[Blindtlk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind and Blind Student File Suit Against Maricopa Community College District

[David Andrews]

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>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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>CONTACT:
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>Chris Danielsen
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>Director of Public Relations
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>National Federation of the Blind
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>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
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>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
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><mailto:Cdanielsen at nfb.org>Cdanielsen at nfb.org
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>National Federation of the Blind and Blind Student File Suit
>Against Maricopa Community College District
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>Complaint Alleges <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Mesa Community 
>College Student Experienced Discrimination
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>Phoenix, Arizona (May 22, 2012): The National Federation of the 
>Blind, the nation's leading advocate for the equal education of 
>blind students, and Sebastian Ibanez, a blind student who recently 
>graduated from Mesa Community College, have filed suit (Case No.: CV 
>12-907-PHX-NVW) against the college and the Maricopa Community 
>College District, alleging discrimination against Mr. Ibanez and 
>other blind students.  The complaint alleges that Mr. Ibanez, as a 
>blind student, could not register for his classes, complete online 
>courses and assignments, access student services, or actively 
>participate in his classes because of inaccessible technology 
>purchased or deployed by the Maricopa Community College District and 
>Mesa Community College.  Among other things, college and third-party 
>Web sites and software applications used for coursework and student 
>services do not work with text-to-speech screen reading software, 
>and "clickers" that are used to respond to questions in class cannot 
>be operated independently by blind students.  Most egregious of all, 
>Mr. Ibanez was deliberately excluded from a class solely on the 
>basis of his blindness.  He attended the class but was told by the 
>instructor that she did not feel comfortable teaching a blind 
>student, and was subsequently electronically "dropped" from the 
>class without his knowledge or consent.
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>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 
>said: "Despite clear mandates for the equal education of students 
>with disabilities contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act 
>and the Rehabilitation Act, we continue to find that higher 
>education institutions are not accommodating their blind students as 
>required by federal law.  As in too many other cases, this instance 
>involves the needless and unlawful purchase and deployment of 
>inaccessible technology.  Worse yet, the case demonstrates again the 
>deliberate disregard by some college faculty and staff for the 
>rights of blind students.  The National Federation of the Blind is 
>once again forced to devote considerable time and resources to 
>rectifying this discrimination.  We will continue to do so until the 
>day when battles like this one are no longer necessary.  We cannot 
>and will not tolerate unlawful discrimination against blind 
>students, and we insist that they receive an education equal to that 
>received by their sighted peers."
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>The plaintiffs are represented in this matter by Joseph B. Espo of 
>the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein, & Levy, LLP, and J.J. Rico of 
>the Arizona Center for Disability Law.
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>About the National Federation of the Blind
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>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. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the 
>Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in 
>the United States for the blind led by the blind.
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