meeting one-on-one can not only help you but also help the instructor to see where the gaps in accessibility are.

Lisa

________________________________
From: Blindmath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> on behalf of Godfrey, Jonathan via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 2:58:16 PM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Cc: Godfrey, Jonathan
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Equalizing the Blackboard

Hello Zac,

The interpretation of a "reasonable accommodation" is a tricky beast. What may be quite reasonable to one provider might seem impossible to another, and one solution that works extremely effectively for one vision impaired person might be utterly inappropriate for another. I find the providers usually don't really have a good idea of what they could do and what would work; that isn't just an education problem though.

I know that I would find it quite disruptive to have you sit in my class with a sighted helper who kept telling you what was on the front display; if I failed to give you the necessary descriptions in class, then I would expect you to either get the help needed at university cost from someone else after class, or for you to camp outside my office with your questions following each inaccessible class. This latter strategy doesn't need to be a war but I admit that in one or two cases, the lecturer didn't like me doing that when I was in your situation. On the other hand, there were many lecturers who wanted me to succeed and would make sure that the only reason for me not succeeding was me and my ability. I now count many of those people as friends and professional colleagues.

I have offered in  the past to offer an expert opinion on what counts as reasonable accommodation. Strangely enough, no university official has ever asked me for my opinion to date. I suggest you extend my offer to the people at your university, and give them a copy of the Godfrey and Loots article you've read. I have on the other hand, been contacted by many university staff who will be in contact with a blind student as it is them that ends up with the day to day responsibility and usually a sense of justice that supports the student.

Good luck,
Jonathan

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Zach via Blindmath
Sent: Wednesday, 18 January 2017 5:13 a.m.
To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
Cc: Zach
Subject: [Blindmath] Equalizing the Blackboard

Hello all,

What can I do to help equalize learning statistics during lectures? I really enjoyed reading Godfrey et al., (2015)'s recommendations to professors on how to teach students with blindness statistics, and how to explain equations as well as graphics, but at a University where the capabilities of the faculty is somewhat questionable, at least in certain departments, what is the best solution? I have some residual eye sight that allows me to use screen magnification cameras, but I fatigue quickly and haven't been the most successful. I see getting a visual assistant to aid me in reviewing the lectures, which are written on the chalk board as the most viable solution, but my University and disabilities office claim that any assistance strictly outside the hours of class meeting times falls under a personal thing and not an accommodation.

Regards,

Zac

Zachary Mason

M.S. Student

Animal and Dairy Sciences

Mississippi State University

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